I received two calls last week from people at a client company.

The first was from John, who has been President for about six months. I recruited him for the company three years ago, as Director of Operations. He told me that Bob, the VP of Sales of a Division that accounts for 1/2 of their profits was resigning. John respected Bob but also saw replacing him as an opportunity. Although John thought that he probably could talk Bob into staying, he decided against it. Bob had been successful in opening accounts but had not built an organization or generated internal support John felt that the right replacement would get the company to a new level.

The second call was from Bob, who I met12 years ago when I helped the company chose between three candidates for the VP of Sales Position. He told me that he had resigned. He said that the company hadn't supported his Division and that he wasn't doing as well as he might have in a more supportive company or a hotter industry. He was moving to a hot industry, and taking on the same kind of challenge he had faced with he joined my client, 12 years earlier. In other words, he was moving sideways in order to get to where he felt he ought to be.

John knew that Bob was right in thinking that the company had been paying attention to other business opportunities and had not provided the support that, in retrospect, might have been best for the company.

In Seven Habits, Covey tells the fable of a poor farmer who discovers that one of his geese lays golden eggs. As the farmer gets richer, he gets greedier. Eventually he kills the goose to get all of the eggs! Covey is driving home the point that you have to take care of your productive capacity if you want production. In the current situation there should have been more investment (developmentally and financially) in Bob and the business he was leading. In future e-zines I will explore that theme. In this case, both John and Bob are showing the courage to move forward, and not dwell on what-might-have-been.

How many people and organizations cling to the past, rather than face their futures?

I am optimistic for both John and Bob. They both faced the situation as it was, and were willing to take risks to build a better future. Although there are no guarantees, John's willingness to learn and do things differently is a necessary first step. I look forward to working with John to recruit the right person, build his own management team, and grow the company. Bob has the tougher road. Yet he also has a second change to build on his strengths and broaden his skills. I wish him the best.