“I decided tonight I want to be a professional salesman.”

A big decision.  Particularly for a freshman in College.  He was winding down that first year.  Learning.  Growing.  Experimenting.  Tonight he shifted to a place of commitment.

His words moved me.  I truly felt inspired as we continued our conversation about his life choice and next steps.

I was meeting him for the first time last Thursday evening following my keynote to several hundred college students at Northern Illinois University. The content was focused on Accelerating the Transition from Campus to Sales Career.

This kid and so many of his classmates  are going to become BIG producers.  They have a huge head start thanks to the cutting edge professional sales curriculum offered at NIU.  They also have so much of the right stuff inside them.

In partnership with event host CDW I had the privilege of sharing a few ideas with these students to help jump start their transition into a successful sales career.  No doubt the class of 2012 is graduating into a climate of economic uncertainty and anxiety about the future. There is intense competition for every job.  There is intense competition for every sale.  These students know this and embrace it.  I actually believe it represents their most significant opportunity to compete and win.

These students/soon to be rookie sales representatives don’t have bad habits. The Sales 2.0 movement is transforming the professional selling landscape mandating a skills and competency upgrade perfectly suited to this next generation of sellers.  When the game changes enter a new generation of GameChangers. They are more prepared than you think, less entitled than rumored and ready to compete for your job and your client roster. They don’t see their limited experience as a barrier or disadvantage.  They might just be right.

Just about every student attending the event stayed around for the networking.  They had questions for me.  Wanted to connect with CDW and genuinely seemed interested in connecting with each other around a night dedicated to their future.  I couldn’t help but wonder how many veteran salespeople routinely sacrifice a Thursday night (or any night) and come out pocket for professional development and some hardcore practice to advance their own skills and competency?

I loved being back on campus because I love being around students.  I love the mindset of the student.  Curious. Inquiring. Listening. Learning. Growing. Improving.  If you want to succeed in sales today the student mindset is one you have to embrace to compete at the highest levels.  The best salespeople are students of the game.

What else are they?

Prepared:  Most new jobs, sales, wins and opportunities are secured not in the moment of truth but in the hours upon hours of preparation prior. GameChangers show up prepared.  They do the research. Prepare questions in advance.  Have a point of view, compelling position of value and compete to win every time out.

Interested: Sales isn’t about you.  Your prospects don’t care all that much about you.  Your product or service probably isn’t all that different from your competition and it likely costs abouthe same. GameChangers make the sale all about the customer. They spend a lot more time being interested than they do trying to be interesting and understand that selling is asking, not telling…selling is listening, not talking.

Consistent: Best practices.  Good habits.  Discipline. Systems.  Process. Hustle. GameChangers don’t do things right once in a while or every other week.  It is an every day, all the time commitment to excellence.

Connected: GameChangers develop meaningful relationships and a robust network of connections. They connect people to each other, ideas and earn influence by participating and providing value. They understand you cannot automate relationships but recognize the opportunity to expand, accelerate and impact relationships online though friends, followers and connections.

Committed:  GameChangers present to earn commitment.  Not to simply share information. Every meeting has an outcome objective and they work with the end in mind.  They are also committed to performance.  They deliver their number and compete to win regardless of the circumstances. No excuses. Just results.

That big decision?  Well, I couldn’t help but complement these students on their outstanding choice.  What great skills to develop.  There simply isn’t a better place to launch your career!

No idea, insight, innovation or invention will ever see the light of day without a salesperson who can bring it to the marketplace.  Master that skill, put up big numbers and you’ll have an abundance of opportunity for the rest of your professional career.  Sales makes business happen.

I saw limitless potential on display last Thursday night.  With the right organization, committed to investing to develop sales talent (CDW is a great example) this next generation of sellers has the opportunity to do big things in the world.

Will be fun to watch!

Many thanks to Team CDW for making this special night happen and including me!

 

{photo credit: Ven Sherrod}

 

Posted in Recruiting, Sales

Tags: Career, CDW, College, NIU, Sales, Sales 2.0, Sales Training

I am trending toward 70 live events/engagements this year, focused predominantly on the drivers of business performance (Leadership/Sales/Innovation) during this incredible time of transformation and change.

Each engagement is a little different.  We go the route of customization and focus on delivering a consistent experience.  That keeps me on my toes.  Where I like to be.

Occasionally we’ll insert an engagement into the lineup that is a departure from the conference or corporate event that challenges us to think different.

