In an age of unlimited online connectivity, how can we sort through the noise to create meaningful connections? In this episode of Business Edge, Dan Harbeke explains that showing up and going the extra mile is something that can make you stand apart from the crowd. Listen to him speak to his current role with Google, and all of his experiences that led him to where he is now.
Dan Harbeke [00:00:00] Something I had said, you know, and felt deeply back then and I think still rings true today is, you know, go where others don't go and do what others don't do.
Finn Lambouris [00:00:08] You're listening to Business Edge, the podcast for professionals looking to excel in the workforce. In each episode, our guests take a deep dive into their personal and professional experiences to give you an edge in the marketplace. This podcast is brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:24] Welcome back to the Business Edge. We're glad to be back with you today. I have Nicole Klemp with me. How are you doing, Nicole?
Nicole Klemp [00:00:29] Hi, Chrissy, I'm well! How are you?
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:31] I'm good. It's a beautiful Friday here in Indianapolis and we are so excited to have Dan Harbeke with us today. Hi, Dan.
Nicole Klemp [00:00:37] Hi, Dan.
Dan Harbeke [00:00:38] Hey there. Thanks for having me.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:40] Nicole, do you want to tell us a little bit about Dan before we get started?
Nicole Klemp [00:00:43] Yeah, we're so glad to have Dan with us today. So Dan serves as the government affairs and public policy manager for Google in the Midwest. He's active in his community and has served on the Young Professionals Council Board of Directors through the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and is a past chairman of the Utah Foundation Board of Trustees and a past President of the Board of Directors for Keep Texas Beautiful. And he's also served on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah. Dan holds a degree in marketing and political science from Creighton University, where he presently serves on the National Alumni Board. And he's also the proud dad of two beautiful girls, Elle and Emme. Thanks for joining us today, Dan.
Dan Harbeke [00:01:24] I'm so glad to do it.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:01:25] Welcome! That's quite an impressive volunteer roster you got going on there. We'll get into that a little bit later. But can you kick us off by telling us a little bit about high level your career thus far?
Dan Harbeke [00:01:36] Well, sure. And so I originally grew up in North Dakota and Minnesota. I came down to Omaha to go to college. And just after college, started with Union Pacific Railroad on the commercial side of the business in marketing and sales, calling on customers. But in late 2007, early 2008, the company kind of recreated their public affairs group, their government relations work, and so had an opportunity to move out to Salt Lake City at a very young age and worked across the Mountain West, doing our government affairs type work out there for seven years out of Salt Lake City and then moved with Union Pacific to Fort Worth, where I worked across a large portion of Texas and also Arizona for a time, before ultimately relocating back to the Midwest. I love this part of the country. I love this type of work, and to do it for Google has been just a real treat. And so now I manage Google's government affairs across the Midwest and obviously greatly enjoy it.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:02:32] Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit more about what that means to run the government affairs for Google? What do you do day to day?
Dan Harbeke [00:02:40] Yeah, there are so many directions you can probably go. So government affairs and external relations can mean a lot of things. You know, probably one of the more simple way to put it is this time of year, you know, first quarter, second quarter, so many of our state legislatures are in session thinking about policy. And so that is where I spend a lot of my time. We have folks at our state capitals that we work with. And so just being mindful of the issues that may affect tech or our industry or company, specifically in the states where we operate here in the Midwest. But then maybe the second half of the year when the legislatures are out of session, is probably more the external affairs side, thinking about how Google can best be active and responsive in our communities.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:03:23] Very nice. And so where do you get your news sources? Are there any alerts? I mean, obviously Google Alerts are famous, but are there any specific newsletters that you follow or anything that you get to get that up to date information?
Dan Harbeke [00:03:35] The answer is yes. So, you know, personally, I have, you know, I still read the paper. I love having inky fingers. And so I've been a daily Wall Street Journal subscriber for a long, long time. And, it's funny, when it doesn't come, I just feel out of sorts. I love having the daily Wall Street Journal. Even though I think I have the app, I rarely use it. Maybe unless I'm traveling, but I love having a physical paper in hand. You know, through work, there are so many kind of daily, daily news clips, if you will. Axios puts out a wonderful daily note. And so as I think about, you know, at least professionally, the states where I'm working, mostly Iowa and Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, and then just the Midwest generally should there be an issue. There are kind of dailies for what's happening in Des Moines or what's happening in the Twin Cities, and then just maybe what's happening politically or just in the tech space generally through things like Politico and other resources. So there's probably half a dozen at least kind of just daily emails that you kind of just have to flip through every morning. But again, that's a wonderful way to kind of understand what's going on and to make sure you're not missing something.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:04:46] Yeah, great point.
