The Lunch With An NFL CEO That Changed My Life.
February, 2008. I had a 30-minute meeting with the Miami Dolphins CEO. His name was Joe (really, his name was Joe). I had a question I wanted to ask CEO Joe. I was hoping he could tell me, “why do people take jobs or leave them?” Some context is needed to understand why I had this question and how I got a meeting with CEO Joe.
On November 26, 2007, my mom Maria passed away from appendix cancer. My mom was 61-years old in December 2006 when doctors told her the fluid growing in her abdomen was cancer. Cancer was not something we’d experienced in my family so this was going to be an unknown journey. My mom was used to challenges and she attacked cancer like she had any other, with steeled faith and a positive attitude. My mom had surgery that December and then endured 20 weeks of chemotherapy. Chemo is brutal. It kills anything it touches. It doesn’t discriminate. My mom threw up after each session. She lost 80 pounds. Her fingers and toes went numb. She needed a walker. Her doctors reported that the surgery and chemo had destroyed 60% of the cancer. In August of 2007 my mom underwent a 15-hour “last chance to save your life” surgery followed by two hours of intense heated chemotherapy. It was a horrific surgery. My mom never left Wake Forest Baptist Hospital and passed away peacefully November 26, 2007. My brother Mike and I were by her side.
As my mom fought, I was frequently flying to be with her in Florida to encourage her. I was head of marketing for a venture capital owned company that we were trying to turnaround. Needless to say, neither my head nor my heart was into a responsibility that demanded and deserved way more than I could give. In the summer of 2007, it was obvious that I needed to go. We negotiated a buyout of my contract and I spent my time with mom until she passed.
We didn’t need cancer to bring my mom and me closer. Before cancer, we talked by phone almost every day. My mom’s upbeat genuine positive attitude inspired me. Even on the bad days, my mom would find something positive. She didn’t dwell on the negative. When she passed, I spent the next several months at her home tending to her estate and trying to figure out what was next in my life. I’d had more than a decade of success in the sports marketing industry and recruiters had opportunities for me. After one interview with a high profile sports marketing gig, I called the decision maker to withdraw commenting “if I took this position, you’d probably fire me or I’d leave within a year.” My heart just wasn’t into it.
Which leads me to Dolphins CEO Joe. My friend Terry Bassett was VP of Marketing for the Miami Dolphins. Terry and I had previously worked together. When I was weighing leaving NASCAR for the venture capital opportunity, Terry reasoned me through it. I respected Terry. He was a mentor. Terry knew I needed help so he invited me to Miami to meet with Joe hoping I’d find some clarity.
So, on that day in 2008 I sat face-to-face with the CEO of the Miami Dolphins with my single question. What should I look for in my next opportunity?
Over the next 30-minutes, Joe matter-of-factly poured out his thoughts. I jotted notes. His unscripted sermon went something like this;
A) You have to have passion for the product or service
B) You have to respect the people you are working with and they have to respect you
C) You have to see that you are growing and that your contributions are making a difference
D) You have to be fairly compensated
Joe believed that employees who have all four could have a lifelong career with an employer. Three out of four; you have 5–10 years, and two out of four you should be looking because you likely have a sour attitude that will get you fired.
Let me redefine compensation. Interrupted literally I would have taken the high profile sports gig and gotten fired within a few years. It’s understandable to get excited by a $150,000 opportunity if you are making $90,000, especially if you’ve been on the doorsteps of six figures for a few years. But what if the higher paying position means moving to a less desirable part of the country for you? Or what if it means more travel? Or what if it means working weekends and missing kids activities?
Currency, as I define it, isn’t exclusively money. While compensation is important, currency is more than just money. It’s your values — And the values of a potential employer. Do they compliment? For example, would a new employer allow you to telecommute if that is important to you? Or how has an employer behaved during challenging or crisis times? Once you have prioritized your values and the values of a prospective employer, your ability to make decisions about currency becomes clearer.
As for my story, I was able to apply the lessons learned. In June of 2008, I accepted the least glamorous of all the opportunities but the one that I had the most passion, the most respect and the best opportunity for growth. I became the executive director for U.S. Masters Swimming. As a former collegiate swimmer with a passion for fitness, it was a rewarding experience to lead an association that encouraged adults to swim.
And in 2016, I was offered an opportunity that lite up my currency thermometer. I became the CEO of a foundation — Swim Across America — that funds clinical trials and cancer research. I can’t help but believe that my mom’s spirit guided and comforts me in the cause to cure cancer.
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