Going back on to a college campus next Thursday qualifies.  In partnership with premiere technology solutions provider CDW, Delta Sigma Pi, Pi Sigma Epsilon and the American Marketing Association I will be presenting Sales Shift: Accelerating the Transition from Campus to Sales Career.

This one is personal.  I want this evening to matter.  I recognize that sacrificing a Thursday night a few months before graduation is tough call for any college senior.  That fact that a few hundred have decided to do just that and join us at NIU is inspiring. I wouldn’t have done it.  That’s the honest truth. I would have been doing the Court Street Shuffle and that makes these future sales stars a little different from me.  Good for them.

It is also precisely why in making my own transition from campus to sales career I was 7 months into the shift with a goose egg on the scoreboard.  I couldn’t close.  I couldn’t even open.

I came dangerously close to making the transition back to my parent’s basement.  Selling baseball cards for beer money wasn’t the game plan but it was exactly where I was headed.  I had a little natural talent.  I had absolutely no sales skill.  Talent alone isn’t good enough.

Jim Rohn saved me.  He delivered an epic seminar that I still count as the single most transformational moment of my career. One night. Three hours. Jim opened the door.  He gave me permission and some powerful tools to jump-start my success.

I read Think and Grow Rich and the The Greatest Salesman in the World in the next 3 days.  (my homework from the seminar…I still have the notes).

That was the beginning.  I never looked back.  It’s funny how once you become good at something that begins to fuel your passion.  That is how it was for me.  I wasn’t passionate about sales or leadership until I was good.  That is also the truth.

Today it is even more important to be good.  Scratch that.  Today any VP of Sales is searching for the extraordinary.  Every spot on the roster counts.  Today you need to be better than good.  Average is over.  I know this because I asked.  I asked 5 of the strongest sales executives in my network what they want from new hire graduates.  What they expect.  What they need.  I will shed more light on that Thursday night.

Bottom line, they are looking for an edge. They are all very impatient when it comes to results.  They all are facing enormous pressure to hit a number.  They have no choice but to demand sales excellence and high impact performance out of the gate. That is also the truth.

In looking back today I was lucky.  That night with Jim proved to be transformational.  The decision to change happens in a moment.  That was mine. In preparing to go back to campus I plan to bring some of his timeless insights with me.

My Alma Mater has an Alumni Gateway at the corner of Court and Union Streets where Ohio University and the City of Athens meet.

The Alumni Gateway greets all who enter the campus with an inscription that reads:

So enter that daily thou mayest grow in knowledge, wisdom and love.

The inscription over the alumni gateway for those departing the campus reads:

So depart that daily thou mayest better serve they fellowmen thy country and thy God.

Beautiful words I have always remembered.  Today I am reminded of the significance in their meaning.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to connect and share next week.  I hope my words can serve to inspire.

I know these students will most certainly inspire me to continue to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love.

Posted in Sales, Uncategorized

Tags: Campus, Career, CDW, College, Graduation, Jim Rohn, NIU, Ohio University, Sales, Sales Training

You may recall my recent writing about career and life transition through the lens of perspective offered from the experience set of Twin Cities Executive/Management Consultant Teresa Hopke, whose own personal/professional transformation I chronicled in the following posts:

Resignation Day & Life Meets Work

These two posts prompted a number of inquiries related to navigating career change and managing risk, particularly amid such uncertain times.

No doubt, managing change requires courage which is defined as: The quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution and firm control of oneself.

Teresa is someone who is willing to explore and risk failure.  To her it’s worth it.  She wants to get Switched On in the morning.  She wants to make a dent in the universe.

I had the good fortune of catching up with her live at the recent Work/Life Expo.  We continued the conversation and I continue to believe her inspiring perspective can prove beneficial to anyone faced with similar circumstances (and let’s face it, most of us aren’t faced with navigating comparable challenge and change while expecting twins!).

The enclosed video captures part of our conversation around career transition, the impact work has on life and the courage to confront our fear and make meaningful change actually happen.

 

 

Posted in Employee Engagement, Performance

Tags: Career, Change, Life Meets Work, Resignation, Teresa Hopke

I am in Bangor, Maine today about to keynote a leadership event for my client Maine Veteran’s Homes.  Prior to traveling to Bangor a friend of mine casually asked, “Don’t you wish you didn’t have to go there and you could still get the money?”  He offered, “you should figure out a way to give the talk virtually…then you wouldn’t have to travel.”

