Never Say Yes Alone

Stupid Enough to say “Yes” and Smart Enough to “Never Say Yes Alone”

I believe this is my final post for Team Intuitive.

I have been asked, in many different ways, how I was able to build the career I have enjoyed.  The answer has always surprised people.  It is time to share this reflection with all of you:

I built my career around the reality that I was always "stupid enough to say yes".  

But I was always smart enough to “never say yes alone”.

As I celebrate the last weeks of my actively working career, it strikes me that I had no business doing most of the things I did in my career.  I probably never should have accomplished most of the success I enjoyed. 

My career started as a simple country kid from a small backwater town few people had heard of, in the middle of the cornfields of southern Minnesota. I had no special business pedigree as I stepped into the business world when you consider the two jobs building up to my career were counting nuts and bolts in my dad’s hardware store or knowing what kind of shrubs grow best in sunny spaces verses shady spaces in a landscaping business.

Every time I said yes to a new role, I rarely had deep, meaningful experience doing that role before.  However, every time I said yes, there were always people right and left of me.  I never said yes alone.  I either brought people with me (thank you for following me into trouble), found people ready to stand beside me (thank you for believing) or realized we needed unique people to fill the gaps we didn’t have (thank you for joining us). 

In reality, most of the people earlier in my career had never really done the impossible before either.  We almost always were a motley crew of misfits, certainly not in danger of being put on anyone’s “who’s who" list.  And we got things done, we made a difference and we were almost always next asked to do something else which we weren’t trained to do. 

I couldn’t have done any of it without them, and I wouldn’t want to either.

It still makes me shake my head that in my final role, I look left and right and this is not a motley crew of misfits.  The Intuitive Team are all experts at what they do, and it shows in the value we bring to all our stakeholders, clients, consultants and partners

As I step aside from the day to day, I wander off into preferment, preferring to spend time and energy with the people and focus I prefer to share time with, it is easier to remember  all those people who have shared my career journey.  Thank you for joining me in every risk-taking adventure.  Thank you for your impact in every organizational transformation. Thank you for your care and support enabling all of us to live to fight another day.

And what is most amazing to me as I close out the final reflection of my active career, is how many of us were just normal, everyday people.  As I think about all those people left and right of me in my career, you all fit in so well.  Please know and understand the depth of my respect and admiration for each of you, for all of you.  Also, please understand one simple thing.  To me, I associate closely with authentic, real people.  Thank you for being there for me in every crazy adventure I said “yes” to in my career. 

Perhaps in reality, we all were someone no one really expected much from 43 years ago. 

It wouldn’t be the first time I realized I wasn’t unique. 

I will say it again:

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you, and I wouldn’t want to, either.”

Blessings,

Jay