It's OK to Say NO

By Mike Smith
SKL Class XXXI Moderator and Lacy Society Member

Two very interesting careers have provided me terrific opportunities to live, learn and work while also engaging in civic and philanthropic activities in our great city.

Twenty years of work at Mayflower Group, including responsibility as Chairman and CEO when the well recognized Indianapolis company was sold, provided me a clear understanding that nothing should be assumed to last forever. I am also inspired by the life lesson learned from that career experience. A more carefully executed strategy might have allowed this important local employer to survive its many challenges and thrive and continue its business right here where it was started in 1927.

A friend wrote me as I prepared to leave Anthem in 2005. Jack Shaw reminded me in his note that I had been lucky to have had two “big job careers” both in the same city but in very different industries. Jack was right! Ben Lytle, Larry Glasscock, Dave Frick, Keith Faller and Anthem’s many other leaders created something very special and I was blessed by the opportunity to work with that great team. Leaving Anthem at age 57, just when things were starting to get really exciting in health care, is a decision I have been asked to defend on many occasions. The answer is simple. While Larry provided many options for me to stay with the company, it was easy to say no and move on.

As a team, we had accomplished something very significant, and the skills and abilities required of those who would take the company forward in pursuit of a vision for changing the healthcare landscape were different than what I could offer.

It was a great lesson for me. I helped lead Anthem to its place as the largest health benefits company in the world. We did our work well but the next chapter of the company’s history belonged to a different team and they have proven many times that it was time for me and others to leave. That decision to retire made it possible for me to make a “third trip to the plate.”

The past five years have been very challenging and very rewarding. I now work among many new friends at many new tasks and in a very different environment. The joy that comes from blending a busy business calendar with an active civic life and a more relaxed and healthier personal and family life is almost too good to believe. It is a schedule that allows me to do all that I want and to enjoy much more than I deserve!

Service as Chairman of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and participation on the board of Lumina Foundation for Education brings many fulfilling and exciting opportunities. Work with the Shepherd Community, Julian Center and many other organizations who are attempting to break the grasp poverty has on a growing segment of our community is also extraordinarily rewarding.

The greatest lessons learned from these new experiences is that it is OK to say “NO” from time to time and quite easy and important to say “YES” at those times when one can help!

Michael L. Smith served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Anthem, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Mike assumed his position in April 1999, after serving as Senior Vice President of Anthem’s operations in both the Midwest and Connecticut. In August 2004, Mike was also appointed President, Anthem National Accounts. Mike retired on January 31, 2005. Prior to joining Anthem, Mike was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mayflower Group, Inc. from 1989 to 1995. He started his business career in the Indianapolis office of Arthur Andersen & Co. following his graduation from DePauw University in 1970. Mike serves on several public company Boards of Directors including Kite Realty Group Trust, Emergency Medical Services Group, Vectren Corporation and HH Gregg Appliances, Inc. Mike has served as a Director of several charitable and civic organizations and is currently serving on the boards of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the Board of Trustees of DePauw University and The Lumina Foundation.

Contact Mike at mikeanthemsmith@comcast.net to share your feedback on his leadership lesson.