“The justices shake each other’s hand. That’s just what they do each time…It just- it’s meaningful, and I’m glad the court does that,” said Sandra Day O’Connor during her interview with NPR’s Terry Gross (‘Out Of Order’ At The Court: O’Connor On Being The First Female Justice, March 5, 2013). Chief Justice Melville Fuller started this custom in the late 1800’s saying that “it shows that harmony of aims, if not views, is the court’s guiding principle.” O’Connor concurred. It introduced a harmony. Aligned members. I wonder if a handshake is a metaphor for transition? Continue reading…
Alignment and Transition
“It was nice meeting myself again,” stated the twenty-fifth respondent to the Research Jam’s online survey. This person had served more than ten years in a corporate role before an unexpected job transition caused a new route into independent consulting. The respondent offered a perspective on the 5th anniversary of this new journey….”the impact on my life (and my family’s life) has been overwhelmingly positive. I have met dozens of fascinating individuals whom I likely would not have met if my head was still buried at a corporate desk. I have also learned, and continue to learn, a lot about myself.” Continue reading…
Permission?
“Medicine is gray. It is rarely black or white,” conceded Dr. Maher Tabba, the fellowship director at a local teaching hospital. We were discussing a challenging medical case. A patient’s diagnosis eluded Tabba and his team. He sought certainty. But like so much…..informed instinct combined with knowledge and experience would have to lead the way. Continue reading…
Advice: When to embrace vs. ignore?
Last week a dynamic entrepreneur presented her pitch deck to me and a few other advisors. Her company is a new online service that is sure to up-end a staid fragmented industry. All through the conversation I hung on the edge of my seat waiting to catch pieces of her original concept. With virtually no money the company had acquired a few customers (hooray!) and talked with many prospects. But based on a small sample size of feedback she morphed her plan, radically. Finally I asked, “why have you stepped away from your original concept?” Continue reading…
Does transition ever end?
I remember hopping into taxi cabs terrified that my broken portuguese wouldn’t suffice in communicating my desired location. After a few lengthy and circuitous rides around Sao Paulo, Brazil I reverted to taking the local bus. Much to the horror of my work colleagues I might add. These taxi escapades introduced me to the colorful ribbons that dangled from the rear view mirrors of almost every cab in the city. On each read the phrase, BonFim, and it’s originator the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim. Bonfim simply translated means, good end. If ever there was a wish for transition…. Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #24: Smart Women Don’t Retire They Break Free
‘It’s not easy to think about what I really want….for as long as I can remember it’s been achieve, achieve, achieve,’ I said to a friend of mine who joined me for lunch early in my transition. The concept piqued her interest. It engaged her. She’s a financial services entrepreneur. Her dream had been fashion design. And yet she found finance and accounting. A detour? A revelation? A necessity? Continue reading…
Summer Book Review #15: How Will You Measure Your Life?
I’m not a big sports fan. My 7-year-old son has taught me more about sports and team devotion in the past year than I’ve learned in my entire life. Last week, before our beloved Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, we were listening to an interview with one of the Celtic’s big three, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The player responded to a journalist’s question about their approach to upcoming practices and games by saying, ‘we’ll probably watch the tapes.’ Continue reading…
The universal barriers of transition…
“I wish for my son the exact same thing that I wish for my daughter,” I said in response to a question posed by an audience member at a WITI event that I spoke at last spring. The woman asked me ‘what I hoped for’ for my daughter. “I want them to have the confidence to follow their heart, early.” From the get go. No deferrals. Continue reading…
Transition and Steve Jobs…shared learnings?
Merriam Webster’s Online defines prolific as, “marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity <a prolific composer>.” I turned to this query after completing Walter Isaacson’s, Steve Jobs (Thorndike Press, 2011). Prolific, although not a descriptive used by Isaacson, came to mind as I finally closed the book. Yes, I admit I read a physical version of the book despite the tech infused visionary at its core. Prolific. How else can you describe someone who served as the catalyst for a list that includes…the Macintosh, Pixar blockbusters like Toy Story, Apple Stores, iTunes, the iPod, the App Store, the iPad? Prolific? 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…