The original version of this article was published in Half Times, the digital magazine for Robert Half employees.

Greg Scileppi, president of international staffing operations, says he learned quickly in his career at Robert Half that there are infinite opportunities for professional growth at our company for people with initiative and dedication to client and candidate service.

Greg joined Robert Half as a tech recruiter in 1988. Working as a systems analyst at the time, he answered an ad in Charlotte, N.C., looking to work in a job where he had more interaction with people. However, recruiting was new to him, and at first, he was nervous.

“After I made my first placement, I got that feeling of gratification — putting together somebody who has a great background with an organization that needs somebody with great skills,” Greg says. “That really gave me a great sense of satisfaction, and I knew I was going to do this for a long time.”

An opportunity to build a new practice — and live abroad

In the 1990s, Greg helped the leadership team at Robert Half build the company’s practice (formerly Robert Half Technology), serving as executive director. In 2000, he moved his family to Belgium to expand operations outside the United States. He rose to operational president, growing the business from $140 million to its present $1.3 billion and expanding to 80 offices in 19 countries.

Greg says he’s appreciated every step of the challenge, from a recruiting specialist to an executive leadership role, moving through his roles as branch manager in Orlando, area manager in Philadelphia, executive director of Robert Half Technology, and now as president of international staffing operations.

“My single greatest achievement would be the initial launch and success we had with our technology practice — and, in the last 22 years, outside the U.S., creating a company culture at Robert Half that is rich in diversity and rich in performance across so many different countries,” he says.

Greg continues, “When I first started working with the international business, I discovered that we had a tremendous amount of talent in each country. What we’ve really been successful doing as a leadership team is creating a culture that transcends language and geography, but that respects diversity and how each individual country goes about their business.”

Encouraging others to seek professional growth and stay curious

In 2004, Greg moved back to California, where his children attended high school. He began commuting globally, based out of London.

“My family has been extremely supportive of all the moves we’ve made, from Charlotte to Orlando to Philadelphia to Menlo Park, and then to Belgium and back to California,” Greg says. “One of the best things that’s happened to me in my career has been the opportunity to do many different things, but also to move to Europe and become part of an operation where I wake up every day, and there are 19 different versions of what’s going on in the business because no two countries are the same and no two cultures are the same.”

Greg encourages Robert Half employees who seek professional growth and a leadership path to first ask themselves what their motive is. “I encourage people to try to understand their ‘Why?’” he says. “We have a lot of very successful people who’ve not pursued leadership, but they’ve pursued excellence and the highest performance of client service.”

He continues, “If you desire to lead teams and people, you’ve got to prepare for that. Start small, stay curious, and build a reputation for wanting to serve other people. The opportunities for people in our organization are infinite because we are a growth-minded company.”

In his free time, Greg enjoys travel, golf, and snow skiing. Also, he just trained for and completed his first triathlon (swim, bike, run) after being challenged by his son.

Follow Greg Scileppi on LinkedIn.