Carpe Diem

“Will you be our COO?”

When the question finally sank in, I was stunned.  Speechless.  It was the very last thing I expected my bosses to ask me.

I’d been minding my own business since I had joined the firm, head down, doing projects, never much time to think about anything else.

My first thought– okay, second thought– was, “I have absolutely NO qualifications for that job.”

My actual first thought was, “They’re obviously talking to the wrong guy.”

This had not been part of my career plan.

I honestly didn’t believe I had any qualifications.  Looming large was the prospect of failure at something for which I was not prepared.

I knew nothing about running a firm.  No problem– they would teach me, they said.

Oh, and by the way, the CFO role would be yours, too.

Seriously?  “Then, don’t I need an MBA first?”

Sure, they said– if you still feel the need for it in the future, pursue it then.  In the meantime, I was simply to learn by doing.

Sure, an MBA is a fantastic asset and a tremendous leg up, for those who have the time and tuition.

But, we all have far more natural qualifications for operational and financial management than we give ourselves credit for.  I’ll explain next week what I mean by this.

We are eminently qualified to manage our firms when the opportunity presents itself.  Some of us may just be a bit more prepared than others.

The real differentiator, however, is our willingness to step off the edge of our comfort zone.  Take the leap.

I did.

I’m here to tell you that you can do it, too, and succeed.

Carpe diem.