Is Your Story Worth $10 Million Dollars?

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I have become fascinated by a story about a new product named Pebble, and how it came about.  Eric Migicovsky had a dream.  He had successfully built one of the first smart watches, paired with a blackberry.  Now he had a much more ambitious idea for a really smart watch paired with Android and IPhones.  Despite his first success the venture capital community turned him down.  He was able to raise $375,000 from friends and family, but needed more.  So he turned to Kickstarter.

Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) to me is more than a funding site.  It is a wonderful example of the power of the internet to build new communities, rally people around an enticing idea and create new distribution channels that often accomplish disintermediation.  The essence of Kickstarter is that someone describes a project, and people decide whether to send money because they like it — or sometimes because they get one of the first products.  They do not receive equity.  Kickstarter projects include movies, public art and innovative products.  The originator declares how much money they need, and the funds are not released to them until that amount has been pledged.

So Eric asked for $100,000 — offering investors only Pebble watches when finally manufactured.  A pledge of $240 got two watches, $550 got five and $1,000 got ten.  He finally cut off the funding at $10,266,845 — pledged by 68,929 backers.   Over one hundred times the amount he asked for!  He had his money, already had his customers and retained his equity.  But Pebble was still attracting other potential investors, so he began accepting pre-orders at $150 per watch.  Tens of thousands more have been ordered.  The funding allowed him to establish high-volume manufacturing from the outset, while he has the first mover advantage.  It also allowed him to utilize some very advanced components that make the product even more compelling.  The first shipments occured January 23, and they are manufacturing at the rate of 15,000 per week to fill the orders already committed. Mine is estimated to ship in March.

This success story fascinates me for several reasons:

  1. It illustrates the incredible power of the internet to broadcast an idea
  2. Look at the capacity to generate responses, measured in dollars
  3. 68,000 people took action, invested, without ever meeting Eric

Eric’s story was well told, and compelling.  It got results — the way only the internet can deliver.  Other Kickstarter stories have not been as successful, and some have completely failed.  A well told story does get results.  Is your story compelling enough to get the results you want?

– Jim Deupree

Is Your Career Giving Back As Much As It Takes?

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I was talking with a fellow passenger on an airplane last week, who was telling me about one of his executives. This executive was a total workaholic. He did not take any vacations, until finally in the fall he began to take Mondays off because the company “strongly encouraged” it. When asked why he did not take his wife on a vacation he replied “why on earth would I want to do that?”

A month ago they laid him off along with a lot of other senior management. At age 61 his anguish is predictable. He has given his life to this company, and it is the only life he knows. Now he is in a real pickle. He is naturally mad, and totally disoriented. He has a lot to overcome before he is even in the right space to look for another executive position. What will he do the first day at home? The second? Will he anguish about what he could have done differently — to save his job?

Very sad — but not as uncommon as we would like to think. Yes, this executive is on the extreme side. Many of you delight in taking vacations with your wife and family. But even then sometimes business is never far away. Most of you only take a week at a time, and very few of you have taken more than two weeks in one stretch. Family vacations not interrupted by conference calls are rare. Why? Is it because the business cannot get along without you, or because like this executive you cannot get along without the business?

It brings us to a key question — whether your career is giving back as much as it takes? Some of us can really say that we absolutely love what we do and who we do it for, and that is why we choose to spend so much time there. Kudos if you are one of the lucky ones. Most are more in the camp of its a job, and its a good thing to have a job — but I don’t love it. Since 70% of Americans indicate that they plan to look for a new job when the economy improves this is likely the much bigger camp.

How do we measure whether your career is giving back as much as it takes? Part of that measure is your assessment, and part is your family’s point of view. For yourself: Are you excited about what you are doing? Are you energized on Sunday nights as you get your mind into the week? Would you want your children to follow in your footsteps? Have you made a difference? If something happened to you tomorrow would you be proud of your legacy?

