My Interview with Kearney & Company COO Brian Kearney

Overall, the experience of interviewing a Partner at Kearney and Company was sublime. I’m much obliged to have had the opportunity of conducting an enlightening interview with the Chief Operating Officer of Kearney and Company, Brian Kearney. In response to my questions, Brian offered exceptionally valuable statements. It is very palpable that Brian Kearney is earnest and passionate towards his professional career and the keen employees of Kearney and Company.

I asked Brian the following questions and his responses are quoted in italics:

Q: What’s your WHY?

A: “My family is my why!”

He continued by stating, how he has benefitted from watching his family establish Kearney and Company and witnessing its growth over time. Ultimately, Brian loves what he does. He truly enjoys the responsibility he has and sharing his perpetual passion for this company.

Q: What’s Kearney’s finish line? i.e. What does success look like? / When will Kearney be able to say we are a supreme firm like the BIG 4?

A: “Due to the corporate culture, Kearney and Company will never be like a “Big 4” firm. Kearney and Company treats their employee’s like people, not a number. Success for Kearney and Company is setting our goals and achieving each one, for example, consistently winning “Best Place to Work Award.” 

 Kearney and Company’s finish line is boundless. Fundamentally, Kearney and Company cares immensely about its culture and the astounding talent that is steadily recruited to help protect it as well.

Q: What makes the Kearney culture unique and how is it protected?

A: “The people here are the driving factor towards our uniqueness. Every hiring decision is taken seriously, especially throughout the interviewing process we’ve established. Protection of our culture is decided during our interviewing process, as we determine who is best fit to offer continued protection from top to bottom of our company.”

Kearney and Company holds reverence towards its interview process, as it allows their recruiters to analyze and evaluate if the potential new hires fit their culture. Additionally, Kearney and Company value their culture as supreme as the technical skills possessed by each potential new hire to veteran employee. Kearney and Company assures protection of their culture through the rigors of the interviewing process, as upon offering, they have deemed one fit to continue the protection of their matured culture.

Q: What is your “Secret Sauce?” i.e. What are the 3 Leadership Principles that you have discovered and executed that have contributed to your success?

A: “To be a listener, take risks, and don’t be afraid of failure.”

A key takeaway is to always challenge yourself; additionally, one must manifest a proper mindset of success through setting goals, and not being afraid of failure.

Q: What’s the most valuable lesson and/or trait you’ve learned throughout your professional career that you can advise the intern class with?

A: “Even if you’re not the best compared to others, give it your all and don’t be afraid of failure.”

Essentially, don’t ever let someone challenge your work ethic, as a strong work ethic means one values hard work and takes personal pride in giving their best effort. Some competency areas associated with a strong work ethic are reliability, initiative, determination, and team orientation.

This article was originally published on Alex Kriss’s (Summer 2018 Intern) LinkedIn page.

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