I didn’t hesitate in responding that I wouldn’t want to give the talk virtually.  I want to go somewhere different.  Meet someone new.  I want to share, listen and learn with extraordinary leaders.   I want to understand their challenges.  I want to hear the stories. I want to connect them to my ideas.  I want to help them navigate change.  I want to have a full, rich, meaningful experience that has a lasting impact.  That is my purpose.

I want to do the work.

It is a question I am also reminded to ask myself.

What do I want to be doing?

Why? {Purpose}

The answer to those questions inform action.

Money is a reason.

Meaning is a reason.  A very good reason.

The intersection of purpose and the paycheck are a precious gift.  It is the place where people are in the best position to maximize their full potential.

It is easier to contribute and succeed when you really want to do the work.  When it matters.

What do you want to be doing? Why?

We’ll have some fun exploring those important questions today.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Performance, Sales

Tags: Career, Leadership, Meaning, Money, Purpose, Work

A few months ago I had the opportunity to coffee shop with an executive who, ironically, had decided to resign from her job the very same morning of our meeting (see my post about her decision: Resignation Day) . It was bold decision and beginning of an entirely new chapter in her professional journey. I didn’t know her then. I do now. I am proud to call Teresa my friend.

When I first wrote about Teresa I referenced a “transformational event in her personal life” serving as a catalyst to move her toward meaningful change. Teresa isn’t just a careerist. She is a whole person. Devoted wife. Mother of two. When her husband suffered a life threatening injury in a near tragic accident she shifted her perspective. Through that experience she handled more than most while managing to prepare to walk away from work that provided her with all of the comfort one might seemingly covet during such a challenging time. She describes her process as finally “finding the courage to listen to her inner voice and align with her purpose.” She wanted to feel alive at the office again. Work on work that matters. She was intent on taking her shot.

I had the opportunity to visit with her again this week to catch up on how she was progressing a few months into the new chapter. As we settled into the coffee shop conversation she indicated that she was about to experience another, unplanned and fairly significant life altering event. I pressed and she replied:

“We are expecting twins.”

Life is an unpredictable story. This is her version. Let the magnitude of that sink in for a moment.

I was prompted to inquire about her career trajectory in the midst of so much significant personal change. Did she regret leaving her big, stable corporate job? Did she go beg for it back? What was she going to do?

I don’t know that she has it all figured out. I don’t know that any of us do. I do know that she embraces change and is emotionally invested and excited for what is next and new. That includes the new chapter in her work life which I believe is appropriately called Life Meets Work.

I couldn’t quite do the story of her career choice, confidence and courage justice. So in her own words:

Life Meets Work by Teresa

“I’m the one that gave up the office with a view. That walked away from the six figure salary. That left ten years of earned respect and professional equity sitting on the table. And for what? All because I felt like I was missing my mojo?

Foolish? Maybe. Courageous? Certainly. Worth it? Absolutely!

A former colleague just reviewed some of my new work and validated what I’ve been feeling since resignation day. She said “You absolutely made the right decision. Your passion for this topic is so clear. You can tell this is work you love”. It got me thinking. How long had it been since I’ve done work I love?

Over the past couple years I started to realize I had lost the passion for my job. But instead of taking action, I settled for the comforts that came along with the role and ease of doing work where I could perform exceptionally well.   The familiarity of the same company & co-workers. The safety of not having to put myself “out there”. What I didn’t immediately see setting in was the unhappiness. The stress. The lack of enthusiasm. The loss of vitality. The impact of those feelings on my whole life.

I finally generated the courage to listen to my inner voice and and get aligned again with my purpose. It is amazing how different I feel. I feel healthier. I have more energy. I wake up each day eager to get started on the work I love. I I have more to give to the important people in my life. The effects on my life have been profound.

I am truly a happy person.

While getting to resignation day wasn’t easy and came with hard work and a ton of risk, I can say it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My only regret? Not reawakening the idle passion inside of me sooner. Some say that it is irresponsible to leave stability in pursuit of passion. That is fine for them. For me? There is simply nothing better than feeling alive again. Then being happy.”

NOTE: If you would like to meet Teresa we will both be speaking at the 2011 Work/Life & Flexibility Expo on October 11 in Minneapolis. Join us!

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, Change, Flexibility, Job, Work

We did the HR Happy Hour radio show last week on Passion on Purpose . I’ve had several very interesting, engaging conversations about passion and work over the last few days with smart thinkers, writers and doers in the human capital/leadership space. We didn’t always agree but the debate and dialogue was very interesting and spirited (ok, passionate) discussion.

