Julie Sweet's Unexpected Path to Accenture's Top Leadership Role
Leadership transitions rarely begin with absolute certainty. More often, they commence with hesitation, followed by a pivotal decision that permanently alters a career's trajectory. When Julie Sweet was serving as general counsel at global professional services giant Accenture in 2014, she did not envision herself as a future chief executive officer.
Her background was unconventional for the role. She had not emerged from a traditional business education path, nor had she spent her entire professional life climbing the company's internal consulting ladder. Historically, Accenture had been led by men who rose systematically through the consulting ranks.
The Pivotal Conversation That Changed Everything
The defining moment arrived unexpectedly during a routine meeting with then-CEO Pierre Nanterme. "At the end of the meeting, he closes his notebook and pushes it aside, and says to me, completely out of the blue... 'I think you could run this place someday,'" Sweet recalled during an interview on Fortune magazine's Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast with host Alyson Shontell.
Even Nanterme acknowledged that the transition from general counsel to CEO would not be direct. She would first need to gain experience by leading another significant business unit. At that critical juncture, Sweet could have responded with caution or self-doubt. Instead, she drew upon crucial advice she had once received from Dina Dublon, the former chief financial officer of JPMorgan Chase and a member of Accenture's board of directors.
"When someone gives you a stretch role... chances are that the person offering you a stretch role is as nervous or more nervous than you are. So, don't say anything, like: Are you sure?" Sweet recounted Dublon's guidance from the same podcast conversation.
With this wisdom in mind, Sweet looked directly at Nanterme and replied, "Why, yes, I'd be interested. What did you have in mind?" That simple exchange set in motion a profound shift in responsibility. Sweet subsequently led Accenture's North American practice starting in 2015 and was appointed global CEO in 2019.
The Stretch Role Principle: A Vital Lesson for Aspiring Professionals
For students and early-career professionals, the central lesson from Sweet's journey transcends corporate hierarchy. It is fundamentally about readiness and opportunity. Many students delay applying for internships, research roles, or leadership positions because they believe they lack one specific requirement or qualification. They effectively disqualify themselves before any interviewer has the chance to do so.
Sweet's experience establishes a powerful rule: do not reject an opportunity simply because it feels larger than your current perceived skill set. A stretch role is not definitive proof of readiness; rather, it is an explicit invitation to grow into the position. For students entering highly competitive fields, this principle has immediate, practical implications:
- Apply for the internship even if you meet most, but not all, of the listed criteria.
- Accept that campus leadership position that appears particularly demanding.
- Say yes to projects that will require significant learning on the job.
Confidence Rooted in Humility and Continuous Learning
Julie Sweet has consistently linked genuine confidence with humility and a relentless pursuit of excellence when describing what builds strong teams at Accenture, a company valued at approximately $150 billion with around 770,000 employees worldwide.
"We are constantly challenging each other and our assumptions," she explained on the Fortune podcast. "When you build a team that thinks the status quo is challenging assumptions and embracing change, it means you're constantly questioning. You don't need to stop and have a big strategy session... because you're always working on the strategy."
Her distinctive approach to leadership includes openly asking for help, which she has described as one of her personal "superpowers." "I think the idea of being a deep learner at the top is really critical," Sweet noted. "Because many times, senior leaders, whether it's the chief executive officer or one level down, are perceived as the ones with all the wisdom. They've gotten these big jobs, and so the idea of training for leaders is often really odd to think about."
For students, this perspective fundamentally reframes the concept of confidence. It is not the absence of doubt, but the willingness to ask questions and learn publicly. Sweet herself acknowledged that early in her legal career, she was not highly familiar with technology. She recognized that to evolve into a business leader with legal expertise, she needed to deeply understand how the company operated.
"I figured out pretty quickly that if I wanted to be the business leader with legal experience, I had to deeply understand the business," she stated. That deliberate decision significantly increased her value within the organization. "Transparency builds trust," she added. "Because the more value you can contribute to your company, the more likely you're going to get that best next job."
Practical Implications for Students and Early-Career Individuals
Students often treat career progression as a linear sequence of completed qualifications: degree first, skill development second, and confidence third. Julie Sweet's experience suggests a different, more dynamic order. Opportunity may arrive before certainty, and significant growth often precedes complete mastery.
The stretch role principle does not guarantee promotion, nor does it remove competition. However, it effectively prevents self-elimination. In academic settings and early workplaces, the habitual tendency to say no to responsibility because it feels premature can gradually narrow future options over time.
Saying yes does not eliminate risk, but it dramatically expands exposure and learning opportunities. Sweet did not become CEO because she perfectly fit a predefined mold. She achieved the position by accepting assignments that expanded her scope and committing to learning far beyond her formal training.
For students preparing to enter uncertain and competitive labor markets, the lesson is remarkably clear: do not wait to feel fully ready. When responsibility is offered, examine it seriously. If the logical answer is yes, state it clearly without undermining your own potential. Sometimes, a career shifts direction not because someone feels entirely prepared, but because they consciously choose not to say no.