Nicole Klemp [00:04:49] So being at Google, you know, it's so influential on our lives and work. So what would you say are some ways that government affairs and public policy kind of intersect with the workforce today, and kind of how people work?
Dan Harbeke [00:05:01] You know, it's amazing to me, you know, I'll be honest, this is an industry I really didn't even know anything about, certainly in high school and probably not even college. I think what people would find interesting is that, you know, I mean, so many industries, if not every industry, has probably, you know, a government affairs or lobbying aspect to it, whether you're right, whether you're left, whether you're a small industry, whether you're a major corporation, nonprofit, it often comes down to, you know, the advocacy side and trying to advocate for either their ability to do business in a particular area, maybe protecting their interests or their ability to grow. And so it's been a lot of fun, you know, having done that for Union Pacific over time and now doing it for Google. In so many ways, government affairs is government affairs, is government affairs, that there are some things that are uniform about it. But it's been fun and interesting to see what worked and what was effective, say, at the railroad in so many communities where they operated through, versus say, with Google, in tech generally, but also in some of our communities where we have either offices or data centers.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:06:07] How did you even get interested in government affairs? I know you talked a little bit about it. You know, it kind of evolved in your job, but what attributes do you think you have that make you good at it?
Dan Harbeke [00:06:16] Oh, boy.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:06:17] And kind of what advice would you have to people that might be interested in getting into that?
Dan Harbeke [00:06:21] You know, that deserves so much thought and probably even changes over time. But the two immediate words, one being curious and then two, connectivity, just always being kind of a connector. I think so many of us find that, you know, we love making those connections. We were making connections before social media was a thing. But it's interesting, I've- this is probably a little unfair, but I thought so often how, to your point, you know, and this is, you know, I don't even have a word for it, but I think I can almost draw a line from what it was back then to what it is now. And so I could truly almost trace it back to in high school, you know, Dad brought home a flier for the, you know, Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Youth Leadership Program. It's like, oh, okay, that sounds neat. You know, once a month, for nine months, you meet with other students and do things and trust falls and, you know, all that kind of stuff. But you were meeting people, you were making connections. And again, this is the days before social media, you know, almost barely even before email. You would write a letter or maybe even an email at that point in time to keep in touch. And so, you know, the Youth Leadership Program then, Trent, you know, probably gave me the confidence to be involved in student council and National Honor Society. So you saw that kind of evolve from, say, sophomore year in high school to junior, senior year and then in college. So getting involved in student government and student activities, Alpha Kappa Psi was one of those examples. And then, you know, following college, being involved in the community, the Creighton Young Alumni, the Omaha Chambers Young Professionals Group, which is really kind of coming into itself at that point in time. And so, you know, all of that to say kind of fell into being active in the community and really enjoyed it, but never knew it was a job or a thing you could do. And so I recall very vividly when the public affairs position at Union Pacific became available where, you know, simply put, the job is to be involved in your community. It's like, "Well, gosh, I think I'm already doing that. Maybe I could do that and that could be work." And lo and behold, they gave me an opportunity to do that.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:08:28] Oh, that's awesome. Thank you for sharing.
Nicole Klemp [00:08:29] That's amazing. So, you know, given your experience with, you know, two really large organizations compared to kind of a lot of your nonprofit work with smaller entities, what would you say is the biggest difference between working at a big corporation like Google versus working with a small nonprofit organization that you volunteer with currently?
