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Evan Goldstein tells us that it was at the end of another long day\\u2014after a week of long days\\u2014as he was walking to the parking lot adjacent to Genentech\\u2019s offices that he received a \\u201cgut punch.\\u201d

Becoming more self-aware of others is something that many finance leaders have told us that they have needed to lean into during their career, but few have shared with us the pivot to self-reflection as vividly as Goldstein, whose multi-decade finance career boasts an unusual dual-chamber architecture centered on 10 years at Genentech and another 11 at Salesforce.

\\u201cI refer to myself as a serial monogamist when it comes to my professional career and the longevity that I\\u2019ve experienced at both of these companies,\\u201d explains Goldstein, who credits his extended stay at both firms to the power of three: the people, the mission, and the innovation.

Still, Goldberg wants us to know about the long day that ended in Genentech\\u2019s parking lot.

For young finance career builders, arriving at the end-of-day parking lot can be somewhat likened to a runner breaking the finish-line tape, not to be awarded a medal, though, but to be met with the refreshingly cool evening air that routinely rewards a long day\\u2019s work.

It was in just such environs that Goldstein chose to thank a younger Genentech colleague for their hard work on an important and ultimately successful \\u201cdeliverable.\\u201d

\\u201cAfter having just been promoted to the manager level, I had taken over short-term planning in the corporate organization and had hired this person\\u2014whose role I had had in the past,\\u201d reports Goldstein, who earlier in the week had presented the \\u201cdeliverable\\u201d to Genentech\\u2019s leadership team.

\\u201cHere we had had this really successful outcome, and this employee was just doing phenomenally well,\\u201d comments Goldstein, who found himself alongside his young report as they made their way to the parking lot together.

\\u201cThank you for all of your hard work,\\u201d Goldstein remembers saying\\u2014to which the employee then replied: \\u201cYeah, well, I don\\u2019t think I want to do this.\\u201d

Such a response was like a punch to the gut, Goldstein recalls, and one that not even the fresh evening air could ease. \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

The employee explained further: \\u201cEvan, you\\u2019re telling me what to do, and you\\u2019re not letting me figure it out.\\u201d

Looking back, Goldstein realizes that he was shortchanging the opportunities that he provided to others by failing to allow them to grow and develop along the way as they \\u201cadded their own flavor to the process.\\u201d

Says Goldstein: \\u201cThis was one of my turning points from a managerial leadership perspective\\u2014when I started to realize that it\\u2019s not just about what you deliver but also how you deliver it.\\u201d\\xa0\\u2013Jack Sweeney