GETTING AHEAD
‘Get out there. See the world. If there are no jobs, don’t wait for it to happen. Just get moving. There are jobs somewhere. Right now, I’d tell people to get down to Brazil or over to China’
be in the States in that period was just amazing.” While at Brown, Mullen met Vernon Alden, one of the original
directors at Digital Equipment Company, who had been dean at Harvard Business
School.Mullen describes Alden as an inspiration. “His son was inmy class and onmy running team and he showed up for every single race that we ran.He was a big supporter of the team. He would also line me up with summer jobs at Digital. I just found his whole approach and his support and enthusiasm was pretty amazing. For some reason, he took a shine to me and pointed me in the right direction on summer jobs and career advice. Later, he wrote my reference when I applied to Harvard Business School.” The supportive approach is one that Mullen uses with his own potential customers. “I’min venture capital so we try to find compa- nies and young entrepreneurs and back them and support them as they build and skill their business. I think it’s fair to say that there’s a fair amount of arrogance in our industry. “One of my partners told me early on never to forget that the rock
star is the entrepreneur and we’re just the roadies. It was an analogy that stuck with me.We’re here with money and we’re here with good advice and counsel, but the people who are putting their entire careers on the line are the entrepreneurs who really push the boat out. “A lot of our business is about meeting people and getting out
there and hearing what’s hot and what’s not so hot, and sitting down with people and hearing the story of a business. Even if it’s not right for investment, it’s important to give something to them by way of helpful feedback as opposed to a brusque ‘no’, which is what they often get.”
Born not made Mullen has clear views about what makes a good leader. “Leaders need to have clarity of vision, some strategic perspective,
as well as charisma and an ability to communicate, internally and externally, with employees and other stakeholders in the business,” he says. “They should not be afraid to live their own personality as opposed to living the personality they think a great leader should have. They should be honest above all else.” And he believes that leaders are born and not made. “I think you can fine-tune. But I think you’re either introverted or
a bit more extroverted. It’s very hard for introverted people to be a leader inmy opinion because you have to bring people with you and you have to rally the troops from time to time. Not everybody has that and I think if you don’t it’s very hard. I think it comes from childhood, family background and schooling and all the experiences you have early in life. For sure you can put some finesse and finish- ing touches on it, but if the rawmaterial is not there, it’s quite tough.”
Advice to graduates To those starting their own careers, Mullen says he would always encourage people to try to pursue their dreams. “Don’t just go for the big corporate job if it’s really not what you want to do,” he says. “If you’re more entrepreneurial, try to find something entrepreneurial and maybe take a little bit of risk. You might have to take a lower salary; you might have to take no salary for a period. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about. “If you’re more of a big company person, head in that direction
and try to figure out what kind of place you want to be in. A little bit of self-discovery while you’re at college and getting some expe- rience in different areas, during your summer or even while you’re doing your studies, can help you form some viewpoints on differ- ent career options. It’s hard if you’ve no experience whatsoever if you’re faced with a range of jobs; you’ve really not put yourself in a good position to have a frame of reference to make a good decision. “Get loads of experience, talk to loads of people and network with
people who are not looking to hire. Don’t just be responding to career ads and the usual stuff. Try, through family, friends and any network you have, to spend a half an hour with different people to really understand what they do day-in day-out and how much bal- ance they have in their life. Try to inform yourself.” His own summer experience helped immensely in his decision- making,Mullen says. “There were so many people around me doing different things, heading in different directions. Just be curious.” Taking the opportunity to travel can also be a huge advantage. “Get
out there. See the world. If there are no jobs, don’t wait for it to hap- pen. Just get moving. There are jobs somewhere. Right now, I’d tell people to get down to Brazil or over to China. “There is some potential upside in what is a very, very difficult situation at home right now. It’s brutal for some families and indi- viduals. But the flipside of it all is that people are laser focused again on hard work and really finding new opportunities. They’re travelling again and just willing to go to the ends of the earth to get busy and get productive. That’ll pay dividends. “It might take 10 years as it did back in the Eighties for people to
come back around again, but they come back with ideas and busi- nesses and new skills and competencies. So I don’t view it as a lost generation and a big sell out. There’s plenty of opportunity in it as well.”
Grainne Rothery
FergalMullen is a member of the North American Advisory Board of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS 37
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