My Mother passed away on October 18, 2007. While I knew she had to go, it was (selfishly) a very sad day for me and my family. My Mother was an incredible person - raising seven children and, as I found out the weekend of her wake and funeral, helping an endless number of other people in their lives. It became clear in her passing that her mission was "caring and giving". My Mother, who was always known for her laughter and constant smile, had reached the point in her life where she had stopped smiling.

As an example of her wit: About two years ago my Mother's challenges - alzheimer's, depression, and decreased mobility were starting to become more apparent to her and to us. During a conversation I had with her around that time I asked my Mother if she was afraid of dying? She responded immediately - "oh no, not at all." After the perfect ly timed pause my Mother said "although I have to tell you, that getting there has been awfully tough." We laughed.

Like many people in mid-life my Mother's passing surfaced my own mortality from the depths of my mind. In my book of life I flip to page 53 in April, my oldest child, John is off on his career as an entrepreneur, then Corinne is off exploring the world (a semester in Spain this time) Janean is off to college in September, and my 13 year-old, Julia is showing more signs of independence every day. I also have a few more nagging aches and pains....sound familiar?

Underlying this face-off with my own mortality come the essential (really important) questions -who am I? What is my greatest fear? What is unlived if my life were to end right now? What matters most to me? How will I be viewed as an ancestor? Father? Spouse? Friend? Sibling? What do I have to offer? What does my family need from me - now? So, these are the questions that energized me to a period of reflection and writing that helped me answer what I have learned about me and the world at this point in my life, and how this is aligned with how I spend my time and energy.

In TransitionWorks we call this your "inside story". My belief is that the more clearly I can answer these difficult question, the more likely we are to make better decisions about where we work, who we relate to, and where our energy is directed. Once I know what I have learned about me and the world, I am ready to offer it to the world - soliciting feedback on how what I have to offer resonates with the world. Underlying the need for feedback was the need to achieve my three goals this year;

1) Double my consulting income compared to last year - colleges are really expensive. So, will what I have to offer be seen as valuable to the point that companies/people will pay for it? Achieving this goal also provides me with the ability to provide my services to people/organizations in need who may be willing - but are unable to pay for what I have to offer.

2) Ensure that 80% of my billable relationships are sources of positive energy for me. I know if the relationship/work engagement is a source of energy for me I will do my very best work. Conversely, if the engagement is not a source of energy, or takes away energy (creates negative energy) I will put in the effort, but my work will never be as good. To me, the source of energy is a good compass for my work and my relationships. Is your work a source of energy for you?

3) Deepen relationships with family and friends. While I have many close relationships in life I realized there are several relationships that, when completely aligned, provide tremendous energy for me. With family, it is being present whenever in their presence, and when they need me the most. With friends it is the the reason I decided to lead the organization of a get-together of my rugby club this June - our 35th anniversary. Several of these ruggers I have known for life, and are sources of energy for me - and vice versa, I hope.

So, what have I learned - for now? I am re-committed to devoting the time in the moment, and periodically in a planned way to better understand and reflect on what I have learned - to continuously improve who I am, and what I have to offer.

Over the past few years I have found that every time I share my story, my story becomes clearer. Here is my story today - it is clearer:

John Harvey – An Overview

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. It was the most difficult decision of my life - at that point.

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. It was an amazing experience to take these relationships to an intimate level. Good, bad, or ugly - we all know and understand each other at a level I never imagined possible.

There are several important things I have learned about myself at this point in my life that, I believe, distinguish what I have to offer in the world of work:

First, my personal experience in leadership and entrepreneurial roles (my successes, failures, regrets, and transition ups-and-downs), along with my willingness (and ability) 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 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?

Third, I 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.

Also, I believe the definition of leadership is “creating meaningful change”. Therefore, the work I do is less dependent on organization, title, or structure, and more dependent on the individual and being able to connect with their purpose or mission, and aspirations. By definition we have opportunities to exhibit our personal leadership every day - more than we can imagine. Saying hello to a stranger on the street is potentially a form of leadership, especially if we are the only person who greeted them that day.

I have also learned that:

*I love parenting, I mean really love parenting. My own children, and all young people. It is why my work with the World Wide orphan Foundation and Colgate are so important to me. As their missions are aligned with who I am they are both incredible sources of energy for me.

*I love rooting for the underdog. Yes, I am a Yankee fan so this seems like a contradiction. Do you know the Yankees record in 1965 - the year I spent the summer competing detailed box scores for every weekend game they played? They were 77-85 that year! They were 70-89 the following year. They were underdogs!

A great quote from that year:
"If I knew I'd live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." - Mickey Mantle

As I have shared my story with the outside world through networking conversations over the past month, I have received valuable feedback, and have been energized at how well it grabs people and provides opportunity for me to do the work I love.

So, what is your story? What have you learned about yourself - not what you do, but who you are? Is your work a source of energy for you? Let us know! Safe travels - John