Dan Harbeke [00:08:50] Yeah, no, that's- and there's different ways you can approach that. So I'll think of it just on one side from philanthropy, right. You know, so in my role today, oftentimes we are a corporate funder of different organizations, different events, and there's obviously ways that we think about that. But having served on nonprofits, having led nonprofits and so much of that can be development work, or read another way, fundraising. And so having had hat in hand gives you an appreciation. So, you know, when you're a funder, how am I looking at a nonprofit? But having been in a nonprofit shoes, how should we approach that company? How's the company or how's the funder looking at it? And so probably worth a whole separate podcast on corporate funding and philanthropy and development, but it gives you an appreciation, having been on both sides. Having worked for large corporations, you know, right off the bat, just having, you know, having the resources, having the name recognition, just things you probably otherwise take for granted, whether that's, you know, having--and obviously at Google,, we are so well taken care of--but just having those resources and the name recognition so when whatever it is you're trying to do--and if we get back to the advocacy piece, you know, when you show up at a state capitol or when you show up at a local chamber of commerce, and it's not so much- I try to think of this, it's not me who's in the room, it's Google who's in the room or Union Pacific who's in the room and being mindful of that. And that's both an incredible honor but it's also something that comes with a great deal of deference and humility to recognize who you're there representing and not taking that for granted versus, say, you look at the other companies around the table. There may be smaller organizations or smaller nonprofits who don't have the resources, who don't have the name recognition. So it's never lost on me. I have been very fortunate to work for the companies I've worked for that some of that work is already done because people know who you are and the expectations are there. Having said that, you better then meet those expectations, and hopefully obviously exceed in terms of what they're expecting. But ultimately, big or small, it comes down to the people, the people you're working with, your coworkers, the industry that you're in. And obviously, if you're with good folks, ultimately it's not work.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:11:13] Great point. I think you were talking about how you walk into the room and you represent the company. And I'm sure when you walk out of the room and you're in your personal life, you still wear that Google hat and people still see you as Google. So I think it's a reminder to our listeners that you don't necessarily get to turn off your work personality or you know, what you stand for at work when you're in your social settings. You know.
Dan Harbeke [00:11:39] I think that's very true. I think, you know, early on in my career, very early on, it was I mean, again, commercially, you go in, you do your work and then you go home, and work and home were very separate. But when you're working in a public affairs, you know, government relations type role, Lord knows you still have privacy, but when your role is to be active and out there in the community, there is a sense of always being on. So my days of wearing, you know, sweatpants to the grocery store are long behind me, unfortunately. But you never know who you're going to run into and whether they perceive you as that role or not. It's about that jersey and the name on the front of it.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:16] Yeah, absolutely. And it never fails. You always run into somebody where you least expect it, for sure.
Dan Harbeke [00:12:22] Yes.
Nicole Klemp [00:12:22] On that note, you know, we've asked most of our guests about this, just given the times we've been through the last couple of years, for someone in your role where, like you said, you have to be involved in the community and meeting with people, how has the pandemic impacted that and changed the way that you engage the community and, you know, where you work and how you work and all of that kind of thing?
Dan Harbeke [00:12:44] You know, a couple of different things. One, just, you know, from a, I don't know, work from home, that kind of thing, just more kind of anecdotally and kind of fun, you know, Google, such a wonderful culture just generally, right? Across the board globally. I mean, you know, wearing a t shirt and jeans, my work from home is my work outfit, you know, so going from a, you know, kind of business professional type role in the past to one where t shirt and jeans is accepted, that was, you know, that was one thing. But then in other words, when we transitioned to work from home, you know, and then now even going back into the office, kind of being dressed down is always kind of part of our culture, at least. But also the tools. It was interesting, we were having video conferences and using so many of Google's tools anyways before the pandemic. So in other words, if we couldn't transition to the pandemic, heaven help us. I mean, Google was uniquely positioned, more than so many companies to make that transition from the tools that we already had. Of course, the pandemic, so many people started using our tools much more widely at that point as well. You know, from a community engagement standpoint, it's interesting. You know, locally here, one of our largest facilities is in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river from where I am here in Omaha. And we weren't in Nebraska. We came in to Nebraska in 2019. We broke ground on a new facility. Very exciting. Wonderful. The turn the lights on, and think about our community engagement, joining the chamber, thinking about those organizations to support and then the world shut down. And so very interesting to think about, you know, here you are just trying to make a first impression in a community, in a state, and then the rug is kind of pulled out. Now, we were still able to engage, still did a number of things that I won't take the time here to get into, but we were able to do that. So now what I would kind of argue as the kind of public affairs 101 or corporate engagement 101, we did those things even during the pandemic. It may have been different, may have been somewhat muted or measured more than we'd like. But what's been so neat coming out of the pandemic is that, you know, now, hopefully coming out of the pandemic, the groundwork is laid, at least here, say, in Nebraska, where we're new and we've kind of done at least the initial things you would think that a company would do when they come into a market. Well, now that we've done that and the world's turned back on, okay, now what about the next level and the next, you know, the 201, the 301, the 401. You know, we've done the initial stuff. Now, where are we? And not only what are we positioned to do, but what are those needs in the community? Are they the same as what they were before the pandemic? There were certainly unique needs during the pandemic that we had an opportunity to fulfill. And now coming out of it, given we are now here, how can we be most responsive to some of the needs of the community? And there's a number of ways that we've considered doing that, and it doesn't happen overnight. This is something we are very okay taking some time to think through, get right, be measured in our approach, and understanding we don't know it all. It takes time to get to know a community and find where a company like Google can best engage.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:15:50] Can you give us an example of something that you guys are looking at to help the community?
