How \u201cGod\u2019s Breadcrumbs\u201d have transformed the life and leadership of Google\u2019s Kirk Perry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By: Steve Good, VP of Growth and Communications<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\u2019s personal journey with faith is deeply intimate. It can be filled with peaks and valleys, joy and heartbreak, wealth and welfare, understanding and skepticism. When you listen to Kirk Perry, Cincinnati \u201990<\/em>, President of Brand Solutions at Google, talk about his relationship with his faith, you hear all of this. On the surface you see a likable, extremely well-spoken, and wildly successful man who is living the American dream. As you dig deeper, what shines through is a man of redemption and grace who uses his experiences with \u201cGod\u2019s breadcrumbs\u201d to inspire those around him to become greater versions of themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI was a part of a \u2018CEO family,\u2019 one that attended church on Christmas and Easter Only.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Raised in Detroit, Michigan in a home that \u201cran out of money before it ran out of month,\u201d Kirk\u2019s beginnings were humble. He attended 10 schools between kindergarten and high school as his assembly line-working parents followed opportunities. Despite the constant moves and minimal means, Kirk learned valuable lessons as a young child that shaped his life profoundly. He identifies his great-grandfather as his role model\u2014a tough man who taught him \u201chow you treat people who don\u2019t necessarily matter to where you\u2019re going is who you really are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy great-grandfather was on his own at a very early age. He valued education but wasn\u2019t able to get the formal education he desired. He spent his whole life learning as much as he could and passing it on to others. He instilled in me a desire to continue learning every single day, to go to college no matter what, and to never give up,\u201d said Perry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirk\u2019s relationship with faith was minimal during his youth, but his grandfather\u2028 provided the spark to what would become an incredible journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The University of Cincinnati and\u2028 Phi Delta Theta<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For 18 months following high school and prior to attending the University of Cincinnati (UC), Kirk managed a Wendy\u2019s restaurant to save money for his education. Once on campus, and during his first year at UC, his weekly regimen consisted of working 60 hours in addition to being a full-time student. Kirk began to think that transitioning to night school was in his best interest. It was during this time that one of \u201cGod\u2019s breadcrumbs\u201d appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noticed by his business law professor as a student with great potential, she encouraged Kirk to meet the assistant dean of undergraduate students to see if he could help. Upon hearing Kirk\u2019s background and ambitions on campus and beyond, the assistant dean left his office for 10 minutes and returned with a full-ride scholarship in hand. With the scholarship came a challenge\u2014\u201cLeave UC better than you found it.\u201d Kirk did just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sophomore, Perry joined the Ohio Theta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Within the walls of the Fraternity, he first experienced the value of a bond and realized that deep friendships with men could bring accountability to his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Phi Delt brothers pushed me to become involved on campus in the things that revolved around my passions,\u201d said Perry. They remain some of my closest friends today. We have common core values that have strengthened our bond over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry was elected Student Body President, named UC\u2019s Homecoming King, Mr. Bearcat (outstanding graduating male), and was the Outstanding Graduate and Marketing Student from the Lindner College of Business. He graduated summa cum laude and became \u2028the first in his extended family to earn a \u2028college degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Twenty-five years later, the University of Cincinnati invited him to give the commencement address, where he also received an honorary doctorate degree, UC\u2019s highest honor. Along with his family, Kirk has endowed a scholarship for the Carl H. Lindner Honors-PLUS program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Fast Track at Proctor & Gamble<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a BBA in finance and marketing in hand, Perry found early success with Procter & Gamble (P&G), the consumer goods stalwart headquartered in Cincinnati. Early into his career, Perry, who by that time was married to his wife Jacki with two of his now four children in tow, was given the opportunity to move his family to South Korea, and then to Japan, where his success with the company grew even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy time in Asia was the greatest period of growth in my life. It shocked every sense that I had. It made me a better leader, father and husband and it challenged me in ways that I never would have imagined,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon his return to the US, Perry was tapped to run one of P&G\u2019s largest businesses in North America, vice president of the Baby Care division, and from there on to be the vice president of U.S. Operations & North America Media & Marketing. In 2011, Perry was promoted to president of the Global Family Care division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his 23-year career at P&G, Perry led the marketing efforts of some of the world\u2019s most iconic brands (including Crest, Pampers, Pantene, Bounty, Charmin and Puffs). He rose to become the youngest of 20 business unit presidents and was considered a candidate to become the future CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Kirk didn\u2019t know as he was enjoying success at Procter & Gamble, was that an unexpected tragedy would soon shake him to the core and be the catalyst for his relationship with God and his personal faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Relying on