October 2014

Friday was officially my last day with Sprint. Over the weekend I updated my LinkedIn profile indicating the “end date” of my Sprint employment and listing a new “job” as Strategic Advisor for SDG Advisory Services. Thanks to everyone who sent me congratulations on the new “job.”

I’m not really looking for a new job. Although I don’t qualify to officially “retire” from Sprint, I’ve viewed my departure as my “retirement from corporate life.” God has blessed my family and I incredibly over the ~28 years since I graduated from Virginia Tech. He has filled my career with wonderful experiences as a corporate executive (Sprint and Williams), a consultant (TeleChoice), an entrepreneur (Digital Frontiers, Seek First Networks, Christian Homeschool Network), and a communicator (The Power of Mobility book, other book contributions, this blog, Christian Computing magazine, Business Reform magazine and BizNetDaily, Homeschool Enrichment magazine, Network World magazine, over a dozen conference keynotes and many other speaking opportunities, etc.).

I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way and unfortunately seen many more mistakes made by others. Those lessons have been incredibly valuable. I’ve also been blessed to do some things right and to watch others have impressive successes. Those too are wonderful lessons. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to share those lessons with others, sometimes in formal and informal roles as a strategic advisor to companies, events, and organizations, and sometimes in formal and informal mentoring relationships with individuals. These have been some of the most rewarding opportunities I’ve had in my career.

The desire that God has placed on my heart is to focus on “giving back” out of my storehouse that He has filled with rich experiences, knowledge, and capabilities. I believe that tapping into this storehouse could be very valuable for the right businesses and I have created SDG Advisory Services especially for these types of opportunities. I think where I add the most value is in listening (about an opportunity or challenge), framing (helping craft a framework for evaluating options), and then shaping (the work that needs to be done to evaluate the options and make a decision). I think I’m also good at communicating, especially about the impact of technology innovations.

On the SDG Advisory Services website I’ve outlined four types of services for which companies may want to hire me:

• Communications: Help customers and prospects understand the “big picture” of how innovations are changing their world by leveraging a successful communicator’s writing, speaking, or facilitation skills.
• Two-Day Strategy Lab: Quickly develop a deep and focusing understanding of what is true about your business, your opportunity, and how to uniquely focus your strategy to achieve your long-term goals through a structured 2-day process.
• Consultation Session: Uncover, clarify, and evaluate strategic options for specific business challenges and opportunities by engaging an experienced strategist who will ask the right questions and provide valuable perspectives.
• Strategic Advisor: Improve your business decisions through an ongoing relationship with a proven, innovative business leader who can help shape and inform your strategic approach to business.

Most businesses have done a good job of building the right team to execute on their plan. They know more about the opportunity and their own capabilities than any outside expert could ever tell them. Sometimes, however, there’s a real need for help stepping back, framing the situation, and making the right decision with intentionality and focus, before moving forward. My desire isn’t to bill as many hours of consulting time as possible, but rather to have the biggest impact possible with the least amount of time and effort expended (for both you and me).

If you think I could help, drop me a note and we can chat about it.