“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe
It was only slightly surreal as I gathered up the last of my things and headed toward the front door. It was a cold December day in Chicago.
Just minutes before I was the CEO of the company, decisions were mine to make and people looked to me to make those decisions.
As I headed from the door to my car in the parking lot it was a bit like time was standing still. One step forward and I was moving toward what was next. One step backward and I was back in control. It was a bit like controlling a video and I was the director. The only difference…this was my life.
“By changing nothing, nothing changes” – Tony Robbins
The past few years that I spent at United Visual were immensely valuable to me. I learned so much about running a business that you cannot even begin to ascertain in graduate school. In fact, the lessons were beyond unteachable in school; these lessons couldn’t be learned even in a second in command role.
When those tough decisions need to be made and they filter up the chain of command and land on your desk, as CEO, you can only look upward and say, “Anyone There?”
Perhaps the leadership pundits will reference some Kum-by-yah moment where the leader arrives at the answer when they inspire an unequalled amount of “Pollyanna” from the team.
Let me tell you something I have discovered: Sometimes you can be everything that the ideal leader is supposed to be and you can still have challenges that cannot be solved by following the “Text.” The good news is these are the moments where you really learn. I had many of those and I am a better leader and a better person for it.
Sometimes to most appropriately apply your learnings it requires change. Some say, “With each closing door another one shall open.” For me, I always say, the door behind never closes all the way unless you let it, but there are windows open everywhere.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher
For me it was time for change. While I can’t say that I accomplished everything I had hoped at United Visual, sometimes it takes courage to know when you have done all that you can. I had reached that point. I was working tirelessly to lead, innovate, and inspire, but the results I desired weren’t there.
Perhaps I was setting the bar too high and expecting too much from myself and those around me. Or, perhaps I’m just not that good. I know I can always improve, what kind of leader would I be if I couldn’t?
Nevertheless, at this juncture I have chosen to gently let the door close behind me and with great excitement jump through the window that opened in front of me.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn
Last week I began my new role at TM Distributing (TMD) were I will be leading the launch of a new Division (EOS, LLC) that develops cloud based services for Cisco IT and Telepresence Solutions. I will also be responsible for the companies new IT Channel Sales efforts across the US.
Those in the industry that know me, know I am passionate about three things. Great Leadership, Disruptive Technology, and Recurring Revenue. At TMD I was able to join an inspiring leadership team and build a recurring revenue business by providing a state of the art product (Cisco Systems) coupled with a game changing managed services platform.
I’m excited again. For it isn’t about ridding the past, but rather about applying the past to reach a better future.
That is the stuff that life is made of. For our careers shouldn’t define us, they should enhance us.
I’m eternally grateful for those I served during my time at United Visual.
But for now, I’m looking forward to inspiring the next success…I look forward to sharing the journey with you!
“20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain
