“…. Baby, life's what you make it. Celebrate it. Anticipate it. Yesterday's faded. Nothing can change it…Life's what you make it”
Mark Hollis sang those words in 1986, and the 20 year old version of me listened. I always knew that the door of opportunity would swing open one day, and I had to be prepared to walk through it. You never know when it will happen. It’s a leap of faith to continue to believe when you eyes and ears show you no signs of anything other than more of the same. Some give up. Some persevere.
After my time on American submarines, I joined a company, and through hard work, dedication, and commitment to lifelong learning, the opportunities came. I had to wait until I was almost 40, but it came. By 50, I was a senior executive. My 55 I was in a C-Suite of a company that was publicly traded on the NASDAQ. Life’s what you make it?
While I felt successful, I knew something was wrong. Being at the same company since 1991 gave me a feeling of acceptance, affiliation and affirmation, but I wasn’t happy. The company was going through massive growth, the pressure was intense, and the respect level for myself and my team started to become optional as the challenges mounted. Instead of encouragement and support, constant threats of consequences for failing to meet a budget were rained upon me. I shielded the team from all of it for as long as I could, but it broke me. The value I’ve always strived to deliver, my loyalty, was broken.
I’m an introvert. I don’t really network. I had professional relationships that I formed, but I never actively cultivated a connection that I thought would lead to employment. Honor dictated that I leave, but how? Life’s what you make it. I ran into someone I respected in our industry very much at a trade show and I signaled to him a desire to talk. He signaled to me a desire to talk. From December 2023 until June 2024, we talked before I accepted his offer to become the CEO of North America for the global business he runs.
CEO. I was a high school graduate, ex-submariner when I rejoined civilian life. My first job post-military was oddly titled, Timekeeper, literally keeping track of time and material used to construct an electrical powerplant that I would one day lead as Plant Manager. Door of Opportunity #1. The owners of that one power plant took notice of my passion, effort and skill as a manager of one plant and allowed to manage their nation-wide operations. Door of Opportunity #2. From the work I did managing the nation-wide operations, I was offered an opportunity to become Chief Operating Officer of a company they were taking public. Door of Opportunity #3. When that job ultimately failed me, unable to retain my loyalty, unable to aspire to the same level of decency and respect for the employees as I had, I used a professional relationship I formed and turned it into my dream job. Door of Opportunity #4.
I’m not bragging. I say all this because the people that will read this are young, and my best intention is that one of them will be inspired to carry on from this story. So many here are searching still for their door’s to swing open. Some have given up, some labor in the dark, grinding away, hoping that it isn’t all in vain.
I joined a company that has shown me respect and appreciation since the day I started. My only sadness about leaving the last company was the people I left behind, but I had to be brave, I had to leave my comfort zone. Life is what you make it.
Last night, I had dinner with my new work colleagues next to the Sydney Opera House. I’m the North American CEO of a Global Business. Humble, proud, still that young man grinding away. If I can help anyone in anyway, let me know. I promised someone who helped open door #1 for me that I would pay it forward, and I always have time for good people.
Mark Hollis, never forgotten, always remembered 1955-2019.