John Harvey, Co-Founder TransitionWorks:

My greatest source of professional energy is leadership and specifically, helping others achieves success. “Service to others” is my personal mission in life.

For twenty-four years I was employed in the corporate world with several terrific companies - Dun & Bradstreet, Thomas Cook Travel, and American Express, holding various operations management roles, subsequently transitioning to leadership roles in Human Resources. It was in this area that I believed I could have the broadest impact in helping the success of these companies, along with my colleagues, customers, and employees.

This shift in my career path led me to roles focused on leadership development, strategic planning, general HR management, and most recently Senior Vice President of Global Talent at American Express. In this role I was responsible for the personal and professional success of the 70,000+ people employed by the Company. My team consisted of 420 professionals worldwide and I was responsible for a budget of $37 million. I decided to leave American Express and the corporate world as a full-time participant in 2002, in part due to the profound impact 9/11 had on me personally.

Since 2002 I have focused on consulting, writing, coaching/mentoring, serving as a catalyst to groups of leaders, becoming a successful entrepreneur, being a more engaged dad and spouse, and committing to a life of continuous learning. It has been a rewarding (and challenging) time balancing these vocations as I enjoy each of them very much.

I have consulted with, and coached leaders and teams of leaders at Accenture, Best Buy, American Express, the Shanghai Media Group, Merrill Lynch, the US Olympic Committee, and Columbia University. With these companies I have served as a catalyst in helping individuals and teams of people achieve higher levels of performance and personal satisfaction.

In 2002 I founded TransitionWorks (www.transitionworks.org); a ministry aimed at helping people navigate voluntary or involuntary career/life changes to arrive at a more meaningful outcome. More recently, I have been an instructor at Colgate University (Hamilton, NY) and Baruch College, School of Entrepreneurial Studies (NYC) where I have been helping young adults define their leadership voice.

Until June 2007 I owned Freeman's Fish Market (Maplewood, NJ) – a wholesale/retail seafood business. This role provided me with the opportunity to refine my business skills and work closely with my family, as they were all involved in the business.

There are several important things I have learned about myself at this point in my life that, I believe, distinguish who I am professionally and personally:

First, I am very effective at helping people define “what is at stake” in a given situation or set of circumstances. Helping people create a clear and compelling reason to change is the foundation of personal development. If there were no reason to change why would people change?

Second, my personal experience in leadership and entrepreneurial roles (my successes, failures, regrets, and transition ups-and-downs), along with my willingness to share these experiences, provides a high level of empathy, understanding, knowledge, and context – all of which make my commitment to the people I help distinctive. I cannot only share concepts, but real experiences – I have been in their shoes.

Next, I believe the definition of leadership is “creating meaningful change”. Therefore, the work I do is dependent on the individual and being able to connect with their purpose or mission, and aspirations.

I also have a natural ability to engage people and develop trust quickly, enabling me to elicit core stories, values, purpose, and concerns – all of which help me quickly identify the situations where I can add value – or not.

Additionally, I love parenting, I always root for underdogs, and I have a competitive spirit.