Rosemary Hook, Director of Executive Recruitment for Salvatore Balistreri Consulting, an Austin based executive search firm, is a guest blogger who makes a great point that there are executives out there (either laid off or put on the shelf internally by companies) who can rise up again.
Well said!
Where Corporate Executives and Olympians Meet
As the London Olympics begin to wind down and we’ve watched replays of Michael Phelps earning more Olympic medals, it’s worth a moment to understand how Phelps’ victory is about more than winning.
Just two and a half years ago, Phelps was struggling to overcome a public embarrassment that cost him millions of dollars in lost sponsorships. Phelps could have chosen to let his very public falling be the last the world heard of him. Instead, he owned his error, took some time off (but not too much time) then returned to training for what he expected to be a promising future. Phelps endured. Even so, there were future sponsors who were no longer willing to invest in a proven champ.
Executives have something in common with gold medalists. When an executive temporarily falls from corporate grace, it can feel as though the entire world is watching and waiting to see how they will recover. An executive must be Olympic with their actions–embrace the past, endure the present, and expect a promising future. And companies that are asked to consider executive talent which may not be currently attached to another company would benefit to remember Phelps.
Michael Phelps has proven that the skills and abilities and leadership he possessed were not washed away from one lapse. If anything, his experience(s) made him more polished, sharper even.
There is no shortage of famous executives who have fallen short of expectations only to rise up again and prove to be an Olympic-like champion with their next corporation.
