“WHY ME?
I’ve had forty-plus years of experience managing and leading teams, culminating in my position as head of BCG North America where I led a seven-thousand-plus-employee business. Throughout my career, I have opened new offices and new businesses, and I’ve navigated many turbulent times: the dot-com crisis, 9/11, the American war in Iraq, the Great Recession of 2008, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—to name a few dramatic disruptions. I also have the privilege of serving as the chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity and am a founding steering committee member of CEO Action for Racial Equity and the Southern Communities Initiative.
All of these experiences across roles and geographies have helped me see the many ways that hardship can impact employees and their families and how yesterday’s rigid, profit-oriented leadership styles served as more of an encumbrance than a springboard to growth and success. I discovered the necessity of becoming a leader who cares deeply about my teams and my colleagues, and in so doing, I saw firsthand the value of leading with care, leading from the heart.
Along the way, I also gained access to dozens of other high-level professionals and thousands of regular “Joes” (pun intended—we were all once regular Joes). They, too, learned the hard lessons over these past several decades and came to recognize the value of compassionate leadership. With the help of these colleagues, I developed the belief that it’s finding the commonality between all of us, and connecting through it, that is at the core of our best humanity.”
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ABOUT JOE DAVIS
Joe Davis is a Managing Director and Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a former Head of BCG in North America and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He oversaw BCG’s operations in the US, Canada and Mexico and was recognized as one of the Top 25 Consultants of the year in 2011.
In The Generous Leader Joe tells a story about a performance review from early in his career: to summarize, he was told he is not the best at problem solving in a vacuum, but in collaboration with others, can solve any challenge, make change happen. Why? Because early in Joe’s career this mentor identified his key strength—Joe was a person who could connect with anyone.
This ability to connect with people became the foundation of a successful career at Boston Consulting Group, spanning more than 35 years, across multiple offices around the world, opening and growing offices, starting businesses, and helping to grow the firm. For more than three decades, Joe’s passion for people and his desire to support their development, inspired teams to work harder and better than they thought possible, creating exceptional collaborative results for BCG and its clients.
Accomplishments
- Head of BCG North America
- Vice Chair of B Capital Group
- Chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity
- Co-founding Steering committee member of CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion
- Co-founding Steering committee member of Southern Communities Initiative (A partnership between, PayPal, Vista Equity and BCG)
- Graduate of Whitman College
- Chair of the Board of Trustees of Whitman College
- MBA from Harvard Business School
In keeping with his constant commitment to champion people and their dreams, Joe currently serves as Chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity. He is a co-founding Steering Committee member of CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion and the Southern Communities Initiative.
Joe is a graduate of Whitman College and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Joe previously served as Vice Chair of B Capital Group. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
![Joe, Sarah, four children [Nashville - 2022]](https://www.joedavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Joe-Sarah-four-children-Nashville-2022-e1698693643169-800x602.jpg)
![Four children [Sadie graduation]](https://www.joedavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Four-children-Sadie-graduation-e1698651121369-800x639.jpg)
![7 GRANDCHILDREN [2023]](https://www.joedavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/7-GRANDCHILDREN-2023-e1698651085290-800x493.jpg)
![John Legend, Joe Davis, Jim Lowry, Justin Dean [ELC Gala 2017]](https://www.joedavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/112.jpg)
Joe has benefited from the generosity of a loving family: Sarah, his wife of more than 40 years, whom he met at Whitman College, his four children and their partners, and seven grandchildren. When he is not traveling the world for work or to be with family, you can find Joe running or gardening as his moving meditation.