While eventually growing up in Connecticut, Alex Bombeck’s ’93 early years were marked by constant change. With European parents, he lived all over the world before settling on the East Coast.

Those early life experiences have served him well, as Bombeck is now CEO and leads North Highland; an award-winning global consultancy headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in business transformation, innovation and change management. Bombeck joined North Highland in 2014 after a strong career in digital marketing and advertising, and subsequently quickly rose through the ranks. He was appointed CEO in January 2022.

His career started at UVM with a business degree where his interest in the key areas of the power of storytelling, collaboration, and the potential of digital technology to unlock the potential of business was ignited.

We were able to catch up with him recently, where he shared his insights into his life, career, and business vision. The following has been edited for clarity and length.

How did you end up at UVM?

I wanted to stay on the East Coast, so I explored schools in the area with strong engineering and business programs. I happened to stop by the campus, and UVM instantly felt like home. I appreciated that the academics extended beyond liberal arts offering options for additional career paths. The icing on the cake was the university’s accreditation and recognition as a Public Ivy. All these things considered; the choice was simple.

How did UVM prepare you for your career?

During business school, there was no way around presenting to large groups. The spotlight was on you and public speaking wasn’t optional. In hindsight, this was the foundation for a crucial life skill—feeling comfortable in front of a crowd and creating stories that captivate the audience.

UVM was also a very team-oriented environment and collaboration was expected. In many business schools, competitiveness and collaboration can sometimes be at odds, but it was not that way at UVM. Everyone supported each other—students and faculty alike—and this collaborative mindset has carried into my career both in how I engage my peers and how I lead teams.

Any key moments that set you on your current career path?

UVM recognized early on that technology would be a game-changer, so they made it a part of the curriculum. This gave me a bit of a head start when the digital world took off. I spent the next few years really building my digital skills working at multiple agencies specializing in applying new digital capabilities to transform how brands engaged their customers.

But my deep appreciation and sense of responsibility for driving change, wasn’t seeded until my sophomore year. UVM was not known for its diverse population and the student body took a stand for a greater commitment to diverse enrollment. The call for change was palpable with students setting up protest camps on the campus green. This event left a significant imprint on my outlook and the importance of change if we want to get better. It showed me that you need to look at change as an opportunity, not a challenge.

We all have a responsibility to drive positive change and can all make change happen in little increments just by taking the next right step. Fast forward to today, and the firm I work at focuses on driving change and transformation.

Any early leadership lessons you carried onto your career?

Looking back, I can see how my understanding and appreciation for collaboration and culture has evolved. During my high school years, celebrating diverse thinking wasn’t appreciated much and teamwork was somewhat straightforward. At the business school, it was a different ball game all together – it introduced a deeper notion of compromise and collaboration with people from mixed backgrounds, distinct personalities, and different ways of working, brought together to complete an assignment.

It wasn’t about pressing for one way forward – but mixing perspectives and arriving at a better output. It really impressed on me a richer view of team culture and the power of collaboration. Today it is yet another dimension when the room is filled with diverse people that bring incredible experiences and challenging you to think differently. That’s where the magic happens.

Over the years I’ve learned to seek out people that bring different perspectives to the conversation, if you really want an outcome that will drive change. This people-centric approach has really marked my leadership style and has proven most valuable during my career.

Is the reality of your role different than your expectations?

I have a deeper appreciation now for the magnitude of my decisions and those of my team. You need to build trust and empower your leaders to make decisions and be willing to take responsibility if things don’t go as planned. This new sense of gravity makes it feel different. It’s a tenet of a successful organization with a strong culture. One that empowers its people to make decisions and stands by to support them.

My role also came with a mindset shift. I love working with clients. I love coming up with solutions and brainstorming the kinds of things we bring to the market to solve our clients’ problems. I’ve had to shift my focus to our workforce and how we’re building a flexible environment that promotes transparency, trust, and culture to enable employees to deliver greater value to our clients.

What’s the hardest and favorite part of your job?

The most exciting part of my job is also the hardest. Working with my leadership team to drive our vision and solve for the unexpected challenges which requires us to embrace change, be flexible and, at times, disagree but commit to moving forward.

Any business trends you’re particularly excited about?

This may sound counterintuitive coming from someone who jumped headlong into digital before its commercial value was proven, but its today’s workforce trends that I find most exciting.

We are seeing today new workforce dynamics that have no precedent. More than ever there is care and consideration for understanding your workforce and what people need to be successful. We are more open-minded to doing things differently. People are what fuels transformation, and that’s where I place my bet every time.

The 2022 UVM Commencement ceremonies have just wrapped up, knowing what you know now, what advice would you give those new graduates as they begin their careers?

One, asking for help is the hardest thing for a person to do, and it does not get easier as you get older; it gets harder. Figure out what you don’t know and ask for help.

Second is the size of your plate. Whether it is your workload in college or in real life, you are in control of how much you take on. Typically, early in your career, there is a misconception that voicing concerns is a sign of weakness; and that’s not the case. If you are overwhelmed and you are unable to meet the expectations or commitments you’ve set because your plate is too full, you are the only one who is responsible for the miss. You’re the only person who truly knows your bandwidth and asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of maturity.