Your family has different measures. Are they ever most important, or is work always the top priority? One obvious signal is whether family vacations are frequently interrupted by conference calls or other work priorities? Is the executive they see at home playful and spirited — or tense and tired? Do they worry about your health — from stress and business entertaining? Do they sense that you are doing this for yourself, or for them? Are they as proud of you as you are of yourself?

Half of ChapterTwo’s Clients are Planning Ahead. Some of them are enjoying a role that gives back as much as it takes – but accept that the best role in the world will end at some point. Some just want to do something different next — to stay fresh and energized. Some do not like their own answers to the questions above — and want to be proactive about designing a change on their terms. But they also want to protect their families and won’t leave until they have a better answer. We’ve noticed that just beginning the process of Planning Ahead reduces anxiety — which reduces stress. It becomes energizing, and results in looking forward to the future instead of fearing the future. The families of our Clients frequently thank us. One said “I don’t know what you did to my husband, but thank you and keep doing it”.

As we approach the holiday season and the time for New Year’s resolutions think about those you care about, and perhaps even yourself. Would Planning Ahead be helpful? What stops your friends from beginning that journey? We are just a phone call away, and would be delighted to expand on these thoughts and questions.

– Jim Deupree

What’s Your Brand?

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Team Post by Maggie Anderson   

If your answer is I don’t know, don’t have one, or don’t need one … could you give me just a minute?

You Do Have a Brand – You may not be aware of it, but how you are perceived in the business world is your personal brand. The thumbnail description people give when someone asks who you are, what you do or what you are like? The question is, are you in charge of that? Are you seen, described, thought of by colleagues, prospects and potential connectors to your next opportunity — the way you want to be?

What defines your brand? – The internet is playing a bigger and bigger role in defining your brand, in two ways. The first is that it has cultivated a very rapid “thumbs up or thumbs down” mentality – and now people apply the same rapid judgment to written materials and face-face meetings. The second is that so much can now be quickly checked. This story illustrates the challenge:

A gentleman who was starting a lucrative new venture called a few weeks back for my help. He was in the process of raising capital for this new project when he had the good fortune to have two keenly interested prospects tell him straight out why they were now deciding not to invest. After both investors found his product compelling they each went to the internet to vet him and his partners. Both easily located red flags about them and just as important, did not find solid recommendations to counteract those. The red flags turned out to be relatively minor issues, and could have easily been fixed or at least neutralized. The real point of the story is that many other keenly interested investors had mysteriously dropped out without saying anything – presumably because of these same issues.

Perception is Everything

Whether what is found out about you on the internet is true or false does not matter. What matters is the perception that it creates, and even though it sometimes seems like we are living in a wild, wild cyber-world, you do have some control over that perception if you take time to focus on your brand. If you are not on LinkedIn, with a sharp profile and crisp information, you are aging yourself. How strong and relevant is your network? Do you have powerful recommendations? Are you a member of professional organizations appropriate for the role you are seeking?

Inconsistencies can be Fatal

We are living in an era where quite a number of high profile leaders have been taken out of their role because of errors in their background: Scott Thompson, CEO of Yahoo; David Edmondson, CEO of Radio Shack; Kenneth Lonchar, CFO of Veritas; and Jeffrey Papows, CEO of Lotus are among the examples. Of course they claimed these were errors from way back that somehow got perpetrated. How it happened does not matter. With the abundance of candidates, anyone looking at you will drop you as a candidate like a hot potato if they find a discrepancy in your background. You may not have even put it there — but you are still responsible.

At ChapterTwo® we go even further. Of course we want everything to be accurate, but we also want it to support what you want to do next. The ultimate inconsistency is telling people you want to do one thing, yet having the internet tell a very different story about who you really are.

 

About the author:

Maggie Anderson

maggiea@chaptertwo.net

Maggie Anderson is a a 25-year veteran of personal and small business branding, with a niche in social networking.  Maggie works with our Clients to help shape their personal brand, then put that brand in the marketplace by determining which online tools to use and helping our clients adopt their use.  

The Value of Being Appreciated

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Recently I attended a CFO of the Year luncheon in Charlotte.  In September I will be at the Turknett Leadership Character Awards luncheon in Atlanta. More than 20 very deserving leaders are featured as the nominees at each.  Spouses, colleagues and friends fill the tables.  The energy level is very high, with a lot of cheering and applause.

