โ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ค๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐. ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐โ. ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐
That old Irish Proverb really resonates for me whenever I see two of my very best friends as I did this past Thursday night over dinner at Il Tinello, one of my favorite NYC restaurants. Darren Kimball, CFA was one of my very first hires back in 1991 when I was an automotive analyst working for Kidder Peabody and he is easily the best hire I ever made during my career in business and in academia.
As so often happens in your career, student and teacher reverse their initial roles as I have learned so much from Darren over these past 30 plus years. When I transitioned from my analyst days to a senior management role as the Head of US Equity Research at Credit Suisse First Boston in 1998, I quickly developed a real friendship and rapport with Tom Rice who was the firmโs Head of Sales Trading.
When you work with colleagues like Darren and Tom you realize that they are more than just great business colleagues as they become the very center and core of your own Personal Board of Directors who can help you navigate the career journey.
Darren is the person most responsible for me becoming an Executive and Career coach, calling me one day in 2014 with a simple question “Jack, would you ever consider becoming a Coach for GetFive?” And, Tom, with his extensive background and training in HR, helped me discern which of the many coach certification programs really aligned best with what I was trying to do.
I am so grateful to have Darren and Tom serve on my Personal Board of Directors. The best members of your Board can motivate you when youโre struggling; theyโre connectors who introduce you to new concepts and people, expanding your knowledge base; they can be your best critic and sounding board when you have a big decision to make, telling it like it really is to test your thought process; they are the first people you want to celebrate with when you experience a personal and/or professional accomplishment; and as mentors, they can serve an important spiritual and personal wellness role by helping you tap your emotions over past disappointments, setbacks, and losses that we all experience in our journey while also helping you to discern whatโs next, whatโs possible, and whatโs really important when you face a fork in the road as we all do in life.
So how about you? Have you taken the time to develop your own Personal Board of Directors? Can you identify the Connectors, Mentors, Experts, Peers, Motivators, and Critics you can lean on for advice as you navigate the road ahead? ๐๐โค๏ธ #executivecoaching#careercoaching#lifecoaching#boardofdirectors
