A Career Change When Some Might Be Retiring

My Career/Life Transition: Yes, Change is not only good but needed to Grow!!!

It has been about a year since I decided it was time to change my career and 6 months since I fully transitioned my role from President of ALK North America into the world of consulting. I would like to take the opportunity to reflect and share my new career adventures (July 2022 to the Present) after leaving ALK (22 years in the rearview mirror). 

First, let me start with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson “Not in his goals but in his transitions man is GREAT!”

Career or life transitions are a time for growth and self-reflection, yet for many people feelings of fear, self-doubt and anxiety might also creep in. The first stage of any career or life transition starts with letting go of what no longer fits.  You must first deal with internal influences and apprehensions versus any external factors.  These internal thoughts are: Who am I and what really drives me to succeed? What do I enjoy doing, what are my core talents and strengths? What if this is it?  Internal thoughts and your mindset determine your new beginning! 

Being at one company for 22 years might cause some to believe that I felt my job was boring, or that I disliked change, however, my reality was much the opposite. During my time at ALK, my role changed every 4-5 years, and we successfully grew the business with a CAGR of 14%.  From my perspective, I was constantly growing and facing new challenges, such as building a specialty pharma company adjacent to the biologics business within 6 months, while also preparing to launch 3 Rx Pharma products and doubling our FTEs.

What I have learned about myself, during the past 6 months, what have I been confronting, and what has been going on in my mind:

Well, my previous position was challenging, ever-expanding, and constantly evolving.  Upon reflection, I have come to understand that I enjoyed that, and “I wanted to find something new that would give me that same rush but magnified and more diverse”.  

After the past 6 months, I now fully realize that I not only thrive on taking risks and networking but rather I need it to breathe and survive.  It is my air and provides me with the passion that I exude and need to grow professionally and personally.  I missed the excitement of being challenged by a broad diversity of perspectives, as opposed to settling on one point of view or way of doing things or accepting a “risk elimination” approach to managing risk.   Managing and embracing risk is what creates great opportunities and my mindset gets energized by new ventures.

Yes, I am grateful for the trust given to my team and me at my previous employer and for everything we learned, however, growth comes from considering new perspectives and managing the feelings of uncertainty in a new industry or market segment.  I find my new opportunities exciting, stimulating, and ever-changing, whereas I had accomplished all I had set out to, and more, with my former employer.  Although my days are much less structured, I relish having meetings more on my terms and conditions, and interacting with Private Equity, Venture Capital, Startups, and Entrepreneurs that value my corporate experience, creativity, and leadership.  For example, one of my clients invited me to meet with investors considering a potential M&A opportunity.  In my former world, we would have created long PowerPoint decks, considered and addressed all possible questions, and prepared an elaborate presentation to the board.  However, with my current clients and investors, I found the meeting to be an open and intellectual conversation, with no PowerPoint slides, and a refreshing discussion of ideas focusing more on business creativity versus reading content from a template slide or programmed presentation.  Different strokes for different folks, different ways of getting things done.

While I miss the daily interaction with the same group of people and assisting them with their career growth, I now value the change of faces, different personalities, and businesses with the same appreciation as I had with the established group I was with for so many years. 

Looking back to my high school years, I recall wanting to be a teacher, until I discovered how little they made financially.  That is when I knew I had to go into business and sales where I could completely control my destiny and use my relentless, persuasive nature to aggressively pursue goals. Much of what I accomplished at ALK was building the right culture and developing people to continuously think through innovative ways to enhance our strategy and improve our execution.

So, although my days might be very different now, I enjoy the spontaneous ability to move quickly and make my own decisions without the corporate cascade of approvals.  I am enjoying my “career/life transition” and foray into more entrepreneurial work that impacts many more companies and people.  I have spread my wings and while at times I have hit some bumps in the process, I can say that this change has been the best thing for my physical and mental health. And yes, I still have the hunger to run another Life Sciences or Tech Company in the future, but for now, consulting with private equity, board work, and assisting startups is satisfying my appetite for High Risk/High Rewards!  

Stay tuned as something new could be right around the corner. Every day I feel the new LIFT in my step because I am Leading with passion, Inspiring everyone I meet, Focusing on what makes a lasting difference or change, and Transforming obstacles into opportunities.  The World is my Oyster and Strategy LIFT is my Ocean/Platform!!!