As I took in the energy of the room yesterday, two realizations washed over me.  One is that appreciation remains important to most of us.  Whether it is on a big stage like these events or on a much smaller stage it always makes us smile, and stimulates extra effort.  The need and desire for being appreciated is universally one of the reasons people want to keep working.  Appreciation for people we help, problems we solve and things we build.

As I think about all of the people I have gotten to know who are looking for something different, lack of appreciation is usually central.  Significance and a feeling of satisfaction are linked in a large way to feeling appreciated.  Perhaps it is for the significance of the work — the way it helps others.  Maybe it is leaving a legacy by building something — like Bernie Marcus and the Georgia Aquarium. Or it may be a reputation for being the person “who can figure out anything”.  Whatever the driver the desire to be appreciated  is a natural reaction.  The question becomes whether our current job and position feeds that desire.  If not there is a good chance that we are not totally fulfilled by what we do.

The second realization was that many of the award winners were in their own chapter two.  One was particularly poignant.  His daughter was head of HR for a smaller company, and they realized that they needed some interim help and experience with some finance projects.  Her dad had “the right stuff” and the time, so they hired him for the project.  It worked out so well for everyone that he ultimately became the CFO, and was nominated as CFO of the Year.  He did not win the award, but talked about an even greater award — having an office right down the hall from his daughters’ and seeing every day her great work for the company.

Wanting to be appreciated is natural and healthy.  It is a key reason people keep working.  When it is missing so is satisfaction and significance.  Based on our experience, that is when you need to step out of your comfort zone, look in the mirror and think about proactively making a change — to your own chapter two.

– Jim Deupree

A different perspective on the value of LinkedIn

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I have been watching LinkedIn steadily gain traction, wanting to make sure that I could accurately advise our Clients and friends about whether and how they should use LinkedIn.  Patricia Romboletti (a fellow CEO Netweaver who goes all over the country doing LinkedIn seminars and is also in the Executive Search field) recently shared a very unique perspective on how and why she uses LinkedIn, providing a way to more easily implement our Pay-It-Forward philosophy.

Pat, like many of us, has a healthy network.  The challenge is how to stay in touch with them in a way they value.  So once a week Pat spends just a few minutes looking through her LinkedIn connections to find opportunities to connect her network with each other.  Perhaps it is following up on an announcement that someone has a new position,  and offering a potentially helpful new connection for them.  The search powers of LinkedIn are pretty amazing — and make the task easy.  As part of the process she naturally looks at the profiles of those who pop up, which refreshes her awareness of what they are doing and how she can help them.

Once she has found opportunities to connect people with each other she does not use Inmail.  She calls them, or sends them a regular email.  You might wonder how she has all of their phone numbers.  Sometimes she doesn’t, but LinkedIn usually has their company and the company has a switchboard as the starting point.  When the only purpose of the call is to help the person they always appreciate it — and it frequently leads to “we should get together to catch up” coming from the recipient.

Pat also had a great answer to the “which connections do I accept” question.  Imagine yourself at a cocktail party or business function.  You meet ten new people, some of whom automatically exchange cards.  Do you keep all of those cards, and do something with them?  You may follow-up with one or two, and put a few more in a box only to forget why you even have them.  If someone invites Pat to connect that she does not recognize but finds of interest she calls them (using the switchboard approach).  The initial conversation might be something like “I am honored by your interest, and wanted to learn more about you”.  Then you either know more about them and make them one of your “investment” connections, or you ignore their request to connect just as you would ignore their card.

One other valuable tip was make your Summary in your profile a story, not a resume.  People go to LinkedIn to learn more about you.  An interesting story which reveals insights about you is more likely to get read, and to be remembered.

You can learn more about Pat and her work at www.sageexecutivesearch.com

– Jim Deupree

Not everyone can be a star, but everyone can twinkle

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This saying has special meaning related to my late father, Joseph Deupree.

