Transition: Crafting an approach

“I wasn’t interested in leading a double life,” said AJ a former colleague of mine who co-founded Infuse, a not-for-profit entrepreneurship program for inner-city high school students in Silicon Valley.   Her dual risk arose because she works as a program manager at Infinera, a publicly traded optical networking company.   It’s easy to get inspired when speaking with AJ.   She is a bundle of energy and passion.  Aside from being enthused about her work at Infuse I’m fascinated by her dual dilemma ‘approach.’  Continue reading…

Voices of Transition: Choices and Learning

“I got a sense of breathing for the 1st time,” said Shannon Breuer, a former Sunoco executive who shared with me her truly inspirational journey through transition as part of Novofemina’s Voices of Transition column.   “I had no idea how much I was going to grow…I feel so fulfilled.” Continue reading…

Risk and Failure

“I finally got around to reading your interest card,” said Andrall Pearson former President and COO of Pepsi Co. and my professor during a second year course at the Harvard Business School.  His quip came as he leaned on my desk with hushed tones moments before class started.   The card, an arcane pre-Internet system – think index card – held a few sentences authored by students to convey our interests to professors.    On my card I’d divulged my dream of running an emerging business.  That day the class was scheduled to discuss a 1980’s-style emerging business, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT).   OAT was founded in 1978 by a high school anthropology teacher in her three-story house in Cambridge, Massachusetts.   My little visit from Andrall was my heads up, referred to as a soft-call, that I would be leading the class’ discussion that day.  I had about a minute and one-half to prepare. Continue reading…

Goldman Sachs and Transition: anchors and aspirations

“I want to go with crazy good,” said Sal, an animated presenter at a meeting at my children’s school a few nights ago.   By crazy good I interpreted him to mean a ‘good’ outcome juiced up with steroids to make it an ‘exceptionally’ good outcome.  “I am always trying to think about the ‘stretch’….use my imagination to think bigger,” said the authentic youth leader as he was trying to engage a desperately tired audience of parents.  “Why not?” he posed. Continue reading…

Curiosity & Transition: Are these related?

“Our girls are all smiling,” I beamed as I turned to another chaperone last Friday evening well after 9:00pm.  The girls were 2nd and 3rd graders who were taking part in a Girl Scouts‘ Overnight at the Museum of Science, Boston.    My animated observation came during an interactive session at the Mathematica Exhibit; a project that involved blocks, a piece of paper and the challenge of making a bridge to support a large object.  Really?  Even late on a Friday evening after a week of school, countless after school activities, and hours-of-fun since our check-in for this incredible Overnight the girls had a curiosity and energy that I rarely witness…let alone live. Continue reading…

Does Action Trump Everything?

“I have a piece of paper that I’ve kept for more than twenty years. On it are two questions.  ‘What do you want?‘ and ‘What are you willing to do to get it?’”  said Sylvia Ferrell-Jones,  President and CEO of the YWCA of Boston.  Ms. Ferrell-Jones is a community leader who is advancing Greater Boston’s understanding of social justice and change.  She and I happened to be guests at a dinner party of a mutual friend.   Her comments emerged during a discussion among attendees about her organization’s goals: to serve Boston’s neighborhoods where health, education and safety inequities are most significant.  It is against these formidable challenges that she measures progress. Continue reading…

Valentine’s Day and Transition: A Common Link

It hit me yesterday as I was fielding a call from a former colleague who happens to be in transition.  She was reeling from what sounded to me as a normal twist in a job pursuit cycle.   Maybe you’ve seen this movie too.  You finally find a target company or role that is perfect for you but the cavernous void created by online recruiting puts obstacles in your way.  My friend’s plight was amplified by a heaping tablespoon of self-criticism.  Even if it wasn’t Valentine’s Day one might suggest that there were two answers for her; networking and chocolate. Continue reading…

Barriers: Real or Imagined? (Take 2…)

“There was no money,” said my mother in response to a question I’d asked her last week about my grandfather. “He was pre-med at St. Bonaventure‘s,” she said.   My grandfather was a 1st generation American whose Italian immigrant family had settled in upstate New York close to the turn of the 20th century.    His father died when he was very young leaving a family of 6 children.  His mother remarried.  Tony – as my grandfather was lovingly known – never went on to med school. Continue reading…