How Relationships Build a Career, Deepen Service and Define Purpose

In a workplace still shaped by hybrid schedules, remote communication and shifting expectations around professional growth, relationships have become more than a soft skill — they are a career advantage. Gallup’s latest workplace reporting shows that global employee engagement has fallen to 20%, reflecting a broader challenge for organizations trying to keep people connected, motivated and invested in their work. For accounting and finance professionals, the stakes are especially high: technical ability may open the door, but relationships often determine who earns trust, gains opportunity and builds lasting influence.How can professionals build the relationships, trust and visibility that turn technical skill into long-term career growth?On this episode of Beyond the Ledger, host Troy Ashby sits down with Felix Lozano, retired Chief Growth Officer and former Director of Audit at Whitley Penn, for a conversation about the relationships that shaped Lozano’s career and the purpose that now defines his retirement. Their discussion spans Lozano’s early lessons in communication, his decades in public accounting, the importance of proximity in a post-COVID workplace and the personal turning point that redirected his time toward philanthropy, family, faith and service.What you’ll learn…00:00 – Intro & Welcome01:56 – What LinkedIn Doesn’t Show About Felix02:54 – 31 Years with the YMCA04:32 – How Relationships Shaped His Career07:27 – First-Generation College & Learning to Communicate10:28 – The Accident That Changed Everything11:39 – Serving South Dallas During COVID15:22 – Philanthropy: Uganda, Guatemala & Peru17:18 – Advice for the Post-COVID Generation19:59 – Presence, Proximity & Saying Yes22:55 – Two Years into Retirement24:13 – Becoming the “CEO of Me”28:48 – What Gets You Noticed and Promoted30:25 – What Felix Is Excited About NextFelix Lozano is a retired Chief Growth Officer and former Director of Audit at Whitley Penn, where he spent 27 years helping businesses grow, developing professionals, and building lasting relationships. Across a 37-year career in public accounting, Felix became known not just for his technical expertise, but for his people-first philosophy: always give more than you receive.Since retiring in 2023, Felix has focused on a purpose-driven chapter centered around family, mentorship, philanthropy, and investing in both businesses and people. He actively supports organizations focused on education, leadership, and community impact, including the YMCA, State Fair of Texas, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Engage Hope, Christian Hands in Action, and Hope Farm.Grounded in faith and driven by service, Felix is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders and believes true success is measured by the impact we leave on others.