My father was a journalist, and not the Walter Cronkite highly visible type.  He was also an amateur poet, and one of his poems was titled “Not Everyone Can Have A Star On Their Dressing Room Door”.  That poem has inspired our family for years, along with his legacy of doing so many little things for people day in and day out and never talking about them or seeking credit.

What defines a “star” anyway?  Is it the person with the seven figure income and corner office, the lawyer who wins the high-profile cases, those who get elected to public office, those with  several palatial homes and big boats?  Or is a “star” someone whose aura shines on others — and gives them illumination for a new vision and new hope?

In my work I interact with hundreds of executives and lately I sense a trend.  More and more successful people are concluding that tangible rewards alone are not enough.  They want a sense of significance and it does not come from titles or toys — it comes from making a difference.  Joel Koblentz echoed that thought in a recent guest blog titled “Do You Like Your Job”? which I hope you will read if you didn’t see it.  He challenged successful leaders to think more about what really mattered — then act on those thoughts.

My wife Betsy has become an example.  She was a Management Consultant with IBM, and had received their top peer recognition.  She loved her work and her colleagues, but not the travel requirements.  So she began to think about her chapter two — while at the top of her profession.  During our discernment phase our Dr. Tom told her that she had outgrown IBM.  She already felt it at some level, yet his declaration became permission to think that way and do something about it.  What was most important to her was much more time at home to become involved in community and church activities, and to spend a bit of time with me as I launched ChapterTwo®.  Today she is a Management Consultant for a firm that does not require travel, is heavily involved in three local organizations helping others, and gets to enjoy some of our ChapterTwo® activities.  She makes less money, yet is far happier.  As Joel advocated, she is freshly discovering many things about herself and has already found that life beyond IBM is quite a big and fascinating place.

If we think about the people we truly admire and respect it is usually those who made a difference — in our lives or in the lives of those we care about.  People who genuinely care about others, whether a star or not, touch and inspire far more people than they ever realize.  It is the many little everyday things that make a difference — not one or two big things.

A common perception is that it is easier for someone with a position of power and influence, a “star”, to  help others.  I have been fortunate to have many “stars” as friends, colleagues and Clients who truly did use their experience and resources to twinkle.  Most of them are very modest about the ways they have helped, and get true delight from it.  Ironically, I have also learned that it is actually harder for them.  Why?  Because they get approached by many people who want something, and they must sift through who really needs help vs. who is just seeking an easier ride.

Let’s redefine stardom.  Everyone can twinkle.  During our ChapterTwo® journey with our Clients we discern what is truly significant and satisfying for them.  The size of their office rarely comes up   We talk more about their legacy than their resume, virtually every time.  Even the “stars” want to twinkle  in new and significant ways.  If this doesn’t make sense to you yet, I encourage you to let it simmer on a back burner in your mind somewhere.  Sometimes we have to change our environment to get in a space that allows us to freely twinkle, and sometimes we just have to allow time for a change in our thinking about what’s possible.  We have accomplished both for our Clients on a regular basis, to their delight and ours.

I guess it is fair to say that ChapterTwo® is one of my ways to twinkle too.

– Jim Deupree

Do You Like Your Job?

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The Joy of Being Relevant

Guest Blog by Joel Koblentz

I’ve been privileged to meet and advise very successful leaders from many walks of life many who seem to be lost in the swirl of life without the joy of feeling relevant.

This general theme came up for me about five years ago after reading an article in a major business weekly. While I don’t recall the article specifically, it contained a pie chart, which was divided into four sections representing the answer to a simple question; Do you like your job? The pie chart was divided into four slices…love it, like it, dislike it, hate it. I came away with, “wow.”

The authors queried 4400 people making more than $100,000, some of them making over $1 Million:  The two darkest sectors – dislike and hate – made up almost 75%. I was startled at first and began to reflect about “successful” people I came in contact with, people who had risen to a high echelon running family businesses, or hedge funds, partners in professional firms or private equity firms or running companies.  I began noticing similar kinds of behaviors. 

