Relationship Story - What I Learn from Her

Our older daughter, Katie, is getting married in July.  That’s obviously a big (and very happy) deal for our family, but as this great event approaches I’m struck by the clarity of what I am learning from her.  You see, Katie is a teacher.

During her first two years at UCLA, Katie was on the Mock Trial team and seemed destined to go to Law School.  Then she had her first chance to teach during the summer after year two, and this was followed by her chance to travel the world that Fall in the Semester at Sea program.  When she came home, they said she may be different than before she left after seeing the real world, including examples of true poverty and need.  I really wondered what would be different about her.

It was big.  When she returned home, Katie suddenly knew that she was destined to teach kids – Law School was a distant memory.  She has now been teaching high school for the past five years and is as purposeful about her career as anyone I know; she also travels the world every summer and builds even greater perspective along the way.  I started learning from Katie from the day she decided this was her destiny.

I remember starting my own career and having no real idea what was truly passionate for me, but I see how powerful it is for Katie to be in her zone every day, knowing she is fulfilling her destiny.

                                                                               

Katie is a teacher for me, helping me realize the value of purposefulness.

While I watch her grow each year to become even better at her purposeful craft, it causes me to continually examine my own choices and how I spend my time.  I have to ask myself all the time whether I am living as purposefully as I can.  I see the way Katie pours her heart and soul into helping young people have better lives and achieve far more than they had ever imagined.    

Who are the people in your life that are your teachers?  Perhaps it’s those folks that seem to be what you wish you were?  Perhaps it’s just something about them…

When I write these stories, I find that the subject is usually whatever I need to be learning myself right about then.  I suppose that as Katie gets married, I need to both appreciate her for the great person she has become and also to be reminded that I need to stay as purposeful in my life as possible.  Thanks for the reminder, teach! 

  

A Quick Business Update:  Our firm and my practice are very busy, and this reflection of business confidence is encouraging for the whole business community.  I’m also thrilled with the great initial success of the proprietary tool in my practice called the Fit Diagnostic - a key part of ensuring the ideal fit of candidates with our clients’ needs and culture.  I’d be happy to discuss this tool or how we might help with talent acquisition needs for your company or others you know.  

Sincerely,

Jeff Black

Partner, McDermott & Bull Executive Search

Cell: (714) 356-1949   Office: (949) 529-2672

2 Venture, Suite 100    Irvine, CA 92618

black@mbsearch.net    www.mbsearch.net    http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffblackmcdermottbull    http://www.jeffblackmcdermottbull.blogspot.com/

I believe creating relationships that truly fit makes a big difference in the world

Relationship Story - How Vision Can Transform Us

My coach, Vance Caesar, helps people like me understand the value of having both a purpose and a vision for my life.  The purpose part seemed to work easily for me – it’s always been about building fulfilling relationships, both for myself and for others.  However, vision was always a mystery, and I was clueless about its potential value for all the aspects of my life – personal, community, and also for my business.

At a 2007 retreat with Vance, he challenged me to write my “80^th birthday toast”.  Having just turned 50, writing a 30-year vision seemed fitting:

The imagined scene was a ballroom of 300 people including family and many long-time friends.  It would be a very festive event, but it was only coincidentally a celebration of my birthday.  It was, actually, a celebration of achievements in Orange County philanthropy that had occurred over 30 years because of the emergence of a subculture of Difference Makers who came together to change lives for the better.  The birthday was a sideline - I was among a group being recognized for having played a role in making these achievements possible.

For the first time ever, a vision had been crafted for my life.  While this was really cool, it also totally scared me.  I really didn’t know what to do with this idea.  My good friend Bill Sanderson suggested that I just start talking with people about the idea, and after I did, a small group came together around the vision of connecting “Difference Makers”.

While it made sense that this vision helped lead to DifferenceMakersOC, where connections are created among a community of successful people who also want to help others, the real surprise for me was what a difference this would ultimately make in my business life.  This surprise is what I really wanted to share with you, as only you know how transformational your own vision might be for you.

My epiphany was that after we had our first DifferenceMakersOC event in early 2011, where we gathered 100 OC Executives for networking and to benefit a worthy charity, I looked back at my business and saw it as something completely different.  I realized, to my surprise, that my work – fitting an ideal new leader into a key executive vacancy in a client company – is astoundingly similar to connecting two Difference Makers in the community. 

You see, I find the real key for ideal “fit” is to align the values and priorities of the company with the true makeup of a talented new executive leader.  When this fit is ideal, it’s like a great marriage, and the synergy provides tremendous benefit for every stakeholder of the company – all the employees, the investors, and each customer the company serves.  I was amazed to realize how well this “marriage” fits the Difference Makers vision.

I had no idea that discovering a vision for my life, one that initially seemed to relate only to serving others in the community, was really a blueprint for a more fulfilling business life as well.  I didn’t expect this outcome – just as I didn’t know the real value of a vision.  Why couldn’t I have learned this a long time ago?  I wish you all the best for finding your own buried treasure – it just may start with a vision.

Thanks for sharing time with me; as always, I welcome your feedback.  Please feel free to pass this message along to others who may find value. 

Reference:  For a great story about that original Difference Makers group, you can read a recent article by Russell Williams called Six Difference Makers – A Canvas of Influence for Good, copied on my blog at http://www.jeffblackmcdermottbull.blogspot.com/, or visit www.ethicaledge.org – if you are not receiving the pearls of wisdom from Russ, I encourage you to get on his list.

Sincerely,

Jeff Black

Partner, McDermott & Bull Executive Search

Cell: (714) 356-1949   Office: (949) 529-2672

2 Venture, Suite 100    Irvine, CA 92618

black@mbsearch.net    www.mbsearch.net    http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffblackmcdermottbull    http://www.jeffblackmcdermottbull.blogspot.com/

I believe creating relationships that truly fit makes a big difference in the world