For Mead & Hunt Chief Executive Officer Amy Squitieri, curiosity comes naturally – a trait that has proven beneficial to her professional growth. Early in her career, she recognized that asking questions opens many doors.
A question leads to an idea; an idea leads to an opportunity. If you link enough opportunities together, you just might find yourself the newest CEO – and the first female in the role – of a 1,400-person consulting firm.
Leading with Curiosity
Fresh out of graduate school, Amy found a limited job market for historic preservation work. While consulting with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), Amy received a recommendation to approach Mead & Hunt for an opportunity.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
As a young, curious person in 1993, Amy had a vision and took advantage of her opportunities, eventually building a nationally recognized Cultural Resources practice at Mead & Hunt. The strength of the team, she says, has always been the integration of different professional perspectives to understand the stories behind historic places while addressing technical challenges.
“I have a natural curiosity about how things might improve. Combining historic preservation and engineering work on an aligned project team made it easier to accomplish the work,” Amy says.
Over time, Amy’s knack for identifying opportunities for improvement in the workplace created similar outcomes across the company.
While studying our firm’s operations for her executive MBA classes, Amy’s first question – “Do we have a budget for this activity?” was met with a casual “Not really.” She knew more precise management could improve the financial results. A similar question regarding training project managers resulted in a 60-person training session in the back of an Italian restaurant. Amy led the event.
In more recent years, Amy championed the company’s foray into foresight and innovation, creating a program that bolstered our innovative practices both internally and in our consulting work. Leading-edge technological growth is still a critical goal today.
“Every day, I analyze new ways to help our people do their jobs better, so our team can more effectively serve our clients,” she says. “My goal is to help employees feel comfortable enough to explore ways to make our company even better. Through this, we can create more positive outcomes for all.”
Encouraging Engagement
Amy’s advice to emerging leaders? Ask the question. At Mead & Hunt, employees are given opportunities to provide feedback, meet with Amy and COO Troy Pankratz in casual settings, and engage in formal sessions that improve internal processes and client services. Team members have found themselves in new roles as champions of initiatives and in leadership positions. A key reason: their curiosity about the business.
“The best part of my job is similar to what it was when I first started: I get to ask questions,” Amy said. “The difference now is that I can have a greater impact on making Mead & Hunt a top place to work and a premier partner to our clients.”
