On being bounced, and bouncing back

I never saw it coming. Honestly. Many people will tell you that they knew that the hammer was going to drop, the axe was going to fall. I did not.

Did I want it to? Should it have? Maybe. I believe there are underlying motivations behind everything all of us do.

Did I see it coming? No, definitely not.

I had just had a performance review a couple weeks prior. Of course, there were areas that needed improvement. We needed revenues to increase. But we were building a story, a narrative. We wanted to inspire, and that takes time. Progress was being made, and we had set out a 3-year timeline, and we were coming up to 2 years.

But then, these are always complicated situations. And that is why, when they are taken, it is best to not over-think or over-complicate the situation trying to get to the root cause, maybe get a reprieve. 

Once I knew this decision was made, I asked two simple questions, "What do you have for me to review, and when do you need it by?"

Still, that night, I did not sleep. We are a one-income family, and that had just been taken away - not just from me, but from my wife, my kids. 

The next night, I slept better. Out of pure exhaustion. Nothing else.

On Day Three, I started to share the news, and people started to respond. We had an event with one of our partners and a dear friend, Natalie Voland, that was the first phase of a competition around Public Art and her latest real estate project, Legado. The evening was amazing, and Natalie and Rebecca Duclos, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia, took the time to highlight my efforts in making this happen. I slept a little better, although I was also still confused how, after nights like this one, this decision could have been made.

On Day Four, the words of support, emails and text messages, phone calls and voice mails, really started to come in. And then, a Tipping Point: Bertrand Cesvet, CEO of Sid Lee and a recent recipient of an honorary degree at McGill, sent a very simple message: "You and I are going to meet over the next couple weeks and plan your next moves."

(There has been, and will be, what could be called "name dropping" in this article. That is not my intention. I mention the people because they are ALL highly successful, and the last thing they need is another appointment in their calendar, another meeting to disrupt their work. But they made the time, and I am super grateful. And as you will see, it is an important part of how I was able to do any bouncing back.)

It was not just his text that made the difference. I had received support from so many. Josee Noiseux, MJ Beaudin,  Jeff Baikowitz and Andy Nulman all offered to meet, to discuss and to explore what the future might hold. David Usher and John Sanderson were there right from the start, helping me to think of ideas as to what might lie ahead.

That tipping point was just the nudge that led me to know: "Things will be OK. What you believe in is still true, and the values that got you here will bring you to where you need to be."

I was still scared, more than I have ever been in my life. Few things scare a man more than thinking he might not be able to provide for his wife, his kids. But somehow I knew that what I needed to do was continue the work that I had begun, to stay the course and put my efforts into things that mattered. For today, and for tomorrow. 

Several people reached out early on, inquiring about whether or not they could hire me as a consultant. I quickly realized that this was a great way to stay in the game, and so I set up my company, orange ecosystems design. Through the advice and support of two more friends, Mike Ross and Ion Valaskakis, I not only found a place to call "home" (an office space at Juniper - thanks Mike!), but a purpose (benefit others without short-changing myself - thanks, Ion!). Things started to take shape.  

So, what has happened since that first day, October 2nd, 2017, when I woke up for the first time in more than 12 years without a job to do? Well, here it is...

First and foremost, I have not missed one single day "at the office". Not one. Day in, day out, I am "doing the work" and "getting s#!t done". 

I signed a contract with Impact Hub Global to take the lead role on their Global Gathering, which will bring together 200+ of their Makers community, executive team and external partners to Montreal and Ottawa from June 24 - 29, 2018. While here, we will do a deep dive into what it means to affect real change, how to build communities and business models that benefit our planet and ourselves, and to explore new ways to collaborate and co-create those solutions. 

Thanks to Alistair Croll, I was invited to attend FWD50, where I was reconnected with  Michael Lenczer. Mike invited me to take a major role in a project they were doing for the Canadian Agrifood Policy Institute, and we are exploring how I might further help him and his organization going forward. 

With another great friend, Richard St-Pierre of C2 Montreal, we designed and executed a 3-city tour of Canada (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) for Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Laureate who pioneered Microfinance and has led the global Social Business movement for more than 30 years, and who continues to inspire millions to do better. The tour brought together old friends at Concordia and new friends in Toronto (Center for Social Innovation, and Barnabe Geis), and at Simon Fraser University. More than 1,000 people got to experience what it is like to share a room with Dr. Yunus.  

With Natalie Voland and Jeff Baikowitz, mentioned above, we are working on an Access to Healthy Food project for indigenous communities here in Quebec, one that is bringing together 12 (and counting) influential partners to respond to an invitation from a community in the province.

I am also working on a project that was inspired by the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, Dr. Andre Roy , called Montreal 2050. My platform, FFWD MTL, has already been presented to the City of Montreal, and I hope to see it come to life later this spring. 

Now, of course, the challenges of supporting a family and planning for the future are not just gone. A lot of this work, while exciting, is in the very early stages and still need to translate into revenues. 

But here is the big difference between where I am today, and where I was 4 months ago: While that initial 7-minute meeting on that "dark" Monday afternoon shook me and had me questioning everything I stood for, I know today, more than ever, that my philosophy for the work I do is "right", at least for me. The desire to start with the commitment of helping others, of seeking to add value and, as the aforementioned Alistair Croll said, "Doing meaningful work", of always trying to see who I know and how they can help or be helped, these are things people respond to. They see value in and want to work with people who believe in these things. 

So yes, I was bounced. The reasons are complex, and both sides will give their reasons as to why it did not work. 

But today, that does not matter. Today, what matters is that after I was bounced, I took the work of my life and used it to bounce back. And no matter what the future holds, I now know that I have the tools to keep bouncing back, and to keep helping others. 

And as long as I do that, I know that my kids will have a father they can be proud of, one who tried, in his own way, to make the world a little bit better.