On Wednesday, students filled the Wolff Auditorium for a Gonzaga University School of Business Administration event titled “Work Culture in Generation Z.” The talk focused on and highlighted the speaker’s work-life balance with an emphasis on leadership and authenticity.
Ty Beasley serves as the chief talent officer for RSM, a global network of independent assurance, tax and consulting firms, according to the website. As the chief talent officer, Beasley said he is responsible for the “design and execution” of the firm’s talent strategy, which is to develop ways to attract and retain employees through an inclusive workforce culture.
Beasley’s speech offered attendees insight into how he attained his position and held it through stress, marriage and fatherhood.
“I wish I could stand here and tell you that public accounting life is so easy and simple, that the lifestyle is easy and simple,” Beasley said. “But then that’s not gonna be honoring my commitment to your alumni.”
The hour-long speech included memories shared by Beasley of his marriage, family members passing and mental health issues surrounding his son.
“They need me. Well, so does the firm. And so does my career,” Beasley said. “And now I’m at this point where I’m developing other people, so they need me too, and the hustle and bustle hasn’t changed.”
Beasley said that although his career is demanding, it was his dedication to public accounting that allowed him to have the life he now has. He said he attends guest lectures, as he remembers once being a student himself.
“I do recall what that was like for me when I was at this stage,” Beasley said. “It does help students think through a life decision that they will be embarking upon.”
Beasley spoke of college as the “door opener,” saying while many attain success through avenues other than college, an educational career helps students with the foundations of critical thinking and maturation as future business employees and leaders.
Geyelin Carpenter, a junior at GU, said she resonated with Beasley’s speech, appreciating his openness and vulnerability.
“He showed me he has a very flexible schedule and is able to do all of his passions as well,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter said she valued Beasley’s objective approach toward life.
“I think it’s important to ingrain these principles in us. Especially at Gonzaga as a Jesuit school, we’re all just here to work and take advantage of the education we’re being given,” Carpenter said. “So I think sometimes we just have to step back and look that we are going far, but we also need to just enjoy life where we’re at.”
While Beasley’s speech served attending business students as career advice, he said life is just as important as work.
“Balance for me was never 50–50,” Beasley said. “Sometimes my family needed more of me, sometimes the firm did. The key isn’t saying ‘no;’ it’s saying, ‘Help me prioritize this.’”
The importance of leadership stood as a large theme of Beasley’s speech. He said authenticity and vulnerability are the most important traits of leaders.
“People respect leaders who are authentic, even when the news isn’t good, and who never pretend to be perfect,” Beasley said. “Authenticity and vulnerability create the kind of trust that makes people stay.”
Cooper Wells is a news editor.