Dan Harbeke [00:15:55] There are so many ways to engage, whether it's, for us, like, Google.org is one of our, you know, philanthropic arms of the company and gosh, right back in 2019, we had this Google.org million dollar impact challenge that we did just in about eight states or so. Nebraska was one of them, where $1,000,000 split across five nonprofits, creating economic opportunity. That was one where and again, this has become more and more true. It's not just that we have, say, a data center in these communities, it's that Google is in these communities. And with that, we can bring the best of those resources to these communities. And so having a national program like a Google.org million dollar impact challenge and bringing that to Nebraska and not just for nonprofits here, but truly across the state, you know, walking away with, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars to help lift economic opportunity. That was one way that we were able to engage, kind of bringing the larger resources of Google to bear locally. But we've got our local data center, local grants program that has funded so many, you know, from parks to, you know, STEM programs and high schools, building out computer science, trade skills programs, kind of the shop class of tomorrow, those types of things, to even recently, we just made another major announcement here in Nebraska where part of that announcement was a major contribution to a new library that's being built here in Omaha. And about this time last year, there is a new science museum called the Luminarium that's being built. And we wanted to make sure we're on the front end of that as well, right? If Google is not involved with a library or if Google is not involved with a new science museum, you know, those are places that we need to be. And so there are so many examples. And clearly it's what gets us excited about being involved because it's not just a one size fits all, "here's what we do." It's know truly what is happening in the community and are there unique, authentic places where a company like Google can bring those resources to town.
Nicole Klemp [00:17:54] That's great.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:17:54] That's fantastic.
Nicole Klemp [00:17:57] You've been listening to Business Edge, brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and sponsored by Synergos Association Management Company. Now let's get back to the conversation.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:18:10] I want to go back a little bit, when you were talking about your connector and you talked about how you had to connect before social media. And I think social media, we've talked about this with other guests, but it gives us a false sense of connection. Right? Like, you and I have not seen each other in 20 years. We're connected on LinkedIn, so it feels like it's been a lot more recent than we've seen each other. What do you think is good advice for students and young professionals on how to truly be an authentic connector? So I think there's a lot of times people just run into a room and they think it's about exchanging business cards, but it's so much more. So what are your tips about being a good connector?
Dan Harbeke [00:18:47] Oh, my gosh. You know, I'd almost have to pull up my notes from former PBLI or Principled Business Leadership Institute, for those who go way back on some of those speeches. One, showing up, and it almost goes under the headline of, you know, things you wish you could tell yourself, you know, back then. But, you know, the first thing that comes to mind and something I had said, you know, and felt deeply back then and I think still rings true today is, you know, go where others don't go and do what others don't do. And that can manifest in a lot of ways. I think, you know, recently my girls here just had their birthdays. They just recently turned five and seven. And going through the exercise of writing thank you notes. Even for us as adults, but, of course, you know, at their age, they're simply trying to write the words on their own. And, you know, for my five year old actually writing the letters and my seven year old can, for the most part, write a pretty complete thank you note. But it's not just that. It's what it means, what it represents, being grateful, and going through the exercise. So showing up, doing the things that are unexpected, again, is probably worth a whole conversation. But, and I think following the pandemic in particular is such a reaffirmed need for those human connections, you know, getting together- it's one thing to do the video chats and there's a time and a place, no doubt. But, and look, it isn't for everybody, but getting together for that cup of coffee... When you schedule an hour but the next thing you know, you just went for two because you're so deeply engaged on whatever it is. There truly is something that is fed by doing that. So any number of examples, it depends where you are in your career. You know, reflecting on our conversation today, you know, I think about, you know, you read off some of the bio things, right? Being involved in nonprofits, service organizations, those are things I was probably able to do maybe before kids, right? You know, but, you know, put in the time, volunteer and do that. Well, you know, I'm involved now, but I'm involved in a different capacity. Maybe it's through school or church activities. And you know what? I am so content and so happy with that. So that pendulum swings over time and just being open to that, where if you have the time and ability to engage and be out in the community and active, wonderful. If things change, and you have to be active in different ways. Just being open and I guess seeing and understanding that and ultimately accepting that. And then when the time comes, when it swings back again, being ready and open for it.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:21:21] That's great. Thank you. And you actually answered my question. I was going to ask about how you find the time to balance family, career, and getting involved. So I think you did a great job of sharing how that changes.