I really never imagined the word passion would evoke so much….well, passion.

The word certainly generates it’s fair share of criticism. It sounds lofty. Idealistic. To some even a bit frivolous and largely unattainable. Without question for many it quite simply may not be a core driver for showing up at work. I get that. The “average person” just wants to pay their bills (so I have been told). Take care of their family. Work is a means to the end and there is nothing wrong with trading a day of good work for fair pay. You don’t have to love it. You can actually feel quite indifferent about it I suppose. If it serves a larger purpose (or the things you are truly passionate about – family, security, health insurance, a vacation home or whatever that looks like for you).

Further, the notion that we should simply follow our dreams, do what we love and money will somehow show up is a bit naive and from my perspective, rather bad career advice. I have been passionately playing basketball for 30 some odd years and I can verify this surely isn’t the case. I’ve also watched The Secret.  While I believe in the incredible power of the human mind and spirit, I also think manifesting a Maserati is more about hard work than mastering hidden laws of the universe.

However, I can assure you that the organization and leader capable of elevating engagement, enthusiasm and emotional commitment (passion) from their employee and customer universe  has an enormous advantage beyond the bottom line (it will show up there).  As part our consulting work I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to interview literally hundreds of employees at a rather diverse group of employers over the last year.  We’ve talked to employees at small companies in the Midwest you wouldn’t recognize.  We’ve interviewed high potentials at category leading brands and Fortune Best Places to Work employers like Microsoft and Mayo Clinic.  We asked questions about engagement, leadership, career path, work style design, performance, money, mission and meaning.  We listened. We learned.

We learned that people consistently emphasized a meaningful experience over money. Many people we interviewed were willing to take risks, embrace change and accept new challenges to more closely align with meaningful work and a larger sense of purpose.  That didn’t always translate into changing the world.  Sometimes it did.  Sometimes it simply meant a better world at work. The word passion made it’s way into more than a few of those conversations.  Perhaps it is no surprise that high potentials make the correlation between their own performance and engagement, enthusiasm and emotional commitment.  Perhaps it is no surprise that progressive, category leading organizations continue to invest purposefully in their people strategy and help employees stretch and grow to achieve their full potential.

Steve Jobs once famously remarked, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” {Tip:  If you haven’t seen this speech it is worth watching.  CLICK HERE}.

I suppose it begs the question, can you be successful without being passionate about your work? About work you don’t love?  I believe you can. I suppose I would have been considered such for a brief stretch in my own career.  I found it just isn’t nearly as much fun or fulfilling.  I also increasingly find that kind of fulfillment can carry over and impact the whole person.

I have been rather fortunate to spend a fair amount of time working with colleagues and clients who aspire to be anything but average.  Those organizations and individuals aspire to elevate the work experience and cultivate a “whole person career”.  I think that is work worth doing.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Uncategorized

Tags: Best Place to Work, Career, Engagement, Passion, Purpose

I was fortunate to spend a few days at the beach last week as a guest of an old friend, serial entrepreneur and generous host.  Other guests included a professional athlete turned business pro and a professional artist.  The climate for interesting conversation was palpable.

What I recognized after a couple days of deep dive dialogue is that despite the diversity in what everyone was doing, the similarities in attitude and approach were evident.  What they shared in common was finding a way to make a living doing work they love.

I spent a good part of those couple days asking questions, listening and learning. During our conversations 3 themes about work emerged:

Reinvention:  The world is changing.  Fast. You have to change with it.  It is important to have a plan.  Recognize that your plan will change.  What you are working on and how you are working will likely be completely different in a few years.  When that isn’t the case we stop growing, learning, evolving and getting better.  Stuck is no way to spend any significant amount of time. The athlete is now an entrepreneur.  The artist was many things (Magician, Writer, Wall Street Trader) before he was ever an artist.  The entrepreneur has changed his business model 20 times.  They are each activists.  How is your transition game?

Passion:  The idea of dreaming big and doing work worth doing was a shared understanding.  In fact, it was almost a forgone conclusion. It is hard to be great at something you don’t love.  Sure, the critic will tell you to stop dreaming.  You aren’t good enough.  Your pursuits are frivolous. The work of the critic and heckler is easy, lazy work. The work of the doer takes a healthy dose of passion.  The good news is passion doesn’t have limits.  It extends.  It carries over.  It is contagious.  This group embraced an attitude of abundance that included helping others.  Giving. Sharing.  Making a difference.  Sure, they each found a way to turn their passion into a paycheck.  But it certainly didn’t stop there.  They all found a way to turn their passion into a larger purpose.  Whether conscious or not, it is how they live life.

