Blaine LeRoy is Consultant and Executive Coach at Growth River.   Find valuable career tips and advice in this Executive Story of the Week.

Name: Blaine LeRoy

Drexel/LeBow Alumni: No, BA - Sociology and Business, University of Vermont; MBA - Leading Organizations and Teams, Santa Clara University

Title: Vice President Sales & Marketing

Company: Growth River (www.growthriver.com)

How long have you been with the company? Less than 1 year

What was your first job title/responsibility? I was a Market Research Associate for a small market research company that serviced consumer products companies, including Clorox, Landor Associates (Consumer branding) and Wells Fargo Bank.

What factors led to your success?  I believe the factors that have led to my success have been hard work, coachability, assertiveness, focus and continuous learning.  I have an MBA, an Executive Coaching Credential from the Hudson Institute, and I continue to read business and coaching books.  I think the more clear you are on your strengths, passion and values, the more likely you will be to succeed.  I have either had a mentor or worked with a coach for much of my career.

How would you describe the company culture? My company's culture is unique.  We are a small start-up company that works virtually or on-site at the companies where we deliver strategic alignment sessions and executive coaching.  I have five business partners, all but one is a man.  What is unique about my company's culture is that we have agreed to resolve any conflict we have with any of our co-workers within 72 hours.  We consider each other equals. We have a vision for making the business world a better place and to promote values-based leadership.

What advice or tips would you offer to students who may be interested in securing a position in your field or with a company in the same business sector? If you are interested in management consulting, you need to be prepared to put in long hours and travel more than 50% of the time.  As a management consultant you need to be on the cutting edge so you will need to enjoy continuous learning.  There are two ways to enter the field.  One is to start as an analyst in one of the big companies like Deloitte, McKinsey or Mercer.  The other way is to become an industry or functional specialist and once you have become an expert in your field, you can become a management consultant.  

If you had one "do over" in your career, what would it be? I would have started out in a large established company to get a brand name on my resume and to learn from a solid reputable company steeped in best practices.

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Learn advice and career management strategies from top executives!   The "Higher: Moving to the Executive Level" story features an executive that has successfully climbed the career ladder.  Find out how they did it!  To submit your story, please email lebowmba@drexel.edu.