I find myself at a crossroads. Kids are coming and going from my OPEN NEST and somehow I survived the grief of them leaving (see about half of this newsletter’s archive) and the grief of losing my mom (see the other half). For the last few years, I have worked on my book and done consulting work on a wide variety of projects ranging from education and family in the UAE, circular economies and plastics in Switzerland, ocean microplastics in the USA, brushed off my speaker skills to deliver a few keynotes, worked at the beautiful edge of strategy and human culture/behavior, and in large part did work that matters with people I love. It has been a great gig.
But with my newfound time and headspace, I long to dive deep into something again. I don’t know exactly what shape that will take (Starting a new company? Joining an existing company? A platform for my creative work? Diving all in on culture strategy?) I love exploring, listening, learning, and planning, but I am also ready to roll up my sleeves and BUILD.
I am a weird employee. I don’t fit neatly on an org chart. I lead from the heart and head in equal parts. When I was wondering exactly how to find my next right fit, a dear friend and genius storyteller Geoff Peddicord looked at me, blinked once, and said as if it was so obvious, “You’re a kite.”
He explained that some mix of creative freedom, room for experimentation, ability to continually meet new inputs, build relationships, eye for perspective, signal/pattern spotting, and flexibility made me uniquely qualified. All require a little room to fly slightly off, attached by a string, and from there do my work.
While I am not yet sure how to put “I am a kite” on my LinkedIn Profile or business cards, I think it is worth exploring not just WHAT I want next but HOW I want it, and with WHO. And for heaven’s sake, WHY?
BUILDING something that matters with people I love as a kite, as myself.
Why? Because a kite needs to kite.
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Soar and swoop with the wind my friend!! Brilliant yet again 🫶🏼