Bet on Yourself to Advance your Career

?I launched my own company called Fractional Executive Solutions to employ myself as well as other executives with small business owners in a fractional or part time basis. I had never considered becoming a business owner, but I really had nothing to lose but plenty to gain. It was a little scary but, I had taken chances in my career, and they all paid off. Had I not taken risks with my career path, I do not believe I would ever have been in the position I am today. I was willing to “bet” on myself three times and I won all three! Here are the bets that I placed on myself and what they did for me.

I was at a crossroads in my life at the age of thirty. I was working as a production planner for a public company in Connecticut and was not happy at my job or my life. I was single and was not going anywhere. One day, I was approached by the VP of our Operating Group about interviewing for a job in Customer Service in our Dallas location. It was not so much as an interview but more?“ will you be willing to move?” I was their sixth choice for the role, and nobody was willing to take it. Before I had a chance to answer, they told me to fly to Dallas and see what I thought. After my trip, I had 48 hours to decide, and it was presented as I better take it. So, after considering what it would be like to move to a different location and culture, I said yes. I sold all my possessions and drove my car to Dallas the day after Thanksgiving. And then was confronted with the fact that the team working in the Division really did not want a “Yankee” working with them. At first, I regretted my decision but hung in there. Two months later, they changed leadership at the Division, and I was promoted to be Manager of Production Control. I soon released that had I not accepted that relocation, I never would have moved up in the plant in Connecticut and that my move was a blessing in disguise. I gambled and won!

The second bet on myself was 9 years later when I was the Manufacturing Manager in the same Dallas Division. I had been the “number 2” person for 2 years and had been fortunate to have been mentored by our corporate GM on how to run a business. I was not really excited about becoming the Division Manager in Dallas and since I had started a family, my focus was on family first. In fact, we were expecting our second child in 2 months, and we had just built a new home. Life was comfortable and safe. And then, I had to decide. They offered me the job of Division Manager in our Milwaukee location and wanted me to move as soon as possible. I was hesitant to do it because at the time, the average tenure of a DM was 13 months. I was not looking to take a risk. But my wife was, and she told me we should do it. So, on September 18, 2001 (yes, 9/11) I flew to Milwaukee and bought a house without my wife seeing it and then agreed to start 7 days after the birth of our second child. It was a gamble and it paid off as I went on to lead three locations in operational turnarounds leveraging Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality. Had I not made that move, I would have been out of a job as the Dallas location closed the following year. It was scary but I took the plunge and I learned so much as I advanced. 10 years later, another risky career move needed be reviewed.

In 2011, I was completing 23 years in the public company and had become the person that they tasked to help with operational turnarounds. I was living in Michigan and helping lead Ohio and Arizona. But I was bored and was approaching my 50th birthday. I thought that if I wanted to do something different, I had to do it soon. And I wanted to see if I could succeed outside the comfort of my company that I had known most of my business life. So, when I was approached with an offer to move to Houston and leave, I decided that it was now or never. And I well understood it was a big gamble because I was leaving the only company I really knew. In fact, my CEO told me that he thought I would be back with them. I joined another public company and after 11 months, I was ready and desperate to leave. My gamble seemed to have been a bad bet and was paying the price emotionally. I was recruited to work as the COO with a private company in Houston and it was one of the best decisions that I made. I eventually worked for two private companies in the Oil / Gas market that taught me so much about business, leadership, people, and finance. I was fortunate to work for two outstanding leaders that allowed me to develop and drive solid operational organizations and robust Team Health. My wife says that certain things happen because of fate, and I agree.

My story is about having confidence in yourself and your skills and take a leap out of your comfort zone. I have seen so many talented people fail to take a risk and?regret that they were passed over by others willing to take the plunge. If you wait for opportunities to come your way, rather than aggressively grab them, you may be left wondering and what could have been. I bet on myself and won. And that is why I decided to launch FES because I have confidence in our business plan and our abilities to succeed. You can too!

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