December 16, 2022
The collective talent of our people propels Danaher’s success. Your talent is our most essential resource, and it’s also your greatest opportunity—which is why we are so intentional about developing it. From the moment our associates arrive at Danaher, they are surrounded by supportive colleagues and encouraged to take advantage of learning and development resources that will hone the skills they bring to the table and challenge them to discover new strengths. From the Danaher Business System to leadership training to proven growth tracks, our L&D programs ensure that whatever your career dreams, we can help you achieve them. The stories in this series will show you how.
Michelle Gao, Director of Talent Development
From day one at Danaher, I’ve been asked, “Hey, Michelle, do you have a thought on this?” At the beginning, I’d say, “Nope, just listening. I’m fine.” But then, at some point, I realized I had become someone who was able to say, “You know what? Yes, I do have an opinion here. Based on my experience, I think we need to consider this.”
In my eight years with Danaher, I’ve learned firsthand that stretching outside your comfort zone leads to growth, and this learning has become a vital part of my approach to developing leaders. At Danaher, it’s easy to find the stretch. There are always new things to explore—Danaher Business System (DBS) tools, an Operating Company (OpCo) in an industry you know nothing about, or dreaming up ways to make things better. And the culture encourages everyone to chime in, just as I learned to do.
My progression through Danaher has been a balance of staying open-minded to new experiences and sticking to my passions. I joined Danaher straight out of my Human Resources and Industrial Relations graduate program, which I completed after earning an undergraduate degree in Accounting, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
During this time, I discovered how much I love leadership development through working with the University Leadership Counseling centers. I knew that I had found my passion, and ultimately what I wanted to drive my career towards. However, in my first role at Danaher, I was placed in a compensation role. It made sense with my accounting background, but I fully expected to hate it. I soon realized that compensation is about a lot more than just how much people are paid, and it’s equal parts art and science. Danaher invested in me by sending me to compensation courses to learn the fundamentals of total rewards and job classification—knowledge that has served me in every subsequent role. I also started to understand Danaher’s scope and complexity, and how everything fits together.
My next role was as an HR business partner at Videojet—one of our OpCos in the Product Identification platform—supporting the vice presidents of Global Operations and Global Supply Chain. It still wasn’t where I thought I wanted to be, but I ended up falling in love with the role and the work. Being at Videojet taught me what it is to truly partner with your client groups to move a strategy forward, and how to trust my fellow HR colleagues with my life. Then, in 2017, I moved to Danaher Corporate, where I’ve had roles of increasing responsibility in Leadership Development and Learning. I was promoted last November to lead the team focusing on executive Leadership Development programs.
Throughout the years and across all of these roles, I’ve had amazing leaders who gave me the space to grow through development opportunities. They helped me find the balance between trying something new and narrowing in on where my passion lies. They’ve given me the chance to stretch beyond what I thought I was ready for by trusting me, letting me stumble, giving me the feedback I needed, and always having my back. Recently, I was asked to act as the project manager on a strategy development process that brought together the Danaher Business System Office and the Corporate Talent Management team. Talk about high-stakes work, and unprecedented visibility—both to our most senior leaders and to the direction of the company! I spent all four months of this project second-guessing myself as I tried my best to get it done.
The thing is, if you’re doing it right, development is not always fun and can often feel like an uncomfortable stretch. When you have an assignment that takes you out of your comfort zone, there can be a lot of insecurity that comes with it. It can also be pretty emotional to be introspective and reflect on your personal derailers that affect the way you lead or contribute to a team. But without these experiences and subsequent reflections, growth happens at a much slower pace.
The thing is, if you’re doing it right, development is not always fun and can often feel like an uncomfortable stretch.
Michelle Gao
I’ve grown my confidence at Danaher by giving it my all, having the right leaders advocate for me, learning our businesses and DBS, and saying yes when someone asked if I wanted to do more. I’ve also been a little lucky with being ready for the next right thing at the right time. Even though I have been willing to try something new, I have often gone in with a feeling of trepidation. But at every turn, I’ve had fun and learned more than I could have imagined. When I mentor interns and other associates now, my advice is to stay open to opportunity. You may have an idea of what you are passionate about, but there are other experiences you just haven’t encountered yet. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing about my own journey—it’s shaped me into who I am today and how I approach the work that I do.