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VO L . X X V I N O. V I § 2 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 30 2017 Melissa Smith Chair, CEO / WEX Inc. What she is doing today: Chair and CEO, WEX Inc., with 4,900 employees Key lessons learned as a manager: • First, as a leader, everything you do revolves around people. Each day you can impact the thoughts, feelings and actions of others. What you do and how you do it both matter. e for- mer impacts the baseline of your career and the latter impacts the sustainability. e human element of work should always be forefront. • Be willing to pull people up. Others' advancements are a reflec- tion in part of your confidence to hire recruit and promote. Sometimes that means you seeing in another person what they don't see in themselves. Encourage performance to clear goals, give feedback even when it's hard, and make changes when it's required. • Make sure that you continue also to have a strong feedback loop through trusted mentors or sponsors. Your skills and abil- ities will need to change to your current environment. Make sure you continue to grow and evolve. Advice to Maine's next generation of business leaders: Set big goals and be willing to take measured risks. Stay current on the changing world around us. It's only going to get faster. Set high stan- dards for yourself but stay grounded. No project or task is too large if you break it down into smaller pieces of the puzzle. Be honest with yourself on what's working and what needs to evolve. Don't buy into the idea that Maine is a constraint. Embrace what the state offers and allow your work to make it better for the next generation behind you. Every day. Remember it all starts and ends with people and how you build trusting relationships. What's next: More change. You can depend on it. WEX is on its way to being a $2 billion company, which is incredible given the fact I joined a $50 million company many years ago. We will continue to grow at a rapid pace and be very focused on maintaining our unique and collaborative culture across the globe. David A. Greene President / Colby College What he is doing today: President, Colby College, with 1,000 employees. Key lessons learned as a manager: • With proper support and clear expectations, many people rise to the challenge, even when the bar is raised high. • e greatest risk mitigation strategy is to surround yourself with those who see the world differently and are never afraid to ask the hard questions and challenge convention. • When we are inspired by a powerful mission and purpose, our capacity to do great work is boundless. Advice to Maine's next generation of business leaders: Never settle. Maine needs spectacular leaders and thriving companies and institutions. All the ingredients are here in Maine to lead and inno- vate across sectors. What's next: Colby is truly a global college, but we always start with our commitment to Maine. at's true in enrolling students and as an employer, creating mutually beneficial partnerships with Maine organizations, working to revitalize our great city of Waterville, or directing our economic resources to better the prospects of this state. Melissa Smith, chair and CEO of WEX Inc., today leads a company with annual sales of more than $1.7 billion. PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY David A. Greene has been a catalyst for change, not only for Colby College, where he is president, but for the city of Waterville. When we are inspired by a powerful mission and purpose, our capacity to do great work is boundless.– David A. Greene