Dan Harbeke [00:21:31] I am- I recall the transition from, you know, before kids to having children and, you know, from being hyper-active and hyper-engaged, which, deeply fulfilling, but also a profound sense of, "you know what? I've got home and I've got work and I am so content with that." Now, granted, home is a lot and work is a lot. So there's, you know, it's not, you know, exactly that simple. But I love being in that place and I know that over time, you know, there was a wonderful hashtag, 18 summers, right? You've only maybe got 18 summers with your children while they're home. And of course, with a seven year old, gosh, that means, you know, only about 11 left there. Now, it's not that simple always. But that's a wonderful way to think about it, where I am very happy to be in this place. And you're right, there's parts of me that probably miss being active over here, over there. But that's okay. I need to be here. And I love being here right now. And when this stage or phase moves on, then those other opportunities will likely come back. But now you're entering those opportunities with that much more experience, whether that's personal or professional, that you can bring to that. So there's really a beauty in that and that the things I was able to do early on in my career and outside of work was coming from what I was able to offer back then, which is probably more time and little experience, which now maybe, you know, say post career or more tail end career and maybe after the children are out of the home will be more time, but also hopefully more experience with that. So again, it's just being comfortable and content where you are.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:23:04] That's great. Thank you for sharing. And I'm sure Nicole can relate to teaching kids how to do thank you notes.
Nicole Klemp [00:23:10] If only I could get my boys to sit down and write their thank you notes. Yeah. Yep.
Dan Harbeke [00:23:16] It's a team sport.
Nicole Klemp [00:23:17] Yes.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:23:17] So I have a question about what drew you to Google. You talked a little bit about that transition, but what was the main draw for you?
Dan Harbeke [00:23:26] Yeah. I mean, you know, and I may have said it earlier, but, you know, I love this part of the country, the Midwest. It's where I'm from. I've grown to love this public affairs type work. And to do it for a company like Google seemed incredibly exciting. I was fortunate when I lived in Salt Lake City to know someone who had made a move to Google, and it was about probably four years later that I just, you know, even how escapes me anymore, but I happened to see this opportunity for Google and back in the Midwest. And so I happened to reach out to this friend to say, hey, boy, this is something that has my attention. But, you know, I'm reading it and I can read it a certain way, but you're there. You know what this is, number one. And number two is, you know me from my working experience. Do these things match up, right? I mean, if I want this to match up in my head, I can make it match up. But, you know me, you know what this is, is there something there? And the feedback was, yes, and you should consider it. And so, you know, you you do the thing, you hit the button and you have conversations. And it led to having an opportunity to effectively move back home and do this type of work. So very, very fortunate. And again, it's not work. It's blessed to be able to do this type of thing. And you're effectively learning every day. And I enjoy the heck out of that.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:24:40] That's great. I, you know, again, reinforcing that connector. You stand for what you're known for. And so people know what they're getting when they get you. So I feel like a lot of students are interested in working for a Google, or for an Apple, or a big name company that probably gets thousands of applicants per job. Do you have any tips or any suggestions on how people can possibly try to stand out in the crowd if that's something they want to pursue?
