Journey to Significance

Many years ago, pre-pandemic, during traveling which was regular routine back then, I don’t remember when or where, but I vividly remember stumbling across a podcast where the speaker was describing the four phases of one's career which I’ve later learned are loosely based on the Maslow hierarchy of needs and can be (originally) credited to Zig Ziglar. These four phases consist of Survival, Stability, Success, and Significance.

Survival is just that, hoping to gain employment, get that first “real” job and be able to pay the bills and maintain a roof over one’s head. From Survival, we move into Stability (a nowadays seemingly elusive thing) of a secure and stable job, steady income, able to provide for all basic needs and then some, perhaps even able to splurge on a vacation and some frivolous items. From Stability, we enter the seemingly never ending pursuit of Success. While Success can be defined quite differently, for most, it is essentially climbing the corporate ladder, continuously reaching for the (next) highest most senior title and biggest paycheck possible. While there is nothing to be ashamed of for continually striving for the next level(s) of success, for some, and I would argue for most all, should be the strive for Significance. Significance typically culminates towards the end of one’s career, which consists of seeking purpose and legacy. What is it we will truly be known and appreciated for when we are long gone, what is the impact we will have had on others and the world at large.

This simple pyramid of one’s career resonated deeply with me, and I kept referring back mentally over the years. Perhaps it was easy to remember, but more so as a (mostly) lifelong entrepreneur, I could greatly relate to these stages. I could reasonably claim a good deal success in my career, through several startup ventures and over the past decade my work at PARK helping to empower design leaders and drive success across the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) for multinational organizations and fortune 500’s. Despite such success, as a true entrepreneur, I was often navigating between success and survival, continually seeking the next client, the next project, and from my humble beginnings, my next endeavor. However, as I look back at the last decade or more of my career, mainly through the professional training and education with PARK Academy (formerly Grow) I can proudly claim that I have reached significance of some magnitude. This significance has mostly come from my working with, and development of working professionals in Design Management and Design Leadership. I have directly been “thanked” numerous times that the influence of this training has made a significant impact on the lives of many not only being able to secure, but having the confidence to even apply for jobs that were once seemingly out of reach. To be able to confidently have a “seat at the table” and drive success through leveraging their own creative capabilities and newfound confidence.

Given that the most significance I have been able to provide over my twenty-five plus year career has been through teaching, training, and coaching individuals, it was a seemingly natural next step to scale my significance and deliver more impact through academia.

As the great Steve Jobs has said:

“You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

So as I look back on all of the “dots” I have plotted and now connected, meeting numerous inspiring and wicked smart professionals across the globe, having had the pleasure and opportunity to inspire and be inspired from, I look forward to connecting those dots to help others to reach their own definition of success.

I am humbled and honored to join the esteemed world of academia at one of the world’s most prominent and globally respected creative colleges. As Chair and Professor of Design Management at SCAD, I look forward to help prepare the next generation of world class design managers and design leaders, and to drive further success of a global renowned program. Through this new role I will help guide the next generation of programming for emerging design management professionals to be best positioned to understand the nuances and complexities of Design for Business and how to add value to business enterprises across the triple bottom line. And as SCAD Design Management programs transition to the Desole School of Business Innovation, offering Masters of Business Innovation, I am excited to help position SCAD as the foremost leader in buiness innovation and empower graduates to better drive innovation for business.

And at the opposite end of academia, in professional practice, I look forward to continuing to help support world leading organizations and top-tier professionals to advance design and innovation through a revised role at PARK. As pioneers and thought leaders in Design Leadership, I look forward to seeing and helping PARK continue to rise as prominent thought leaders and world leading practitioners in Design Leadership. And I firmly stand with and support with the mission of PARK, the place where design and business come together for better leadership, better business and a brighter future.

As I both look back to reflect on and look forward to all of my experiences and accomplishments, one of the most enduring and motivating quotes that have helped shaped me, originally said by the great Helen Keller but equally credited to my mother who continually reminded me of such as I navigated my own professional journey taking me to unknown and uncharted territories

“Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all”.

As I enter a new chapter, shall I say, adventure, in academia I look forward to helping to advance the understanding, appreciation and integration profession and best practices of Design Management and Design Leadership. I look forward to working with, and continuing to work with, some of the brightest and best minds in the profession, to continually inspire and be inspired, and above all, I look forward to providing more significance in the lives of others.

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