Julie Sweet, the CEO of Accenture, says the most important lesson of her life came when she was just 15 years old.
Back then, she lost a local speech contest to someone whose father was the president of the Lions Club. Upset by the result, she complained to her father. What he said stayed with her forever.
He told her, “Julie, you’re never going to be the daughter of the president of the Lions Club. That’s not the family you were born into. I believe you can do anything, but you have to be so much better than everyone else that they have to give it to you. Tonight, you weren’t that much better.”
This taught Julie an important lesson: be fearless, but always be prepared. She says this advice helped her become honest with herself and always keep improving.
As a teenager, Julie worked as a reservations clerk, where she learned how to adapt quickly and grow fast. That early experience helped shape her successful career.
She also mentioned that adapting to change is very important for leaders. She referred to JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who warns leaders to avoid becoming too comfortable and always keep learning. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also believes in focusing on what matters for the future, which he says has helped Microsoft grow for over 30 years.
Julie Sweet’s journey—from losing a contest to leading one of the biggest consulting firms in the world—shows the power of staying ready and constantly improving.
Julie earned her law degree from Columbia University and started her career at a top law firm in New York. She joined Accenture in 2010 as General Counsel, became CEO of North America in 2015, and Global CEO in 2019. She has successfully led the company into new areas like cloud computing and AI.
Under her leadership, Accenture spent $6.6 billion on acquisitions in two years, and its AI business grew to $1.4 billion. Because of this, the company raised its revenue forecasts.
Julie says all of this success follows the advice her father gave her: Be so good that people have no choice but to choose you.