So I approached a friend that I’ve known since elementary school who is now a psychiatrist.  I asked him what he thought about it:  Most people don’t understand themselves, Joel, he said.

We have our heads down trying to meet our obligations, children, work, civic responsibilities – you make decisions over a long period of time that aren’t truly you.  Before long, you don’t really know who “you” is – so you can’t possibly love your work.

Over the five years since then here are a few things I’ve learned about truly successful people – the other 25% who know themselves well.

  1. The different aspects of their lives are connected.  They integrate the professional, the personal and what they do in their community.  Most successful people don’t try to fit themselves into different roles – they make what they do fit with who they are.
  2. Most truly successful people are honest about their unique talents and interests and seek out cultures that they will find professionally satisfying. They set strong boundaries on what they don’t like doing and are willing to be less than superman/ superwoman. They seek assistance and rarely stand alone except when they must lead and make “the” important decisions. Because they truly know themselves, most have no fear of change nor of knowing what they don’t know.
  3. The best leaders aren’t the people who read 200 leadership books every year, but the ones who have learned something about themselves, and lead with that.  People who are really successful exhibit curiosity, which can’t be taught.  They have learned a process of discovery. Books are written about their successes. They did it their way with respect, tolerance of different views, with ethics, and with very high expectations of themselves and those to whom they are responsible.
  4. Genuinely successful leaders don’t need to tell everybody what they know and how smart and successful they are. In fact, the most successful are those among us who practice their craft with discipline and passion. And they realize that they need others to help them succeed, repaying gladly those that assisted. They are thankful and humble, never greedy or especially self serving in any respect.  Successful people are explorers and connectors constantly look at context from different points of view. 

I’ve know many professionals who looked forward eagerly to retirement, away from the stress of work. When they step out, their firm goes on.  And every day they are away from their professional colleagues they become a less important part of what they’ve done most of their lives. They discover to their dismay that the stress levels they had on the job are much less than the stress level of being irrelevant.  Had they invested in knowing themselves perhaps they would have made their work fit themselves, and turned daily stress into elements of satisfaction and accomplishments.  

It seems to me that when you have creativity, confidence and curiosity, doors open. People who are really successful aren’t afraid of that – they aren’t afraid of what they don’t know about themselves, and are willing to follow their curiosity to find out.

As I write this I’m about to depart to Bucks County Pennsylvania – where there are lavender fields, and old barns and small towns and where individualism is prized.  I love it there because I’ve been going for years and no one has asked me what I do for a living.  

In big cities like Atlanta everyone identifies you with what you do. 

Is that how you wished to be defined. Is that how you define yourself? I hope not!

A friend tells a story about meeting with Griffin Bell, the former Attorney General, who was sitting with his feet propped up on his desk  when his assistant informed him that “the White House is calling.”  Bell picked up the phone and curtly announced  “I don’t talk to buildings, I only talk to people.” and promptly hung up.

He was a man who knew who he was, and comfortable with his own point of view.  We need more characters like him. By the way, under it all, we are all characters!

In the 1980’s, King and Spalding, the venerable Atlanta law firm, had about 30-40 partners, and every one of them was a character and very different in personality. Yet, their different personalities…encouraged… but commonality of values and ethics led the firm to the very top. Bell had just returned from Washington, another partner was an ex-marine, another was writing a humor column for the Atlanta newspaper, and so on…all very successful and sought out for their advice, judgment and counsel. Their clients knew each Partner’s point of view was genuine and honest. As a group, certainly the intellect and experience was known. Yet, it was collective wisdom and individualism that won the day. 

Don’t be afraid to have your own point of view.  If you aren’t sure what you want from your life….explore, discover, be curious. You will be interesting to others and most importantly, you’ll rediscover yourself. Others will tell your story. It’s your journey. Enjoy it!

Build trust! Pay forward! Be whole!

