Beam Suntory's Rachel Harris taps into ambition for career growth

Women at Beam Suntory are leaders in their field who share their expertise to help others achieve career success.

Beam Suntory's Vice President for its North Central Division, Rachel Harris, brings top shelf integrity and leadership to the beverage industry through innovative, new experiences. Here she shares her thoughts on tapping into ambition to create a fulfilling career.

Finding career fulfillment through positive impact

Rachel's career journey has never been about “climbing the ladder” or holding specific job titles. It has been more important to her to feel like she is making a difference by adding her own value - not only in the business but with the people around her. "The ability to have an impact, leaving the business and the individuals with whom I interfaced in a different place. Having influence on how others act and feel and having ownership in my work is what gives me ultimate fulfillment," says Rachel.

Creating space for others to succeed

As a leader, it has also been important to Rachel to understand when it’s time to take on a new experience. "To recognize that others may be ready to level up and take the reins, to leave their mark, further building on the mark I left. So, creating the space for them to do so, means moving on yourself," she suggests.

"I don’t want this to sound like a motivational speech. But I do want to be authentic and have integrity because I genuinely care deeply about elevating others. I am also ambitious."

A combination of mentality and action

Rachel describes ambition as "the desire and determination to succeed". For her, it's a combination of mentality and action. The action part is the key; it’s the only way to see real change.

"Be the person who is willing to put in the effort, energy, and work to get there," she explains. "There’s a saying that goes something like: if it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

Sharing advice to fellow leaders

Rachel provides further advice about career ambition: "Taking on a new project, responsibility or role can be equally exciting and nerve-wracking. Don’t hold yourself back due to fear. Understand that fear can be a good thing! I’ve always been open to new opportunities as long as they challenge me in some way and fuel my passion. When I took the position as VP of On Premise at Beam Suntory, it was because I knew there was more value I could bring. A combination of my passion for the channel and a new type of leadership."

"Having ambition is about taking exciting yet calculated risks. Not being afraid to take a side-step deeper into a function that positions you better for advancement in the future. In doing so, you can leverage your expertise while gaining new experience to make you a better (and more valuable) leader," she adds.

"Lastly, being ambitious certainly does not mean being perfect. People with high ambition make mistakes like everyone else - actually, I think more. But ambition means seeing mistakes as learning opportunities and growing from them. Ambitious people have the courage to risk failure in the name of progress and personal development."

Take a risk and be courageous

Rachel concludes the piece with some insightful thoughts: "Time has a funny way of passing more quickly than we realize, so make a point to take the temperature of your career every quarter. See where you can learn something new, take a risk and be courageous. Check on your fulfillment, happiness, and of course, ambition."

"I promise to continually craft a path for myself and I’m excited to see a refreshed perspective take the on-premise reins at Beam Suntory," Rachel attests.