Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you ?

Compassion and empathy are guiding values both personally and professionally. I learned the value of these traits as a child, watching my father handle my uncle’s drug addiction and its impact on our family. Through all the pain he brought, my father cared for and loved him. This demonstrated to me that to understand and help my uncle, you had to approach him with a level of compassion that allowed him to show his best self. I also learned this didn’t just apply to friends and family – you had to show the same respect and understanding to the check-out clerk at the grocery store as you did your boss in the corner office.

I applied this lesson when I got to college and started working at the Bulk Mail Center. I worked alongside a blue-collar workforce, printing pamphlets and newsletters the university distributed. My colleagues had experienced extremely different circumstances than me – most had no more than a high school degree and many had criminal backgrounds. As I worked with them longer, taking time to better understand them as people, barriers broke down, and I was able to see them as caring and intelligent individuals. By approaching them with compassion, I was able to see their best selves and learn from them as a result.

As a PE Associate, I am exposed to many levels of a company’s organization and interact with diverse executives. I utilize an empathetic and compassionate perspective in this position, aiming to identify with employees at all levels and functions of an organization – whether I’m meeting with the COO or walking the factory floor with a production worker. By doing so, I’ve been able to gain a broader perspective on how value is created by every member within an organization. Recently a shift leader at a portfolio company, an immigrant from (Country) with limited English, demonstrated a newly implemented quality-control process to me– a learning I was able to suggest to another portfolio company with great success.

In my personal life, I have demonstrated these values through my work with (group), an education non-profit benefiting underprivileged children. I worked with (group) by fundraising at quarterly events supporting the organization’s mission and helping with an annual Christmas party and gift drive. Through a better education, we hope these children won’t be defined by their current circumstances, but will grow, thrive, and be empowered to become their best selves.

Compassion and empathy allow people to be respected and heard – this makes for better businesses, better communities and ultimately a better world. These will continue to be vital values both as I lead investments in companies and as I contribute to the community around me.