Faith<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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James 4:8\u2014Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While on a business trip to New York City, Kirk received the news every parent dreads: his six-year-old daughter, Karly, had been diagnosed with cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember frantically getting to the airport, and I finally got a hold of my sister-in-law on one of the payphones to find out what was going on. As I was sobbing, I remember feeling a hand on my shoulder. After hanging up the payphone, I turned around and saw this little woman, 70ish years old, who didn\u2019t say a word, but just embraced me. Not just a hug, a bear hug. As I pulled away from her, tears streaming down my cheeks, she wiped the tears away, turned and walked away. We never said a single world to each other. I am convinced that God put an angel behind me on the payphone that day to make sure that I knew that He was there with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fully understanding his helplessness in his family\u2019s situation, Kirk turned to faith, and it completely changed the trajectory of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore my faith discovery\u2014and I hate to say it\u2014my family was secondary. My career was the most important thing in my life. I justified it by saying, \u2018If I do well, then my family will do well.\u2019 I was missing the bigger point. Work isn\u2019t what life\u2019s about. It\u2019s part of it to be sure, but it shouldn\u2019t be primary. Life is about relationships. Today, I never put anything above my family and life has become much richer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his daughter\u2019s miraculous recovery, and after establishing a faith relationship with God, Perry\u2019s career continued to flourish and offer new opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The New Kirk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI hope to inspire people to be a better version of themselves.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With a new outlook on life, Kirk\u2019s faith led him to accept an opportunity at Google\u2014to become the company\u2019s first-ever president of brand solutions. Within the role, he travels the Americas, Asia and Europe to partner with the world\u2019s largest brands as they develop their digital advertising strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoogle\u2019s culture is absolutely amazing, and I wanted to be a part of it. I\u2019m one of the old guys here, and our company\u2019s diversity is truly inspiring! Google\u2019s trust-based culture and simple mantra of \u2018Don\u2019t be evil\u2019 allows our people to support each other. We are encouraged to experiment, learn, and even fail. The company\u2019s sustained growth is a testament to the culture that has been created.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about aspects of the Google culture that could benefit Phi Delta Theta, Perry responded, \u201cComplacency is the friend of failure. Phi Delta That cannot fail to innovate, and the Fraternity must remember that it will lose its leadership position if it isn\u2019t reinventing itself constantly to its future members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about how the Phi Delta Theta brand needs to adapt in the future, Perry stated, \u201cSociety is changing. College students are changing\u2014They are more diverse and have so many more opportunities in front of them on their respective campuses. Phi Delta Theta\u2019s value proposition must be clear. I\u2019ve been impressed by Phi Delta Theta\u2019s foresight to pivot along the way. Brands come and go, but those that remain stand for something. Phi Delta Theta has proven that it stands for something, and because of this, it will endure and continue to attract raving fans who will support the Fraternity with great enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Google, Kirk has committed to become a workplace missionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve realized over the years that those who compartmentalize their lives are not as successful as they could be. People who are authentic at work tend to succeed more in all aspects of their life. It\u2019s not always easy to live your faith\u2019s principles at work, but when I show up to work in a way that my faith wants me to show up, people notice, and it leads to interesting conversations and better relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The approach of proudly placing his faith on his sleeve was tested when Kirk unexpectedly learned about his own cancer diagnosis\u2014stage 4 thyroid cancer. To share the news about his diagnosis with his team, Kirk created and shared a short five minute video, despite advice he received that it would be too personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As shared in the video, \u201cLife is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. There are two things you can do for me\u2014Do your job and pray for me.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within 24 hours, Kirk had to create a filter in his email inbox for the wave of responses received. He heard things he never thought he would and instantly knew that his faith would prevail in the battle against cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Hebrews 11:1\u2014Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today, Kirk is healthy and continues to live out his faith day-by-day with those in his life. He speaks openly and candidly about his journey, and no matter your relationship with faith, his message resonates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brother Perry\u2019s advice to those who struggle with their faith is threefold: 1) Faith allows you to believe, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily provide you with answers. You must first have your \u201cfaith antenna\u201d up and tuned into the right station to have the opportunity to see God in many things, 2) You must have a relationship with your personal faith and spend a portion of each day building that relationship, and 3) Community is key as you build accountability into your faith. Whether it\u2019s a church congregation or small group of people, surrounding yourself with others as they live their faith journey will strengthen yours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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