Dan Harbeke [00:25:05] Yeah, I mean, that's again, probably worth a whole separate conversation. You know, I know, you know, for Google specifically, there are, you know, on different social media, there are ways you can follow, you know, for example, life at Google and they're often putting out tips on, you know, resumes or interviewing. And so much of it is just, you know, be yourself. So many things that we're spoiled to have reinforced even with our culture. But I saw one the other day that said, you know, if you're preparing for an interview and you're just not where you need to be and you need to ask for more time, ask your interviewer for more time, you know, send an email saying, hey, I'm just not, you know, something came up personally or, you know, gosh, I need a little bit more time to prepare for my interview, having the, you know, the freedom and the safety to be able to do that. And the fact that Google even says that to applicants really says a lot about the company culture and the company values. So, but ultimately be yourself. I found that through my process of just here's who I am, here's what I offer, here's what excites me. Now I say that, but let me balance that also with what I can see myself saying to a room full of, you know, folks at AKPsi at a Convention, which is prepare, prepare, prepare. I've got somewhere in this desk here probably, you know, my notes from, you know, in that case, and this is probably universal for any job that you would apply for and interview for, but I probably had the, you know, actual job description, right? The actual job probably printed out, probably underlined and highlighted the different things that they look for and then finding out what examples do you have that can speak to those things, number one. Number two is then practicing and rehearsing. You know, tell us about a time when, or, tell us about a project that led to this or tell us about a time when you failed and how you learned, well, what examples might you be able to give that can answer that question in an effective way? And if you've got a couple of things that you really want to highlight, hopefully you can bring those out in the questions they're asking, but if not, there's always that opportunity when it's your turn to ask questions, for example, "Hey, gosh, you know, X-Y-Z is really important to me. Can you tell me how you know your company looks at it?" "Well, gosh, I'm glad you said that, because that reminds me of this project that I did and I was able to represent that and that was important to me." So again, a whole separate conversation on interviewing and those techniques. But I can tell you there was an awful lot of preparation and, you know, talking to the mirror, if you will, and preparing. But that's out of a profound respect for the opportunity. I mean, any company, Google, especially, a profound respect for the opportunity and making sure that you're in a place where you can- I mean, we all know these things and it just takes the exercise to go through it, organize it, be comfortable with it so you can be conversational as opposed to, you know, an otherwise rambling mess.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:27:53] Thanks for sharing that. I appreciate it. You know, you were on the board for Keep Texas Beautiful and I interviewed for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for the CEO position, but I had no environmental experience. So I'm like, how am I going to stand out in the interview process to even get an interview? And so in the cover letter I talked about training for an Ironman and swimming in the waters in Indianapolis and, you know, running on the streets and biking and worked that in. And the recruiter called me and she's like, "Your cover letter sold us and we want to talk to you." And it ended up they went with somebody with environmental experience. But to your point, you know, you can work in your experience that you want the recruiters and the companies to see to help sell yourself, so.
Dan Harbeke [00:28:34] I think that's exactly right. And I'm reminded too, I recall very early on or maybe after a couple of years on the public affairs side with Union Pacific, you know, just being kind of taken with, holy cow, wow, how fortunate, right? To fall in to the type of work that I really enjoy at, I mean, shoot, what, 25, 26, 27 years old, where again, it's not work. It doesn't mean there's not hard or difficult days, but it's not work. And I remember thinking, it's good and bad, right? How fortunate to have fallen into something you like, but also. Oh, my God, I don't want this taken away. I found the thing I like. Let me please keep doing it. But then the question is, well, what is it that you like about it? And I was struck with, you know, I'm deeply fulfilled by the work and I feel it's making an impact. And it was those two things, being fulfilled and making an impact. And it was very liberating to think, you know, ultimately, I really don't care what I do or what the title is or what have you. As long as I'm fulfilled in my work and I'm making an impact then I don't care, you know, sign me up for it. Right? And that's probably true, maybe, you know, in the volunteer world, but also in the professional world. And I've found that to carry forward. And then also, you know, being very fortunate to do public affairs work for Union Pacific Public Affairs, work now for Google. But making the transition that I'm not so much a company person doing public affairs work, maybe starting to transition to, boy I see myself as a public affairs or external affairs professional who just happens to do this work for this company or this company or this organization. And that was an interesting way to kind of frame it. So for those who are in whatever sector, right, whether they're in finance or law or whatever it might be, do they view themselves as the corporate person doing accounting or are they an accountant who just happens to bring that skillset to that company? It's an interesting way to frame it. And again, kind of it's very liberating. And, you know, in terms of people thinking about what their next role might be.
