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When Benjamin Hawke reflects on some of the characteristics that helped him build a successful career in accounting, he points to his authenticity, his go-getting attitude, and his commitment to telling it like it is. But as a leader who’s in the business of managing both numbers and people, Hawke admits that the latter trait is one that he’s wrestled with throughout his career.
“At the start of my career, I always received really positive feedback from my leaders about my work product and about my work ethic. But there would also be constructive items about me being too blunt sometimes or that I might not be cognizant of other’s feelings when discussing something that didn’t go well, for example,” Hawke says. “At first, I understood and knew that it was true but also felt that my blunt and driven attitude helped me win four times out of five. So, I acknowledged the feedback but kept doing what I was doing.”
For a while, it served him well. After four years at Ernst & Young, Hawke took on manager roles at CNA Insurance, overseeing investment accounting and external GAAP & SEC Reporting before becoming a financial close lead. In 2016, he came to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), where he’s been promoted four times since. He currently serves as chief accounting officer, responsible for the company’s entire controllership function.
Speaking as a panelist at a quarterly national meeting of the SEC Professionals Group.
(Photo Courtesy of SEC Professionals Group)
That leadership journey also saw Hawke gain a mentor who similarly didn’t shy away from telling the truth. Hawke, who realized he needed to evolve if he wanted to be the best leader he could be, sought her guidance on how to balance his authenticity with an ability to be mindful of others. He’ll never forget the advice she gave.
“She told me that, as leaders, we have to develop new tools to deal with the times that the direct approach isn’t effective. I don’t have to change my core person, but are there instances where I can deploy another skill? Instead of speaking, can I listen? Instead of blurting out the answer, can I seek feedback from my team?” he says. “I thought that was a powerful realization to sit through and say you can still be who you are, but you can develop those additional tools so that way you win five out of five times.”
“I’m always looking at my team for their opinions because even if I think I have the right answer, five more opinions on the topic will refine it, corroborate it, or unearth information I did not know about,” he says. “Not only do I want my team to feel like their voices are heard during the decision-making process but if we’re not seeing eye to eye on something, I want everyone to know that their points of view are valued and acknowledged.”
A Cultural Win
“From a corporate perspective 2023 was a hard year. The macroeconomic environment was uncertain, corporates were delaying decision making about their spaces, there were fewer capital markets transactions,” Benjamin Hawke recalls. “But through it all, I was super proud that we saw modest improvement on our company-wide people survey. We spent a lot of time making sure we can engage people through town halls, emails, greater communication to the team, and extended leadership team conversations. It was rewarding to know that our efforts to make people feel more connected resonated.”
This approach has not gone unnoticed by JLL’s outside partners. “Ben’s knowledge and expertise makes him a highly competent leader,” says Samir Jaipati, finance consulting lead for the real estate sector at Ernst & Young LLP. “But when you are leading complex, multifaceted projects, you must also be able to draw out the strengths of your team, and that’s what makes him an effective leader.”
He is also a staunch believer in creating an environment for his team to comfortably balance work and life. That stems from his personal experience balancing his career with his family responsibilities. For Hawke, who transitioned out of a demanding public accounting career when his son was born, family will always be the top priority.
“When my son was born, I remember sitting back realizing that if I wanted to see him awake, I’d have to make a career change,” he reflects. “Ultimately, I did at that time because career is always going to be important, but family will always be over work. Even though it was a struggle to leave right before I became a manager, I said that I’d trust myself, stay focused, while also dedicate more time to the ones I love.”
Another priority for Hawke is community service. He’s active in volunteering for the St. Alphonsus Oktoberfest festival in Chicago and sits on a trustee board for the Wisconsin Union Association.
“I feel we all need to practice giving back,” Hawke says. “None of us got to where we are today just because we pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps, whether we know it or not.”
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