That is how the short email from this tech entrepreneur began. It could not have been shorter or clearer. And I recognised it straight away.
He had a lot of questions and challenges now that his company had grown considerably. And he realised that this phase asked different things of himself and of his people.
An independent sounding board
But there was something else.
He was also looking for an independent sounding board, someone to test his vision against and to ask his questions. I recognised that, because that is always the point. They don’t say it’s lonely at the top for nothing.
One thing leads to another
It became a journey of years, as it does with many clients. And here too, it did not stop at his own challenges. Because one thing leads to another…
- “I want to hire a new employee. Can you meet him as well and run an assessment?”
- “I want to organise a few sessions for my entire management team, so they work together better.”
- “I want you to coach my operations manager, because he is taking on more and more responsibility.”
- “I’m working on an acquisition and want to map the strengths and development areas of the employees. Will you talk to them and run assessments?”
Shoulder to shoulder
HELP, I’m growing. That is how a short cry for help can grow into a partnership of many years. Or, as he put it: “shoulder to shoulder”.
