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Leading the Way...
Read this exclusive Up Close & Virtual® Interview with Lucinda Duncalfe Holt, CEO and President of TurnTide, named one of the Top 10 Start-ups to watch in 2004. Holt has over 15 years of experience as a leading executive with both start-ups and global Fortune 500 companies. Here she shares her experience, career advice, and insights for success. Read the interview...
Tell us briefly about your company, your area of expertise, responsibilities.
I run a 4-month-old start-up that sells a unique anti-spam solution to large enterprises and ISPs. Before founding this company with the inventor of the technology, I was CEO of a $25 million company, Destiny, which we built from the founder’s basement.
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Describe a day in your professional life...
Mostly, I just talk with people - my team, prospects, partners, investors - on the phone, email, face to face. If I’m not traveling, I start at about 8 and am home by 6. Then, after my girls are in bed, I work on presentations, read, do my thinking.
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Was there a lesson or skill learned from your first job that has been invaluable on your career path?
Self-motivation, flexibility, achievement orientation, team player, smart.
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Has Higher Education been important in your career path? What educational advice would you give to viewers? Tell us the path you took to where you are today.
My path, until recently, was completely accidental. My mom and dad were artists, so I knew nothing about business. I took a job as a secretary at a start-up right after graduating with a degree in psychology, and ended up loving it. I went to Wharton to get my MBA more to go back to school than for any career track, but it turned out to be perfect for me, as I learned the formalities that gave structure to my entrepreneurial experience. Then I took a management job at a mid-size firm and learned how to manage people, budgets, and projects, which was invaluable when I re-entered the start-up world. Which was a big transition because I had to take a whopping pay cut. But a year later I got my first offer as CEO and it was off to the races.
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What is your work ethic, and how did it develop? What inspires you?
I probably work too much, because I love it. My parents were both lucky to love their work, and I was lucky to have that expectation set early in life. The truth is, I can’t believe that I can actually do something I love and make a good living at it. People say "no one ever looks back when they’re on the deathbed and wished that they worked more" but I don’t think that’s true. If you love what you do, you wouldn’t say that. My version is "no one ever looks back and wishes they watched more TV." So, shoot your TV, find something you love, and do it a lot.
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What advice would you give to potential job applicants to help them succeed in the ever-changing global marketplace?
Know yourself and be yourself. Study potential employers carefully and figure out if there is a philosophical fit for you. Then, if there is, go for it. If there’s not, find a different employer.
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Do you have suggestions of any professional associations, trade journals, periodicals, events, etc. that someone pursuing a career in your field should be aware of &/or attend?
Read, read, and read some more! It’s critical to keep up with what’s happening in your specific field.
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Are there any emerging trends in your industry/company that will impact your hiring criteria?
The key to success in start-ups is to be a generalist, a utility player. Everyone wears lots of hats, and you have to be eager to do that and have a broad skill base.
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| "Read, read, and read some more!It’s critical to keep up with what’s happening in your specific field." -- Lucinda Duncalfe Holt |
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What challenges have you faced in business because you are a woman? Share your strategies for overcoming them.
I see being a woman in business as an advantage much more than a challenge. I stand out in a crowd (I’m 6’ tall, so that helps too), people are more likely to remember me. I’m sure that I have faced some challenge due to my gender, but spending time and energy on it is wasteful, so I just move on.
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How do yo maintain balance in your life? or Do you?!
Balance? I don’t believe in it. I am one person, and I live my life like one life, not two. We live a mile from work, so I come home in the middle of the day sometimes, and my girls regularly come into the office for lunch. My husband is a stay-at-home dad, which helps. If I travel for more than a night, the whole gang comes along. So, I have no balance, but I do have a joyful, overflowing life.
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| Advice for Job Seekers
Know yourself and be yourself. Study potential employers carefully and figure out if there is a philosophical fit for you. Then, if there is, go for it. If there’s not, find a different employer.
--Lucinda Duncalfe Holt |
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Thank you Lucinda Duncalfe Holt for sharing your insights and experience!
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