Sometimes life can throw you for a curve.  I think it is those moments in life that can either bring anxiety and dread; or they can bring clarity and direction.  Recently the company I was employed at, was acquired by a slightly larger company.  There were some great people at this company.  The CEO struck me as one that really understands the precepts of leadership. The project manager and service manager that reported to me were awesome people.  There were many others, but ultimately I realized, with great clarity, that it was time to move on. 

I had made my decision many months earlier, even before the acquisition, but life and work dragged me kicking and screaming back to my firefighting reality. My resume and resignation were prepared a month before I resigned and I had some potential options that I was considering, although nothing was firm.  When it finally came down to it, I knew that if I wanted to accomplish my career goals, I needed to move on.

When I resigned and returned home after meeting with our CEO, who I reported to; my wife looked at me and said “Wow, you look less stressed then I have seen you in a long time.” The truth was I felt happy and not stressed at all. Although maybe I should have felt anxious, I was and continue to feel happy and positive about the future

I have reflected on this for the past couple weeks. Why did I wait so long?  I had several colleagues reach out to me after they heard my news and say things like, “I am not surprised”, or “I expected this a while ago.”  People always say stuff like that, but the truth is in my heart the decision was made long before, and my actions supported the decision. 

So I move on… Despite the problems that exist in our world, there are great opportunities all around us.  As leaders, it is important, both within our companies and our lives that we seize those opportunities and act on them.  If we wait, they may just slip away. Who knows if I missed out on any opportunities while I stuck around. But I know that bigger and better things are coming.

So I am a few days from being officially unemployed. That sounds so weird.  I prefer to call it a vacation. 🙂 At the present time I am entertaining 3 offers that are all pretty dang good.  I have also been appointed to a handful of Board of Advisors and I am excited and positive for the future. 

Oh Yeah………….my big news.  Well in July of 2010, I started writing a book.  It is called Revitalize – Getting Things Done Through Aligned Execution.  I am uber-excited about it.  I recently began sending the book out to some advanced reviewers.  I was completely floored when I started getting the reviews back from people. I actually had to double back with a few people and say,  “Please do not do me any favors, but umm…is this the truth?” I will share some of the reviews in another post soon.  It took a lot of work and determination and I am hoping it will be published later this year.  I will keep all my blog followers apprised of the “happenings” with it.

For those of you sitting in a leadership position that you may find  unfulfilling, just know that the world is full of opportunities. Sacrifice is often necessary and work is not always fun, but don’t sit-around and think you are stuck in work or life.  Take a stand, be decisive, and as my friend Kris Cavanaugh says, “Become CEO of your life.”