Your career(s) - what impact did they have on you?
Updated: May 8, 2018
I’ve been a compositor (typographer), a typesetter, a studio manager, a technical director, a managing director (business owner), a business mentor (I helped start up over 30 companies), a trainer, a foreign direct investment manager, business mentor (in a bank), head of people and performance (in a bank), business bank manager (in a bank!!), economic development advisor, marketing consultant, donor recruiter (New Zealand Blood Service) and now account director (and business owner).
I don’t list these to show what a smart arse I am, but simply to convey what a lifetime of experience can do to develop a well rounded view of life and business - experience in dealing with all sorts of people and cultures at every level from prime ministers, business leaders, to serial entrepreneurs and more interestingly social entrepreneurs in different countries and continents.
If I had all the exposure and experiences gained over those years available to me in my younger years - wow what could I have achieved - what could I have been!!
The reality is, life’s not like that, but you do develop a high level of emotional intelligence along the way, dealing with situations and people perhaps a little more competently - fools, liars and bullshitters I came across during those years don’t get any cut through with me these days!
Out of all my roles, working for the New Zealand Blood Service, which seemed on the face of it an odd role for me, considering my previous roles was the most rewarding for very obvious reasons - we should all take a role like this at some point in our working lives, it gives you balance and perspective on life - especially when you see the results of your work quite literally saving lives. I had the privilege (four times) of travelling the world to pick up stem cells and bring them back to help save the lives of the recipients - now life does not get any more rewarding than that, I can tell you . . .
The moral of this article is: whenever an opportunity presents itself in life - take it! Push yourself out of your comfort zone, embrace change, feel the fear and do it - you'll be surprised at the possible outcomes.