Back in 2011 I was working for a company as Chief Operations Officer. In 2009 I had sold my company to this organization, but after the first year or so, I knew that it wasn’t going to be the place to hang my hat for the rest of my career. So I began thinking about and preparing for a career change. I had sold my company because I had created a cloud computing model that had huge potential. I was passionate about cloud computing and technology and felt I was on the forefront of the industry (which I was).

At this time the economy was not great, so I looked at ways to differentiate myself from other executives. I wanted to stand out from the crowd. I decided on 4 things that ultimately screwed me …sort-of.

1. I started a blog on leadership at aSliceOfLeadership.com (Now ToddNielsen.com). The part of the technology industry that I was in had a poor reputation for leadership acumen. I felt that if I started writing on leadership and management it would help to differentiate myself from many of the executives that existed in the industry. I felt I had to make a name for myself, and not just create some random blog that no one visited.
2. I started really focusing on social media. I figured the more followers I got; the more potential touches there were for someone to notice me. I want to clarify that I did not buy followers. I did however focus on strategies to grow my following, specifically on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
3. I started writing for industry websites and periodicals to establish myself as an expert in the industry.
4. I finished the book I had started the year before about creating a culture of execution. Heck, how many executives out there have written a book? This was going to be the icing on the cake …so I thought.

So What Did I Do Wrong?

Easy – I OVER DID IT!

1. My blog became recognized, by many, as one of the top leadership blogs on the Internet. I was recognized as one of the top 10 leadership experts to follow on Twitter.
2. My social media following grew from practically ZERO, to over 60,000 today.
3. Within a few months of writing technology articles – Wired Magazine saw my writing and contacted me to ask if I would write on Cloud Computing for wired.com. Let’s see – only one of the most widely recognized and read publications in the world. I also started writing for other print and online publications on technology, cloud computing, and the IT Channel.
4. The book – well I sent it out for advanced reviews, and people were coming back to me saying, it was the best and most valuable business book they had ever read.

“If You Are Going to do Something, Do it Big!”

Earlier this year I was invited to an exclusive speech and book signing, by Jack Abramoff. Jack wrote a book about his wrong-doings as a political lobbyist, which ultimately put him in prison. At that speech, he said he used to have a motto he lived by, “If you are going to do something, do it big!” When I heard that I realized that I had unknowingly followed that motto. I have never felt like doing something half-assed would get me anything out of life.

So Where Does That Leave Me?

When I resigned in 2011, I had several offers on the table, but none of them worked out quite right. So did I sit around and collect unemployment, NO! Did I try to be innovative and do something better with my life, YES! Where does it leave me? Well, it leaves me here at ToddNielsen.com. It leaves me helping other companies experience record growth and profitability like TDCNet (Watch the Video Testimonial). I could sit around and do nothing, but I chose to stay busy, and help others with my expertise and knowledge. If the right executive position came along, I’d probably take it; but for now, I choose to stand-up, lead, and help others achieve miracles of success and profitability through the power of execution. I had not even considered this a year ago, but by overdoing it, I discovered other rewards.