Accenture CEO Recalls Father's Life-Changing Advice That Shaped Her Career

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has shared a piece of advice she received from her father at the age of 15, and how it guided her onto the path of leadership.

In a conversation with Fortune, Ms Sweet said that she would often participate in debate tournaments and speech contests during her school years. She once came across a debate competition hosted by the Lions Club Tournament, which came with a cash prize of around $500.

She made it to the semifinals but lost to the daughter of the club's president. When she was returning home, she turned to her father in frustration and told him that the result was unfair.

"I was kind of complaining in the car to my dad, Oh, she was so cutesy, and she was the daughter of the president," she said.

Expecting sympathy, she said she was instead met with a powerful life lesson. Her father told her that she was not born into a privileged family and that she would never have that advantage. "First of all, Julie, you're never going to be the daughter of the president of the Lions Club. That's not the family you were born into," her father told her.

While he believed in her abilities, the success wouldn't come from fairness or favouritism, he told her, she recalled. Instead, she would have to work much harder than others and be so exceptionally good that no one could deny her the opportunity, regardless of her background.

"Tonight, you were not much better," her father told her.

She revealed this was her first real experience with constructive feedback, which taught her not only how to accept criticism but also the importance of being honest with herself about her own performance.

"That was the message from my dad: You should be fearless, but you have to be ready," she said.