Resolve: You have to make art.  Daily.  It often comes down to a simple willingness to Do The Work (a great read for the passion players). Passion doesn’t imply perfection. It takes hard effort.  Big sacrifice.  You have to step up to the opportunities.  Compete.  I considered how much better this blog would be, how much better a writer I could be, if I had the discipline to write everyday?  The answer is much, much better.   It also takes a healthy amount of resolve to move through the inevitable adversity, setbacks, challenges and change that will be part of the journey.  They had resolve in spades.  They leaned into challenges. The hard parts seemingly offered no deterrent.  They all resigned to the fact that a worthwhile accomplishment doesn’t come easy.  They wake up ready to pass the next test and exude the confidence and inner strength to keep making forward progress.  I thought they made it look easy.  That is just the end result.  Nothing about getting there is easy at all.

The athlete still plays for the love of the game (I couldn’t get a shot off).  The artist still knows a good card trick (how did he do that?!).  The entrepreneur is a master of relationships and putting people together to make meaningful connections simply because it is fun to do. (I am grateful).  The lesson?

Follow your passion.  Make your art.  It is never too late.  Turn it into a paycheck.  Don’t.  It doesn’t matter.  If it is work worth doing…Just Do It.

Posted in Leadership

Tags: Artists, Athlete, Career, entrepreneur, Passion, perfomrance, Purpose, reinvention, Resolve, Work

He walked into the coffee shop at 7:25 a.m. 5 minutes early.  No surprise.  He was a big time seller.  Now he managed a team of big time sellers.  Showing up 5 minutes early for meetings was inside his DNA.  He was dressed the part.  When he looked at me he couldn’t help but flash the grin.  I was just coming off vacation. Two weeks unshaven and in my summertime office wear:  jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes.

He called the meeting.  A friend of a friend I’d come to respect.  Just north of 30 he was knocking it out of the park.  Big career progression and by all accounts, big time success.  He wanted to buy me breakfast and pick my brain about his business.  That was all I knew.

As we moved past the small talk into the purpose of meeting I listened as he talked about the changing nature of his industry, the challenge of growing the business and the reality that this work was all he’d ever known.  He was successful and enjoyed the lifestyle that accompanies that kind of sales performance.  After a few minutes of background I interrupted him with a very specific and straightforward question:

“Why are we here?”

His four word answer:

“I lost my passion.”

Now I needed to know more.

He went on to explain that he simply no longer wanted to do what he was doing.  Sell what he was selling.  Lead who he was leading.  Work for who he was working for.  He actually used that phrase that I hear all too often lately, “I hate going to work.”

In sharing his feelings there was a fair amount of guilt. He recognized that many people are struggling.  That many people would trade places with him in two seconds.  The people inside his circle of trust thought he was crazy to even consider making a change.  He had it all from their perspective.  What was he thinking?!

He was thinking that he doesn’t want work to be miserable.  He wants to find more meaning in his work, recognizing he still needs to make a living. He is wicked smart with enormous talent and limitless potential.  He is more than capable of changing lanes and reinventing himself.  His company could have done so many things differently to capture his emotional commitment but they didn’t.  They missed.  And he is going…going….

The next part for him will be hard.  Change is never easy.  There is that question he asks himself several times a day:

“What am I going to do next?”

It is a question only he can answer.  Quit or stay?  Start a company or make a career transition?  Those are life decisions.  The good news is none of them are final.  In fact, over the course of the next 30 years he may experience all of those things. His career arc is just beginning. The better news is he certainly doesn’t have to spend the next 30 years doing something he hates.

He’ll read this book.  Draft the plan.  Learn more about himself.  Listen to opportunities that align with his values.  And make the next move.  This experience alone will prove quite valuable in his career progression.

I admire his quest to find his passion for work again and see if he can make it intersect with the paycheck.  I am quite confident he will and will post an update on his progress.

Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to 3 people who put passion first and watched the paycheck follow.  It isn’t for everyone. But if you like to Dream Big you might enjoy.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership

Tags: Career, Change, Passion, Work

This was my first trip to Norman, Oklahoma.  We pulled into downtown on that bus.  Five of us parking outside and heading into O’Connell’s Irish Pub.  You could feel the energy.  The anticipation.  The excitement.

