It's been a while

A long while... A comment left a few days ago pulled me back suddenly into the blog. Truth is, I haven't checked-in for a while, and was thinking that with the lack of activity on my behalf so would interest decline. I was wrong. I am humbled by the many readers/leavers that still visit the site.

So firstly, thank you anonymous for the comment and for pulling me back in. Secondly, I am still here regardless of my posting activity so you are more than welcome to email me directly if you are looking for advice (theleaver@leavingthefamilybusiness.com).

So what have I been up to in the past year? And is leaving still the best decision I have ever made?

Since leaving I have been (re-)building my career within "corporate America". It's not been easy, and the past year was a real test of endurance. Corporate America (if you've never experienced it) is plagued by bureaucracy, politics, "c-players" and (low) glass ceilings. For a person with family business "DNA", this provides for a challenging environment. We are used to taking full ownership and getting things done; we are not used to clocking-in and doing a job. Which is were endurance kicks in: sticking things out and never calling it quits has become a trait of mine (Nixon has a great quote on quitting). And for me, recently, it has finally paid off.

As for leaving the family business and whether it is still the best decision I have ever made? Absolutely and without any doubt! It has freed me beyond my wildest dreams.