Discover Your Boundaries
Part 1

     Within boardrooms and management meetings, FISO leaders question how well the next generation of leaders will adapt to the global business environment. On one end of the spectrum, some people see a limited world with few options and often become critical of how few opportunities exist for their particular talent. I call this first type one-eyed wonders because they have closed off their peripheral vision and wonder why business isn’t as successful for them as for others. Perhaps success came easily to them early in life, but somewhere along the road, they got off the bus and were stuck in the same spot. They may think the only options are local and not realize the broad choices available in other regions or countries. They may be an expert in one subject but don’t know how to “fit in” and tailor their talents to different opportunities.

     On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people have a vision of a world with many options and imagine how to apply their particular talents to a wide array of opportunities. I call this second type full-vision adventurers. For simplicity, think of these two extreme types: one wears blinders and the other sees the big picture. In the course of my research on leaders, many people are in the middle, but gravitate to one of the two attitudes when considering job opportunities. One of the most important steps to career success is to know your own natural proclivity. If you think you are a one-eyed wonder, recognize the limitations you put on yourself.

     In this newsletter, the first of two to discuss professional boundaries, we will consider the one-eyed wonders—and we will discuss full-vision adventurers in the next issue. Recently, a prominent business leader running a multi-national company asked me to counsel a woman who had been a chief financial officer at a major company and at two internet technology companies. Prior to that, she had worked for a couple of large companies in different financial roles and practiced as a Certified Public Accountant. Now, as she approached 50 years of age, she had left her position and was searching for a new career opportunity. She believed “unqualified people were in positions of responsibility” and felt “offended” by the greed and mishandling of certain business situations we have all been reading about in the newspapers.

     I asked her what she wanted to do. Her response didn’t answer the question. Instead, she cited what she did not want to do. She clearly stated she did “not want to go back to a CFO role and to day-to-day grunt work,” and believed that most of those jobs “limited her ability to be strategic.” She wanted to bring value and integrity in a new job, perhaps helping board members understand the “practical issues CFOs must deal with.” She ruled out that path as she felt “law firms have it locked up.”

     I suggested several alternatives including serving as an interim CFO, a role growing in popularity over the last decade. Other suggestions included tapping into her private equity contacts from her internet days, aligning with one of the law firms who worked with her to deliver her skills to clients and board of directors, collaborating with a Big 4 accounting firm that valued her talents, or even creating her own company to give her flexibility.

     As I counseled her, it struck me that she was the one-eyed wonder who reached an impasse in her career because she had not looked beyond the typical routes to determine what she desired. She had not pushed beyond the boundaries of limited choices. I think in time she will consider how her natural financial skills could help her stand out in a totally different environment, one that would give her the challenge she seeks. A FISO Factor® leader takes off the blinders and grasps the broad range of opportunities.

© 2006 Blythe McGarvie
1-757-345-3595
bmcgarvie@LIFgroup.com