U2 was preparing to take the stage in a few hours.  We were preparing to take in the whole experience properly.

We made our way over to Memorial Stadium for what we expected would be several hours of the greatest show on earth (ok…I am a fan). They delivered the experience to a sold out stadium.  As is customary there was a message around the music.  One part of that message really resonated.

Bono paused to make mention that 26 years prior, to the very day, the band first set foot in Norman, Oklahoma.  He thanked the audience for the “upgrade to the big venue, a few blocks down the street.”  A casual reference to the journey of becoming remarkable.  The transition from bar band to one that is an easy stadium sell out.  A journey that started small.  Like they all do.  Just a dream.

As we made our way back to O’Connell’s after the show I couldn’t help but comment on that comment.  It prompted a brief discussion.  What if the band listened to the resistance?  Caved to the concern of parents who perhaps didn’t support children chasing some outlandish dream of being in a band?  What if they were afraid to try?  Didn’t take the risk?  Didn’t stay the course?  Passed on the long, hard effort?  Stopped making art?

Our conversation closed with, “dude, would Coldplay even exist?”  That was enough.

It was also enough to make me realize that even an outcome that seems destined starts somewhere.  The sacrifice, commitment, challenge, choices and chance you have to be willing to endure is simply the price of admission to achieving Rock Star status in whatever it is you really want to do.

I have wonderful memories from that trip to Norman and look forward to returning this week for what is shaping up to be an all star event with great content and progressive, social contributions that will further elevate the experience.   I look forward to seeing friends like Bryan and Jessica, making new, meaningful connections and contributing my closing keynote to the conference.  Follow us at #OKHR.

I’ll also be stopping by O’Connell’s Irish Pub for a Guinness.

If you get a chance this summer that experience is worth the price of admission.

Posted in Leadership, Social Media, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, Oklahoma, Passion, Purpose, U2

She walked into the coffee shop this morning right on time.  Just like I expected.  I had heard a lot about her through our shared network.  Many among them prompting us to meet.  We had traded notes and connected online.  She was reading my blog and provided a summary of some of the cool projects she was initiating to transform the culture of her organization.  She has a big job, initiating big change for a big company.  We had a lot of good reasons to connect, network and share ideas on people, potential and performance.

As we exchanged pleasantries and eased into the conversation she openly shared that our meeting on this very morning was a bit ironic. After a decade of leadership, contribution, achievement and growth in her organization she was leaving our meeting in the coffee shop to resign from her job.  She was resigned to her conviction that it was simply time to move on.

Today was resignation day.

I could sense her anxiety and anticipation.  It brought me back to that morning two years ago.  To my own personal inflection point.  I was naturally interested and invested in our conversation.  I wanted to know more.  I asked why?

I listened intently as she explained the genesis of her decision and her subsequent journey toward acting upon it.  She was clearly well within the confines of the comfort zone.  She had a very good career.  With a very reputable employer.  With a boss she respected and trusted.  With a compensation plan and benefits package that provided security for her family. With perhaps no clear, compelling, concrete reason for resigning.

Until a transformational event in her personal life moved her to pay more attention to that whisper.  To listen more closely that internal voice.  To further explore a new direction with very clear purpose. To acknowledge her fear, doubt, anxiety, discomfort, hesitation and move through it.  For an executive A player none of this is as easy as it might seem.  She put in the work.  She is moving on to pursue her professional passion with clear and compelling purpose.  She is inspired.  So am I.

She acknowledged that passion was a driving force in her decision.  In doing so we talked a bit about how frivolous a passion pursuit can sound to others.  How unreasonable.  How it can be perceived as even borderline irresponsible.

That word receives its fair amount of scrutiny and criticism.  After all, isn’t it only a job?

Not to her.  Not to some of the most content, fulfilled, introspective, balanced and evolved people I know.  To these people the meaning matters.  The attempt to try and find the intersection between the meaning and the money is seemingly worth the risk and sacrifice that come when you dream big.

I thought about her a lot today.  I am sure it has been a hard day.  Whether the next step is the kitchen table or new career path probably isn’t as significant as the move toward something that simply matters a whole lot more.

A huge loss to this particular organization.

A huge win for my new friend.  I think she will find the win really does exist in the choice, change, challenge and chance to try and find the intersection between passion and the paycheck.

Not the outcome.

I have no doubt she is going to enjoy the journey.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, Job