Baldo Minaudo’s Blog

Today I had a conversation with a colleague of mine who was amazed when she realized that for the past 7 years I’ve been working on several consulting contracts, while running MetroActive (a business networking and training organization with 9,000 members). 

“How do you do it?” she asked. 

It wasn’t the first time I heard this question.  “It’s not that as impossible as you think”, I replied. 

Then I pointed out that the average person watches as much as 2 hours of television a day.  I simply choose to take that passive time and make it active.

However, this time in hearing the question and with everything that has happened in my life in the last while, I realized that I’m a little emotionally tired.  I’ve been the lead goose in the flock for 7 years and I think its time for me to take a rest, watch a little television.  Well, maybe not the television, but perhaps spend more recreational time with my friends and start dating again. 

Being a consultant and entrepreneur can be very tiring.  In fact, many consultants go back to work after a year or two.  I’ve been able to keep at it for years and have not only learned all kinds of things and expanded my skills, but also enjoyed it quite thoroughly.  But, now it’s time for me to make a change, yes you heard me make a change. 

So, what’s next?  Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it?

What do I do with all the experience, skills and wisdom that I’ve acquired?  They say once you’re a leader, even when you follow within the flock, you still lead the flock from the rear.  That’s one of the lessons I’ve learned in the last few years.  Being a silent, discrete leader has forged true, well-grounded leadership spirit within me.  This I will enjoy practicing more often.

Last Fall my father passed away unexpectantly after suffering a brain stroke.  I was at an executive retreat up north planning out the year’s strategy and plans with the management team of one of my companies when I received a call on my cell.  On the other end was my sister telling me that something was wrong with dad and he had been rushed to the hospital.  Within five minutes I was in my car driving towards Toronto. 

Looking back, it strikes me just how significant the change was.  Within a moment I went from planning out the growth of a corporate empire to being worried about my daddy.  I relived experience after experience I had shared with my dad as I drove back to Toronto.

Fortunately, I made it back in time to speak to my dad.  Unfortunately, the hemorage wasn’t stabilized and within two days he had a second bleedng which caused him to fall into a coma.  To this day, all I can say is that the experience of watching your father die slowly is inexplicable.  And then going through the funeral and burial while still in emotional shock is so incredibly painful, especially when it is so sudden.

This memory was brought back today when I learned that my brother-in-law’s father had experienced a similar stroke.  The world stops when someone you love falls ill or their life is at stake.  You can tell one’s priorities by what they do and how they handle a situation like that.  I stayed at my father’s bedside for the 10 days he was in a coma.  My mother refused to leave for anything more than going home for a quick shower.  My brother-in-law is at his dad’s side now as I type.

I hope that if anything like that happens the loved ones in my life will be at my side. 

So, the message here is plan as much as you want.  Focus on your business, your career, whatever your ego dictates if you wish.  But, when the bell rings it won’t matter.  What will matter is the people in your life and how you feel about the life you’ve lived and the relationships you’ve built.  Do, your job, not just what you need to move from one day to the next, but do your job with all of your heart and know that it is the best you can do.  Then, when you lay in bed you will know that you honoured your life with your best and that others will honour you with their best.  Because once that bell sounds there is no going back.

So, take a deep breath pull up your socks and enthusiastically go for that passion within your heart.

 

After my first week of contemplating and exploring, I’ve realized the enormous amount of opportunities available around me.  If anything the challenge is the decision itself of what to pursue.  From what I can tell so far, the rest is just execution.  Or am I oversimplifying things.

I started putting out the message to some of my friends and contacts that I am looking to make some life-career choices and that I’m looking at making some kind of transition.  The response has been varied.  There has been much understanding and appreciation, and yes, need I say it, even envy that I’m going through this. 

I think the envy comes from the familiarity factor.  That is when we get familiar with our routine, career, life, we stop thinking and making decisions and just go with the flow.  It becomes increasingly difficult to consider change with every passing year.  Not everyone is a change agent or view change as a positive thing.  Those of us that do tend to be more take charge and optimistic in character. 

So, as I’ve been reviewing the last seven years of my life I’ve realized the extremely large amount of work that I’ve done and the experiences that I’ve gained.  Opportunities and experiences that I couldn’t have collected had I stayed in my last full-time corporate position.  But, life as a leader is very challenging and sometimes it can get tiring.  Let’s just say that I’ve learned to respect a regular schedule and pay cheque a lot more after many years of running my own businesses.

I’m looking forward to continuing my exploration and the interesting discoveries that come along with it.

I have a five year plan and everything was going well until a few weeks ago.  In the fourth year of my plan, I had trained a successor for one of my business and was about to close the biggest deals of my life.  Then from where I least expected it, betrayal and disaster striked.

At first I was in speakless shock.  For the first couple of weeks I was in a daze and very much in pain.  I tried not to take it personally, but when it affects me on every level it is very difficult not to take it personally.  Nonetheless, I took immediate action and asked for guidance from those that were experts in the area. 

I had to put aside everything to deal with the situation and have done everything that I could and should do as someone affected from such an occurrence.  And after two months of making heads and tales out of things and draining the flooded basement sort to speak, I am now looking to the future for what’s to happen next.

I gained much wisdom from this very expensive lesson.  Perhaps the greatest business lesson of my life.  And like the phoenix I will rise from the ashes to be stronger for it.  Meanwhile, this Phoenix is preparing for that rising.  There is some contemplation to explore and decisions to be make.  It’s all part of the process.

My greatest piece of advice to other leaders is not to take set-backs personally, especially those that are caused by third parties and which anyone can fall into.  Here are some steps to take when faced with an unexpected set-back:

1) Gather all the details to size up the situation and the extent of the damage, i.e. who it has affected and how it has effected them. 

2) Seek out the advice of experts in that area who have been through it and can point out both the obvious and the not so obvious items to consider, as well as provide guidance on what could or should be done.

3) Create your plan on how to rectify the situation and start implementing it immediately.

4) Contemplate on how this will, could or has affected your long-term plan.  Modify your long-term plan to achieve your goals and realize that this is just another lesson along the way.

5) Finally, remember not to take it personally.  Leaders don’t think that a set-back has anything to do with themselves, but with a decision they made.  So, make better decisions in the future.