About the author:

Joel KoblentzJoel M. Koblentz,Senior Partner, The Koblentz Group

jkoblentz@koblentzgroup.com

Joel M. Koblentz is a nationally recognized confidential advisor to boards of directors and chief executives “at the value creation level” for publicly traded companies and private equity concerns. Mr. Koblentz advises corporate boards, their chairmen and chief executive officers on succession and recruitment of new board members, CEOs and executive leadership.  Previously a Senior Partner at Egon Zehnder, a leading global executive search and board of directors’ consultancy, his prior experience also includes senior strategic management and financial positions at Cox Cable Communications (Atlanta) and Tiger International (Atlanta and Los Angeles) Occidental Petroleum (Los Angeles) and senior consultant at Ernst and Young (Los Angeles).  Mr. Koblentz has been named repeatedly as one of Atlanta’s “100 Most Influential.”

From Rolling Stones to Saving Trees

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I am always on the lookout for “out of the box” ideas and inspiration, and TEDx, locally organized events on the theme of “Ideas Worth Spreading!”  (www.tedx.com),  are a fertile field for both.

At the recent TEDx Atlanta I was inspired by Chuck Leavell, one of the most respected and sought after piano and keyboard players in modern music history.  He joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1972 at the age of 20, and for the past three decades has played keyboards with the Rolling Stones.  Other gigs include Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Black Crowes and many others.  Chuck is an inductee in both the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He loves his profession, and is obviously very good at it.

Many celebrities “endorse” good causes.  What was unusual about Chuck’s story was that he has gone far beyond  ”celebrity endorsement” of something he believes in.  Chuck used his time on tour buses to study forestry via correspondence courses.  He and his wife Rose Lana White then turned her family’s plantation near Macon, GA into what has become a textbook tree farm.  Leavell writes frequent articles about sustainability, drawing on his own experience and research he does in between gigs, and has authored three books on environmental issues.

All of this was pretty amazing.  Then he started talking about corporate governance!  There are probably few players in the Rolling Stones or any band who are articulate about corporate governance — but nothing stopped Chuck and nothing is stopping others from finding ways to pursue their passions.

There are two parts of this story that are very special.  One is that Chuck had no need to actually “get his hands dirty” with tree farming.  He just wanted to — because he believed in the importance.  To him, even with all of his professional accomplishments, this individual contribution to the planet represented satisfaction and significance.  Instead of giving up his primary career he augmented it to “have it all”.  The other special part is a story he told about his youth.

His mother played the piano, and as a tyke he was fascinated by watching her hands fly over the keyboards making those marvelous sounds.  One day when he was about 10 or 11 he said “Mama, I have made a big decision”.  His mother could tell he was excited, and asked him to explain.  His answer: “I want to be a musician when I grow up”.  Her response was so typical, and the kind of impediment that has limited or shaped so many career choices.  She responded by saying “Honey, you can’t do both!”

Today Chuck Leavell is as comfortable on a tractor as a piano bench.  He beautifully balances three real passions in his life: family, trees and music.  Would you like to augment your life — and achieve this kind of delightful balance?

– Jim Deupree

For more information on Chuck Leavell’s work with Mother Nature Network go to: www.mnn.com

Corporate Exfoliation

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When very successful executives find their position eliminated it naturally triggers introspection. What could I have done differently? Did I let my people down? Why me? Was it me, or the circumstances?

More and more it has nothing to do with the skills, style, or even accomplishments of the executive. Sometimes the trigger is a merger or acquisition. External market conditions can force compression of roles. Boards today have greater impatience and accountability to make sure the right person is in the key slot for today’s challenges. But sometimes the trigger for elimination of their role is corporate exfoliation!

Exfoliation is an odd word here — originally it refers to the natural process we are about to experience this fall, as trees lose their leaves to make way for the new cycle of growth. Corporate exfoliation, though, is forced change that happens in any season giving the appearance that “we have a plan” to buy time. It has an added strategy of removing potential successors. If you become a natural part of a corporate growth cycle, or are simply a pawn in your company’s attempt to appear to be on top of a problem by making changes, you will wish you had a plan ready to execute to turn the personal impact and problem into an opportunity of your own.