Nicole Klemp [00:30:30] Yeah, that's a great point. And I think there's also probably a correlation between people who do follow their passion for their work and how successful they are in their career because you're putting your heart and soul into your work because you love it, and that kind of helps boost you up and get you further along in your career because you're so passionate about the work. Yeah, that's great.
Dan Harbeke [00:30:50] Exactly.
Nicole Klemp [00:30:51] Well, I think we've just got a couple of minutes left, Dan, so we're going to ask you our signature question that we ask all the guests on the Business Edge podcast. So, tell us about a time when your personal values were challenged. What happened and how did you handle it?
Dan Harbeke [00:31:08] That is, you know, that's a heavy question. That's a deep question, but it's a fair question. There are, unfortunately, probably so many examples of where your- I mean, I would argue your personal values are probably challenged every day to some degree. And so rather than, I mean, there are examples I could probably give, but I think what I'm more drawn to is when your personal values are either in conflict or under attack, perhaps, would be a way to think about it. It's, I would argue having, and we've talked about this a little bit, you've heard me use these words, but having a level of self-acceptance. In other words, "no, the way I feel is okay, my values, while maybe under attack or maybe different from someone else, are still my values." And so just having a level of personal acceptance which probably leads to personal confidence. Right? And again, can be very liberating saying, you know, and then there's the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which-
Nicole Klemp [00:32:07] A great one.
Dan Harbeke [00:32:08] Lord knows dates myself a little bit. But it's a fantastic movie.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:32:10] On VHS.
Dan Harbeke [00:32:12] Great movie for so many ways. But there's John Candy, right? Who's in that movie. He's got this part where he's kind of, I mean, I would argue his values are kind of being attacked a little bit. He's a different guy, right? He's a different duck in that movie and kind of a little bit of an odd character. But he was effectively being attacked and he says, "you know what, I like me and what you see is what you get." And I find myself drawn back--great movie on its own--but I find myself getting drawn back to that line that, "I like me, I'm okay with me." And so I think whatever happens beyond that, you know, be it as it may, but having a starting position of, in other words, when your values are under attack, do you compromise your values? I mean, right? Because that's that's certainly an alternative, and I would argue, probably not a good one. Do you stay true and authentic to yourself? So when your values and views are under attack, for me, it's starting with a level of self-acceptance and from there, hopefully a level of self-confidence to say, look, these are my views, I'm okay with it, I like me and let's go from there. But having said that, that has to hopefully be balanced with whoever the counterparty is, listening, learning, observing, why are they seeing it and ultimately not being combative but having what is hopefully otherwise a conversation to think through, "well, I know where I'm at and here's why I'm there and here's where that's coming from. Help me understand your side." And ultimately, you would hope that it leads to some level of compromise, but ultimately never compromising your own values.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:33:45] That's a great response. A different take on that.
Nicole Klemp [00:33:48] We need more of that today.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:33:49] Yeah, absolutely.
Dan Harbeke [00:33:51] Doesn't mean it's easy.
Nicole Klemp [00:33:53] Yes.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:33:55] And I was going to say, didn't John Candy usually play odd, quirky roles in all of his movies?
Dan Harbeke [00:33:59] And I know for sure it was planes, trains and automobiles. But there's a couple of good lines out of Uncle Buck as well.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:34:03] Yes, I was thinking about Uncle Buck and then I was thinking when he played the clarinet in the moving truck in Home Alone.
Dan Harbeke [00:34:09] That's right, that's right.
Nicole Klemp [00:34:10] Oh yeah. I forgot about that.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:34:12] Anyway, well, it's been a joy to talk to you. Thank you so much for all you do for the community and what you've done for the fraternity over the years and really resonated a lot of what you said. So thank you very much.
Nicole Klemp [00:34:23] Yeah. Thanks so much, Dan.
Dan Harbeke [00:34:24] Happy to do it. I'm indebted. Alpha Kappa Psi has helped so many. Continues to, and to have that as a part of my history, I am grateful for it, and It's fun to find ways to give back, so thank you for including me.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:34:36] Absolutely.
Nicole Klemp [00:34:37] Thanks, Dan.
Finn Lambouris [00:34:40] Thanks for listening to Business Edge. If you have questions, comments or topic suggestions for us. Email, BusinessEdge@AKPsi.org.