Brice Smith with Lyle Yablonski, VP of the American Division of AXA, a photo by LAUSatPSU on Flickr.

As you might recall, I completed an internship this summer with AXA Advisors, an international financial consulting firm. Soon after I finished the internship, I met with John Milewski, a professor with Penn State’s Washington, D.C. program, and he offered some valuable advice about where my talents could best be applied upon graduation. I told Mr. Milewski about challenges I had experienced at AXA Advisors. In particular, I shared how I had the opportunity to earn compensation if I set a certain number of appointments per week for a colleague, but I always seemed to find a way to miss the targeted number of appointments. (I realized this consciously but think at the time it was a subconscious effort.)

My conversation with Mr. Milewski helped me realize why I was missing these goals, and at the same time, I learned something critical about myself: I’m not motivated by money. I neglected to set enough time aside to make the necessary number of dials, and I would instead do work for other members of the team. I’m a service-oriented individual motivated by the opportunity to help others. Our conversation can be summed up like this: Mr. Milewski thought I could best serve being the leader of or working for a non- profit organization focused on human rights or some cause greater than myself. I’m just not about the money, never have been. I don’t worship the dollar, nor do I build my future around what I think will make me the most money. I live to serve, to help others. These traits seem contradictory since I’ve just wrapped up an internship at a financial consulting firm, yet I became passionate about the work of the firm over the course of the summer. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much enjoyment at work. Though finance obviously deals with money, I saw the opportunity to serve others by helping them become more financially literate.

While conversing over a coffee break with an AXA coworker, he shared his experiences working for another large financial consulting firm. His experience at this other firm seemed to fit the stereotype many of us have of big business firms: there was a lack of support of the employees, and the people there were all about themselves and the dollar. With the transition to AXA, however, came the chance to work with others and form partnerships or groups, to put each others’ strengths to work and help others compensate for their shortcomings as they would for his. As I reflect on this business internship, I think that I was wrong about firms like AXA, which stand out due to the leadership in place, starting with the company’s Vice President, Lyle Yablonsky.

Vince Lombardi, the NFL coaching legend, said he always believed in giving credit where it’s due, and I must tip my hat to Lyle. I can’t say enough great things about the man. To all Penn Staters thinking about life after college, when you find a career and have a bona fide employer, don’t take that for granted. I’ve had my fair share of jobs in my young life and have worked for some miserable bosses as well as a small number of great ones, but Lyle hands down is a step, or perhaps five, above all of them. He’s a consistent force of unwavering confidence that inspires the team. On a number of occasions, I have personally walked into his office feeling discouraged and unsure about what I’m doing, but I walked out with my head held high. Lyle instills confidence, positive energy, and belief in every member of the team.

What sets Lyle apart? Here’s a man that tried to teach me how to drive his manual vehicle so I could have a car and not have to rely on the untimely bus. When I stalled the car numerous times on some busy intersections with horns blazing towards me, he let me have his automatic vehicle to get me around instead. He’s a man who goes golfing with his clients in his spare time. It’s character like this that leads one to understand how this 2001 Penn State alumnus rose to become a divisional vice president at such a young age. He’s a champion in every sense of the word. If he played football, Vince Lombardi would be proud. If the Presidential Leadership Academy existed when he was at Penn State, he’d be a top candidate.

With the experience of my summer internship, my eyes have opened to another side of the business world, one I didn’t know existed. The preconceived notion that this is a career that’s ‘all about me’ no longer exists. I’m sure it exists in many business environments, but not at AXA, not at this branch outside D.C. To those thinking about going into business and for anyone open to some advice about getting started on a career path post-graduation, if you can find a boss like the rare ‘Lyles’ out there, don’t take that for granted. They’re one in a million. As I look back, I see the lessons that others can learn from as well. Coming out of high school, my least favorite subject was English. My lowest grades each year were in this subject, and I thought I was a terrible writer. A few years later I’m proud to say my writing skills have grown tenfold. I’ve had several columns published in newspapers as large as the Patriot-News in Harrisburg. To the same concept, all my life I have never given way to the thought of working in the business sector, and I didn’t think I’d do well in it. Yet here again I find myself gaining a tremendous amount of experience at an internationally renowned firm. To those who might be hesitant to open their minds to possibilities never before conceived, I say don’t sell yourself short or limit your options. I’ve never been a big fan of company slogans or mission statements, but AXA’s is right on point in ‘redefining standards.’