Creating Opportunity is a Leadership Responsibility

Editor's note: Camille Chang Gilmore was recently honored with the inaugural Seramount Ted Childs Award, recognizing courageous leadership and workforce strategies that advance opportunity and performance. Read the full news release.

Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to have people who took a chance on me, creating opportunities for me before I was entirely sure I was ready.

They challenged me to take on assignments that stretched me, encouraged me to find my voice and use it, and gave me room to lead. Some became mentors. Others simply saw potential in me and opened a door at exactly the right moment.

I didn't always recognize the significance of those moments at the time. I do now. They shaped my career, but just as importantly, they shaped how I think about leadership.

Ted Childs was one of those influences. Early in my career, while working in HR compensation at IBM, I benefited from his leadership and saw how creating opportunity could strengthen both culture and business. Years later, he became a mentor to me at Boston Scientific. His example continues to shape the responsibility I feel to open doors for others.

Every person has value and potential. One of the most important responsibilities of leadership is helping people see those things in themselves, sometimes before they fully believe it. That belief continues to influence how I lead. When leaders give people the chance to grow and contribute, the impact reaches beyond any one career: teams grow stronger, new ideas surface and organizations are better equipped to succeed.

For years, organizations often treated conversations about talent, culture and business performance as separate topics. In my experience, they are deeply connected. Innovation doesn't happen because a company tells people to be innovative. It happens when people feel confident enough to speak up, challenge assumptions, ask difficult questions and approach problems from new angles.

Leaders set the tone for whether different perspectives are welcomed. When people know their voices matter, they are more likely to take on challenges and grow into new roles. That strengthens leadership pipelines and gives the business more ways to move forward.

These ideas become even more important during periods of transformation. At Avanos, becoming a privately held company this summer has made these responsibilities especially relevant. During any transition, people naturally wonder what the future will look like, where they fit within it, and how they can continue to grow. In those moments, leaders have a responsibility to provide clarity where they can, listen to concerns, and create opportunities for people to contribute to what comes next.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that courage isn't having all the answers. It's being willing to move forward when you don't. That includes continuing to invest in people and creating room for them to grow, even while the path ahead is still taking shape.

At Avanos, we're continuing to learn from our employees and challenge ourselves to think differently. As leaders, our responsibility is to act on what we hear: invite perspectives we might otherwise miss, address barriers, and give people the support they need to contribute.

What I find most rewarding about leadership is not the title or position. It's watching people discover what they're capable of. I've seen people take on challenges they weren't sure they could handle, find the confidence to bring their voice into the room, and grow into opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves.

I know how much those moments can matter because I've benefited from them myself. I've had people open doors for me throughout my career, and I believe that creates a responsibility to hold the door open for someone else. Every leader has the ability to create those moments.

Sometimes it's offering encouragement or honest feedback. Sometimes it's taking a chance on someone, creating space for a different perspective, or helping someone recognize possibilities they hadn't considered. These actions may seem small in the moment, but they can change the trajectory of a career.

Creating opportunity isn't a program. It isn't a moment in time, and it isn't work that belongs only to HR. It is a responsibility every leader carries. I'm grateful for the leaders who understood that responsibility and opened doors for me. One of the best ways I can honor what they invested in me is to keep opening doors for others.

Editor's note: Camille Chang Gilmore was recently honored with the inaugural Seramount Ted Childs Award, recognizing courageous leadership and workforce strategies that advance opportunity and performance. Read the full news release.

Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to have people who took a chance on me, creating opportunities for me before I was entirely sure I was ready.

They challenged me to take on assignments that stretched me, encouraged me to find my voice and use it, and gave me room to lead. Some became mentors. Others simply saw potential in me and opened a door at exactly the right moment.

I didn't always recognize the significance of those moments at the time. I do now. They shaped my career, but just as importantly, they shaped how I think about leadership.

Ted Childs was one of those influences. Early in my career, while working in HR compensation at IBM, I benefited from his leadership and saw how creating opportunity could strengthen both culture and business. Years later, he became a mentor to me at Boston Scientific. His example continues to shape the responsibility I feel to open doors for others.

Every person has value and potential. One of the most important responsibilities of leadership is helping people see those things in themselves, sometimes before they fully believe it. That belief continues to influence how I lead. When leaders give people the chance to grow and contribute, the impact reaches beyond any one career: teams grow stronger, new ideas surface and organizations are better equipped to succeed.

For years, organizations often treated conversations about talent, culture and business performance as separate topics. In my experience, they are deeply connected. Innovation doesn't happen because a company tells people to be innovative. It happens when people feel confident enough to speak up, challenge assumptions, ask difficult questions and approach problems from new angles.

Leaders set the tone for whether different perspectives are welcomed. When people know their voices matter, they are more likely to take on challenges and grow into new roles. That strengthens leadership pipelines and gives the business more ways to move forward.

These ideas become even more important during periods of transformation. At Avanos, becoming a privately held company this summer has made these responsibilities especially relevant. During any transition, people naturally wonder what the future will look like, where they fit within it, and how they can continue to grow. In those moments, leaders have a responsibility to provide clarity where they can, listen to concerns, and create opportunities for people to contribute to what comes next.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that courage isn't having all the answers. It's being willing to move forward when you don't. That includes continuing to invest in people and creating room for them to grow, even while the path ahead is still taking shape.

At Avanos, we're continuing to learn from our employees and challenge ourselves to think differently. As leaders, our responsibility is to act on what we hear: invite perspectives we might otherwise miss, address barriers, and give people the support they need to contribute.

What I find most rewarding about leadership is not the title or position. It's watching people discover what they're capable of. I've seen people take on challenges they weren't sure they could handle, find the confidence to bring their voice into the room, and grow into opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves.

I know how much those moments can matter because I've benefited from them myself. I've had people open doors for me throughout my career, and I believe that creates a responsibility to hold the door open for someone else. Every leader has the ability to create those moments.

Sometimes it's offering encouragement or honest feedback. Sometimes it's taking a chance on someone, creating space for a different perspective, or helping someone recognize possibilities they hadn't considered. These actions may seem small in the moment, but they can change the trajectory of a career.

Creating opportunity isn't a program. It isn't a moment in time, and it isn't work that belongs only to HR. It is a responsibility every leader carries. I'm grateful for the leaders who understood that responsibility and opened doors for me. One of the best ways I can honor what they invested in me is to keep opening doors for others.