I experienced a major episode of corporate exfoliation while at IBM. John Akers was the CEO, share prices were dropping because profits were shrinking in the hardware business, analysts did not see as bright a future, and John was becoming desperate. When that happens, buying time by reorganizing people and roles is a common strategy. In this situation it was deemed that no product division should have more than seven people at headquarters. A new headquarters had just been completed to foster teamwork and integrate product planning — and now all but seven people from each division were relocated to plants and labs. The “solution” did not address the core problem — but did create a lot of movement and chaos when crisp thinking and urgent actions were desperately needed.

The latest example of corporate exfoliation appears to have occurred at Bank of America where, in corporate-speak, they are “de-layering.” According to the Economist, de-layering describes the reduction from the top-heavy organizational charts of the 1950s to more streamlined management teams. It’s questionable whether such a term can be applied, writes The Economist, to what Moynihan is doing at Bank of America. Heidi Moore tells the story in this lively “tell it like it is” article where she coins the exfoliation term:

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/wallstreet/2011/09/executive-level_exfoliation_at.html

My point is that, in working with hundreds of executives going through job change, I have seen very talented and accomplished leaders go through the agony of questioning how they failed and what they could have done differently to keep their positions. In some situations the answer is truly nothing. In most situations the executive may have been 25% of the trigger — but circumstances were 75%. It is crucial to accept that other circumstances were the trigger. “Hard on the problem, but easy on the person” is a productive approach to accepting fate and moving forward under these circumstances. That approach, and having a career plan that excites you, are key to moving quickly into a productive and focused chapter two.

— Jim Deupree

One Executive. Three Life-Changing Decisions.

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Are you an accomplished executive, ready for something different, but not ready for “retirement?”  Then you are like hundreds of senior executives I’ve worked with on planning the “next steps” in their careers. One constant is that successful leaders want to continue to be relevant and appreciated.  Increasingly, however, having the biggest office or title is less important to them than other factors.

Living where you and your family really prefer, for example, has grown in importance.  How many of your peers have focused on where they want to live, then built their next career move around that choice?  One of my Clients did. He turned down an offer that represented a prestigious career move, but in a location not acceptable to his family.  He then created a great alternative, paving the way with three key decisions.

George was the Executive Director of a major performing arts organization, and had held similar roles for 25 years.  That is a co-CEO role, and there is always dynamic tension with the Artistic Director and the Board of Directors.  As we worked together on his chapter two, his first key decision was not to be a co-CEO anymore. That is where his expertise and credentials were centered, so not the easy choice, but he was tired of the energy consumed to make those daily compromises.

The second key decision was to turn down a firm offer to be CEO of a major performing arts venue.  The role would have been perfect, but the location was not. He and his wife had lived in the area before, and did not want to make it their long-term home again.  It was too far away from where their children were settling.  He discussed commuting, but weekend performances and fundraising obligations would have kept him away from his family more than was acceptable.

This led George and his wife to an enviable third decision — to center their next chapter around where they wanted to live.  Over several years he and his wife had become enamored with  Wilmington, NC and had hoped to make it part of their future.  They loved the water and liked to sail, and it was close enough to their children without being too close.  Why not now?  After some networking and visits to Wilmington it seemed there was good potential of being hired in the area.  The Wilmington decision was made — now the question was how to make it a truly great choice and move.

The extensive work we did around Setting Your Compass® expanded his thinking, and. inspired him to consider something he’d never done before — be his own boss by owning a small business.  It was a big step, and he naturally needed reinforcing.  Our assessments and Personal Board Members told him he had unique strengths and qualities as an entrepreneur, providing that reinforcement.  Today he is the owner of a professional service business in Wilmington.  The investment was modest, and within a successful executive’s reach.  George can run the business as long as he wishes — then he’ll either sell it or hire a manager to run it for him.  The net income is compelling, and he is building an asset that can be sold in the future.

Quite a change from the not-for-profit world.  A great outcome, for him and his family.  Our hat is off to George for thinking and planning ahead, and focusing on what is really important.  We know from experience that many senior executives have similar thoughts — but never get around to acting on them until it is too late.

— Jim Deupree