Rolodex Update 2021: Leaving Las Vegas, Retirements and Deaths

At the conclusion of each year I work my way through my entire Rolodex (6,000+ executives).?Who changed jobs??Who left the industry??Who has not contacted me in years?

Retired – A surprising number of executives took early retirement.?Maybe the Pandemic wore them out, or maybe it gave them time to consider what was important in their life.?Every day is a gift from God…that’s why they call it “the present.”?Congratulations to those that retired in 2019 – your timing is impeccable.?

Left the Gaming Industry – Amazon picked up quite a few casino executives in Las Vegas.?Most skill sets like finance, marketing and technology are transferable between industries.?

Not Many Career Changes - Apparently no one changes jobs during a plague. Talk about a tough hiring environment.?Just a handful of executives changed employers during 2021. A historic low.?

Workers Quit in Droves to Become Their Own Boss – Being an entrepreneur is no fairy tale.?We don’t get a salary, bonus, vacation, sick days or paid health insurance.?If you don’t sell, you don’t eat.?But if you have that entrepreneurial mindset, nothing beat being your own boss.

Sabbatical – Some folks are taking six to twelve months off to explore the world or focus on hobbies.?

Living Off the Government Dole – And others took a year off to collect unemployment and stimulus checks.?These are easily recognizable when I see the resume with long unemployment gaps. We’ll be rooting for you!?

RIP - Sadly, I have friends that died from COVID.?Others that have long haul symptoms.?For those that say, “It won’t be me” or, “I won’t get that sick” be aware that 800,000 have died.?

Bad Hiring Decisions – As usual, I spotted some pretty dreadful hiring decisions.?If that executive had five jobs in five years, you really feel like it will be different this time around??Come on man!