Instead, the 57-year-old executive is offering some blunt advice for aspiring young professionals: whether the market is hot or cold, no one is going to give you a handout. Your career is yours to build, and the onus is on you to make it happen.
Instead of expecting stability, one of the biggest paths to long-term success is embracing the chaos with curiosity—and a willingness to say yes when opportunities arise, according to Kempczinski.
For Loreal’s Chief Human Resource Officer Stephanie Kramer, saying yes to things—even if they were unglamorous and “junior” looking, like grabbing coffee—was pivotal to her success.
And the benefits of keeping an open mind early on may be more relevant now than ever, as opportunities have become slimmer for recent graduates.
Fortune reached out to Kempczinski for further comment.
The emphasis on staying curious—even when plans change—is a theme echoed by other top executives.
“You lose your curiosity, and you are on your way out of this company,” Moynihan told Fortune in 2017.
That mindset has also shaped the unconventional career path of Life360 CEO Lauren Antonoff.
This idea that careers aren’t built by waiting for someone to tell you what to do is exactly the message Kempczinski wanted to send to Gen Z. Staying curious and being willing to step through doors before you know exactly where they lead is often the key to long-term success.
