Tim Anderson joined TPG in 2000 as a systems administrator. Today, he is our managing director of IT and operations and part of our First Team leadership group.
[Responses were edited for length and clarity.]
TPG is intentional about building leaders within the company. Can you talk about some of the education and training you receive, as a member of our First Team?
Since the formation of First Team, education has been a cornerstone of challenging ourselves as a leadership group to continue to evolve – be it through leadership reading, adopting frameworks and foundations, and education with professional leadership experts like Assured Strategy. All members of First Team must contribute and participate with the education.
I appreciate that members of First Team feel comfortable challenging some of the educational frameworks and are open to discussing their opinions with the group. It is enlightening to see how others perceive the approaches of some of these trainings and how they are comfortable expressing their views.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a company leader within the past few years?
From an operational and IT perspective, COVID was a real test of leaning into our disaster recovery plans, getting creative with the tools we had, and planning how to scaffold these solutions. A lot of hard work went into reimagining our approach to our business workflows, and in the end, we are much better for it.
The years since the initial COVID impact have continued to challenge how we thrive in a hybrid work environment. It has been a balance as we continue to expand our regional office footprints and embrace the new expectations in the workforce.
How do you feel that TPG leads the way within our industry in employee management, leadership, recruitment and retainment, etc.?
The programs that our People Operations team have developed and continued to iterate are key to finding and retaining great talent and wonderful co-workers. Our Ignite and Spark programs are great examples of recruitment and early professional development.
What do you feel are your leadership strengths?
I am well intentioned with my team and everyone with whom I work and interact. I honestly believe there is a solution to all challenges, where all parties can come away being heard and with an equitable solution. One of my personal values is around curiosity and education – I model this in everything I do and I encourage those on my team to be curious and embrace the mistakes as learning.
What has been your leadership focus for the year? And thoughts about the coming year?
This last year, we put a lot of attention toward seeking to understand the root of conflict or miscommunication. From an operational leadership perspective, we continue to bridge gaps between our business disciplines and reduce friction points.
What is one important leadership lesson you’ve learned during your time at TPG?
If I had to give it a name, it would be “taking the high road.” Countless times during my tenure here at The Partners Group, I have observed our founders rising above situations of conflict and taking the high road. I’ve had the pleasure of being able to work with all of our company founders over the years, who have always modeled this.
Which TPG core value resonates with you most clearly, from a leadership perspective?
I would say it is “Be Curious”. I enjoy losing myself for hours on the weekend on a Wikipedia rabbit trail. At TPG, I want to encourage my team and those with whom I work to be curious about how and why we do things – to seek to understand or stay aligned with what the true intended outcome is.
***
Interested in connecting with Tim? He is available at tanderson@tpgrp.com.
****
