Accenture CEO Julie Sweet shares one mistake to avoid when offered a big job

When you’re offered a big job that feels overwhelming, your first instinct might be to express doubt. But Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says that’s the one thing you should never do. In a recent podcast of Fortune called ‘Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast with Alyson Shontel’, Sweet recalled the moment her career path shifted.

Julie Sweet became Accenture's global CEO in 2019. (LinkedIn/Julie Sweet)

Back in 2014, just a month before she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Sweet’s then-boss Pierre Nanterme surprised her with a commitment during a routine meeting. “At the end of the meeting, he closes his notebook and he pushes it aside, and he says to me, completely out of the blue… ‘I think you could run this place someday,’” Sweet recalled.

At that time, Sweet was Accenture’s general counsel - a lawyer by training, not a business executive. She didn’t fit the traditional image of a CEO. She hadn’t spent her whole career at Accenture, and the company had always been led by men. Even Nanterme admitted moving from general counsel to CEO wasn’t realistic without another step first.

Still, Sweet didn’t hesitate. She remembered advice from Dina Dublon, former CFO of JPMorgan Chase: “When someone gives you a stretch role… chances are that the person offering you a stretch role is as nervous or more nervous than you are. So, don’t say anything, like: Are you sure?”

So instead of doubting herself, Sweet confidently said, “Yes, I’d be interested. What did you have in mind?”

That moment set her on a new path. She went on to lead Accenture’s North America business in 2015 and became global CEO in 2019.

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Julie Sweet shares her ‘superpower’

Sweet said confidence, along with humility and excellence, remains key to building strong teams at Accenture. “We are constantly challenging each other and our assumptions. When you build a team that thinks that the status quo is challenging assumptions, embracing change, it means you’re constantly questioning. You don’t need to stop and have a big strategy… because you’re always working on the strategy,” she said.

Sweet also believes in asking for help, even at the top. She calls it one of her “superpowers.”

“I think the idea of being a deep learner at the top is really critical, and that is not usual in a lot of companies,” she said. “Because many times, the senior leaders, whether it’s the CEO or one level down, they’re the ones with all the wisdom. They’ve gotten these big jobs, and so the idea of training for leaders is often really odd to think about,” she added.

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