Accelerating technology innovations such as ubiquitous sensors, cheap computing power, and 5G networks will open entirely new opportunities and challenges.
When people are your greatest asset, like at Deloitte, investments in human capital should be considered in the same way other companies might invest significantly in product R&D.
The advice I give, no matter male or female, is not being afraid to step outside your comfort zone and think more long-term about your career than maybe the next year.
The simple truth is that every veteran has his or her own unique story, and there's no single narrative about the issue of veterans finding civilian employment. And no single solution.
Seek out a personal coach or mentor in the workplace. He/she should push you when you need it by encouraging and motivating you. Don't be afraid of their honesty.
From my early days of playing 2:2 in basketball against my three older brothers to my years playing Division 1 college basketball and lacrosse, sports have played a big role in my leadership development.
You never know where your career will take you. A competitor in the market could suddenly become an unlikely partner. Be flexible, keep your slate clean, and stay open to unlikely collaborations.
In addition to encouraging failure, I would also encourage companies to broadly create a culture of innovation. That should mean more than just technology and invention; it should mean something millennials know well: Ingenuity.
Being able to see and recombine existing assets and know-how in new ways allows us to take an 'ingenious approach to innovation' - one that creates even more value from what we already have and know.
At Deloitte, our programs for veterans are bringing new approaches to the table. For instance, we're helping veterans' organizations use data analytics to sift through streams of information about veteran needs.
Some infrastructure projects clearly require massive, coordinated investment - interstate highways or a new trans-Hudson tunnel, for instance. Others don't have to. We should be unafraid of pilot projects and learning.
The most common characteristic of childhood building toys is that they snap together in one way or another. Technology is constantly shifting, and we should make sure that whatever we build is interoperable and pliable.
Games are often won or lost on the free-throw line. This isn't about slick moves or great skills. It's about practice, muscle memory, and being able to keep a cool head under pressure.
As a former NCAA basketball player, many of the skills I now rely on as a leader took root on the basketball court: teamwork, integrity, and resilience are just some of the traits I've carried over into my professional game.
When you build your network, keep yourself open to new ideas, concepts, and theories. Some of them may even contradict and challenge long-held points of view. This isn't beneficial only to someone in my profession, but to every line of work.
Disruptors are the ones with a keen sense of how the world is changing and how to get in front of change, driven by curiosity. The disrupted - not so much.
Over the years, I paid careful attention in client meetings and jotted down things that quite didn't make sense. And I had the courage to raise questions and to be skeptical when something didn't add up.
My becoming the CEO is a testament to our long commitment to diversity inclusion. And I intend to really focus and really pay that forward for our future diverse leaders at Deloitte.
We can all think we're discriminated against, and I'm sure many of us are. But I see a ton of optimism in corporate America around the advancement and retention of women.
Sponsorship is sometimes about people behind the scenes who are sitting in rooms determining your assignments and your next career step, and you don't even know who they are.
To be sure, technology will change what we do. Tasks that are highly manual, routine, and predictable will be automated. But jobs are made up of many tasks. So the nature of existing jobs will change, and new careers will be created.
I've been fortunate in life to benefit from family, educators, work colleagues, and a set of mentors and sponsors, all of whom did not hesitate to offer and support me with every opportunity to achieve what I set out to do.
I wouldn't be a CEO today if I didn't do different things to build capabilities and build experiences because to come a leader, you need varied experiences.