Steve Church, a veteran operational executive, surprised associates two years ago by accepting a promotion to become the top human-resources officer at Avnet, a major distributor of high-technology products and services in Phoenix.
"You took what job?" a dumbfounded friend asked. "You don't even like HR!" Mr. Church, the former head of Avnet's biggest business unit, relishes challenges. But his lack of human-resources expertise scared him.
"The personal risk was to fail in the last significant position of my career," says the 57-year-old executive in an interview.
By Joann S. Lublin
From The Wall Street Journal Online
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