Almost twenty years into the adventure of co-founding my own staffing and recruiting firm, I’d begun to feel the pangs of failure. I’d begun to feel unsettled.
Isolated.
The joy, satisfaction–and material reward—of the early years had slowly given way to something else. I felt it in my gut. It was as if my body was telling me things my mind wasn’t ready to accept. I needed a profound change.
Around that time, over a cup of coffee with a senior executive exiting a well-known company, I was introduced to a term new to me. Stephen had had a great run, but felt he accomplished all he could at that company. He spoke of where he was now: a space between what “had been” and what would “be next”. He called it a “liminal space” – a place of transition, waiting and not knowing. It is in this place, he said, where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it inform us.
The concept resonated with me deeply.
I recognized that it provided definition to where I was in my life. It allowed for a cathartic exhale. I could accept that I was in fact in a holding pattern, waiting to figure it all out. Not knowing the exact path, for me, is a frightening thing. Maybe you can relate. But learning that there was a name to describe perfectly where I was and what I was feeling allowed me to embrace it.
I realized I wanted to do things differently, much differently.
Rebooting your point of view and committing to it by creating a new venture – when you’re 20 years older, wiser—with some scar tissue earned along the way – is one heckuva way to get from where you’ve been to where you want to be.
That is what I am doing now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Just have a resume or job description to send me, not interested. I meet people, not key words optimized for algorithms. It is all about developing real relationships, real insights into YOU – so I can best understand the totality of who and what you are, including your aspirations.
I understand a liminal space.
I connect people. I invest my time in people. I take the long view, because serendipity and timing are as important as connecting people who exhibit similar goals, traits and interpersonal characteristics.
Fundamental, profound opportunities arise from profound connection.
