EY’s Kristy Ingram: ‘Your Professional Identity Is Yours To Lose and Rebuild’

In this episode of our Corporate Competitor Podcast, Ernst & Young’s Global Leader for Athlete Programs discusses why organizations can benefit from helping former athletes transition to the corporate world.

As a former competitive equestrian athlete in her native Australia, Kristy Ingram had to learn how to make the transition from managing horses to managing people when her competitive days ended. The transition proved challenging, but she accomplished it not by denying or repressing her athletic experience but by drawing from it.

Today, as the Global Leader for Athlete Programs at Ernst & Young, Ingram works with individuals and companies to help connect athletes, especially women, with organizations that can benefit from their skills and experience.

“I think a lot of people who are really talented and could be bringing an awful lot to the equation are missed or passed over because the backdrop is that they were athletes,” said Ingram, who helped launch EY’s Women Athletes Business Network in 2013. Ingram cautions those charged with talent acquisition to dig deeper into the resume stack, beyond those that meet traditional requirements, to discover less traditional candidates.

“At the bottom may be somebody who has competed in two Olympics or an NCAA Division 1 sports program who knows a little something about getting up at 5 a.m. to practice.”

In the podcast, Ingram explains that the transition from athletics to business is as much a profound change of professional identity as anything else. The manager’s job is to help the athlete tap into the qualities that made her successful—resilience, competitiveness, drive and team spirit head the list—and redeploy them in the corporate setting.

Listeners to the podcast will learn:

 • 9:30   Good silence vs. bad silence and how to navigate the balance as a leader

• 17:30  The “introvert pep talk” Kristy gave herself before key meetings

• 18:30  The elements that earn EY a spot on the Best Place To Work list

• 23:30  Who should drive the mentor/mentee relationship

• 30:00  What makes a great mentor

• 39:00  How to be a better listener

This podcast is a must for talent-hungry managers who want to tap into a leadership pipeline with enormous potential, but which rarely appears in routine searches. Have a listen!

Check out the full Corporate Competitor Podcast interview archive and subscribe to new episodes.


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.