A Life Guided by Values (and Not the Rules)

Afterburner team member Andrew Sandoe did everything he was supposed to in order to kick off a phenomenal career in the financial sector. He started his career in 2000 at Morgan Stanley on the 63rd floor of 2 World Trade Center. In March of 2001, in a move that may have literally saved his life, he took a promotion at investment giant UBS and moved to Washington D.C. 

On September 11th, 2001, as he sat in his office at UBS, Sandoe watched the smoke billow out of the Pentagon less than a mile away. Like most of us, he would never be the same.

Sandoe felt a calling to help in the upcoming military response to defend the attack on our way of life. But he was torn – he would be walking away from a lucrative career, a professional network, and everything he had worked so hard for up to this point in his short life. He decided to solicit advice from the highest level within his organization. He emailed the CEO of UBS directly to lay out the life decision that was before him: should he walk away from the financial world right now and join the military?

The UBS CEO’s response was immediate and to the point: 

“Your head and your heart are in the right place. Go do this. Your financial career will be here when you’re done.” 

Sandoe joined the Marines that week. Over the next decade he led 58 missions as a helicopter pilot in combat. 

But his story doesn’t end there. Once he fulfilled his obligation to the country, he completed a business degree at MIT and went on to a Teaching Fellowship at Harvard Business School. Today he runs a hedge fund and is part of our team at Afterburner.

What was the secret of his success as he transitioned between these very different roles? I believe it came down to his ability to make VALUE-based decisions about his life.

Most of us make rule-based decisions. The rules say get a job, chase money, and acquire things and prestige. Those rules told Andrew that joining the Marines was a horrible decision because he would take an enormous pay cut and lose valuable time in the industry while his peers continued to progress. But he knew that his VALUES would lead to something more important than sticking with traditional career goals.

What value-based decisions in your life have changed you? Answer below in the comments. I’ll start.