It could not be a worse time for the workforce. The last two years have been a disaster. I struggle to believe that there is anyone out there who hasn’t had a family member affected by a reduction in force, a reduction in pay, or a reduction in hope. The economy essentially had a simultaneous heart attack and stroke and has been on life support ever since, drifting in and out of consciousness.
An executive recruiter I recently met said to me, “It’s a disaster out there. If the company isn’t essentially stabbing you in the eyes with an ice pick on a daily basis, just stay put and ride this out.” Given that, if someone had a job that didn’t violate any legal, moral, or ethical principles, what would possess them to play Dr. Kevorkian with their career?
My answer has several angles. There’s a matter of professional desire. Then, there’s idealistic tension. Finally, there’s spiritual obedience.
Professional Desire: Though my thoughts have meandered regarding what activities I might fasten together to call a career, the theme has always been one of influence. I want to make a difference. A big difference. Over time, how that should and could occur has become increasingly linked to a passion for increased intellectual freedom. My curiosity needs to be encouraged and cultivated, with the answers I find feeding into my influence. So, there is simply a strong professional desire to do something different than I currently am to achieve that sense of professional fulfillment.
Idealistic Tension: No organization is perfect, as they are populated with a collection of imperfect people. I love my firm and respect so many for what they’ve done to provide opportunities for my growth. Still, I cannot escape the fact that I view things slightly differently than other executives currently leading the firm. It’s really not a matter of right versus wrong. It’s just a difference of opinion, and though I realize that my opinion might be somewhat rooted in idealism, a tension has been established between who we are and who I think we could be. So, there is a desire to eliminate this idealistic tension and find a way to explore the way things could be.
Spiritual Obedience: After years of asking where God wants me to be and what He wants me to do and coming up empty handed, I finally rephrased the question: “Where do You not want me to be and what do You not want me to do?” I promptly received confirmation that I was not to continue on a path simply because it promised success and was seemingly one with little resistance. In short, I heard: “I’m less concerned about where you are and what you do than I am about who you are. Who I want you to be is someone who will follow Me when I call. Even when it’s uncertain. Especially when it’s uncertain.” So, my desire to be spiritually obedient gives me little choice but to move.
Thus, in the midst of more economic turmoil than could be portrayed in a doomsday business novel, I have made the determination that I need to walk away from the firm where I have invested blood, sweat, and tears for almost 8.5 years.
So now what?
Well, God has blessed me with a sound mind and a unique perspective and I want to honor Him by putting it to good use. Plus, there are so many questions in this world that need to be answered:
- How deep should succession planning go?
- What happens if you develop all staff as if they were high-potential?
- How do you maintain an entrepreneurial culture through exponential growth?
- Does strategy borne from the military (a hierarchical structure) transfer seamlessly to a flat organization?
- How do you perfect the transition from a 1st to 2nd generation CEO?
- Does a change in physical layout aid a shift in culture?
- How long can I really go without shaving or cutting my hair?
OK, that last one is just for me. But, I can’t think of a more natural place to achieve the balance of my professional desires, idealistic mindset, and spiritual obedience than within an academic institution. So, I have one more month of actual employment. Then, I’ll spend the next few months focused exclusively getting into a PhD program and getting funded to explore my calling: “facilitating unprecedented organizational effectiveness”. With a lot of work, more faith, and even more prayer, 12 months from now I hope I’ll be posting about life on a college campus from who-knows-where, USA. Literally, it could be anywhere.
I know this seems crazy and counter-intuitive, because even if I hadn’t noticed, Pop made sure to point it out to me. Maybe that’s why it feels so right (not disagreeing with you, Pop. Just going against the grain). Everyday, I’m realizing more and more that we only get one go of it down here and I don’t want to leave anything on the table.
As I told my mother the day I officially put the nail in my corporate coffin: “I hope that one day I’m sitting there with a scotch in hand, talking to whoever is a part of our ‘tribe’, telling them how I trusted and worked hard and was rewarded, instead of telling them that I’d always wanted to try something and never had the faith to see if it would work out.”
III
A Few Things Worth Mentioning 