A Story of Treasure Sought and Treasure Caught

About three months ago, a recent Harvard Business School alum, Kel Jackson bought a company but his journey began two years ago.

Kel wanted to take his career to the next level, from a senior operator working for other companies to a CEO, entrepreneur, and owner. He established a search fund entity called Clay Ridge Capital to buy a manufacturing company in New England and approached me to be his coach.

We spent countless hours working on how to communicate to potential business owners, investors, lenders, and other stakeholders in the overall transaction. We also talked about connecting with management, employees, and partners to set the company up for success. Late at night, early in the morning, and on the weekends, we cultivated his confidence as a business leader.

Kel looked at hundreds of companies, negotiated with dozens, and got close several other times. Everything took longer than he thought it would—but he persevered. Despite all the ups and downs, he stayed the course, and I was happy to play a part in his journey.

As Kel raised financial capital to acquire the company, he also built leadership capital. Here are some highlights of the journey we traveled:

• Awaken potential. He needed to see himself as a leader who could lead under uncertainty and develop along the way.
• Seize leadership opportunities. With each new leadership experience and each small win, his confidence and his resolve grew stronger.???
• Explore goals and interests in depth. We engaged in conversations that revealed the limits of his comfort zone. We discussed the kind of work he was interested in, the risks involved, and the plan for making it happen.
• Make understanding leadership simple. Leadership is a process of social influence that maximizes the efforts of others toward the achievement of a goal. It’s not a fancy job title. Anyone can be a leader within their organization. There is no external barrier to entry.?

Through Kel’s story and other examples, we hope to offer great ideas to folks who read our book, visit our website, and check out the other tools we put out there.?

Like Kel, you can then go after the treasure you seek confidently.

Good luck,

Archie

The Treasure You Seek: A Guide to Developing and Leveraging Your Leadership Capital

Breaking down the leadership capital concept into the five Cs of capability, culture, communication, connection, and confidence, The Treasure You Seek contextualizes each C with stories of how they have shaped my life and career. I invite you to write your own stories while showcasing how leveraging each C can help you use your leadership capital to drive impact where it is needed most.?If you’re serious about becoming a changemaker and using your leadership capital to make a difference,?order your copy of?The Treasure You Seek—available today!