In this issue:

• Paul Sullivan - Global Consultant

This is our regular e-message to people who are interested in leading their lives with passion. We will send you a short note with information, stories, examples, and practical things you can do to lead your life, work, and organizations with passion. You are receiving this message because you have attended one of our presentations, expressed an interest in our work, asked to be put on our mailing list, purchased one of our books, or are one of our friends, colleagues, or associates! If you would like us to take you off our mailing list just reply to this e-mail and type 'unsubscribe’ in the subject field and we would be happy to do so. Leading With Passion We like the term 'leading with passion,’ because it has two very significant, but related meanings. The first suggests leading off with passion. That is, making the very first priority in your life to live, work, and play passionately, and to fully embrace every possible moment. Second, it means that we can lead our organizations, teams, and projects with passion - creating passionate work environments by transferring our own enthusiasm for the organization to all others who come into contact with it.

Paul Sullivan

Paul Sullivan runs a global consulting business. He met Jack Welch as a young manager and designed marketing and sales programs to help grow his GE plastics business. Teams Paul and his company trained have increased their percentage of successful bids from 20% to 40% and often higher. He has worked in 50 countries himself and had people from over 100 nations in his seminars. Yet unlike the stereotype of globe trotting consultants, Paul Sullivan is quiet, self-effacing, and thoughtful.

We met him at a conference in Denmark where we were presenting. He sat about a third of the way back, looking very professional, dressed in suit and tie while most others were in slacks and sport shirts, and gave us a quiet, encouraging smile.

We saw Paul's presentation, Developing Global Leaders, which was just after ours, and realized we were in the presence of someone who really knew his business. But it wasn't until afterwards that we discovered what an exceptional person he is - and how he parlayed what he loves to do into a successful, worldwide business.

His company, Global Partners, Inc., (www.globalpartnersinc.com) is an international management consulting firm, headquartered in Boston, that works with leading companies to develop global account strategies and improve marketing and sales performance.

The Inflection Point
(Inflection point: 'A moment of dramatic change, especially in the development of a company, industry or market' American Heritage Dictionary; 'An inflection point occurs when the old strategic picture dissolves and gives way to the new.' Andrew Grove.)

Paul started consulting in the field of industrial engineering when he was at the University of Michigan, and then, after receiving an MBA, spent three years in the Air Force in research and development. He then joined Harbridge House, Inc., a consulting firm started by three Harvard professors. It was one of the originators of the type of management development and training that is prevalent in the industry today. There are dozens of companies created by people who started there. He first began doing systems management and gradually moved into leadership and management development and then marketing, sales and strategy consulting.

A very important 'inflection point' for Paul was when he started to work with General Electric. At the time Jack Welch was manager of the $500 million plastics business. Paul put together a marketing seminar that was so well received it helped GE to grow the business, and GE quickly invited him to the Netherlands to help them build their international business. Soon he was working in many other divisions of GE around the world.

Taking the Risk
He became passionate about working internationally and saw new growth opportunities. At that time, he was managing a team of 50 people at Harbridge House, but had trouble convincing his partners to make the heavy investment needed to grow their international business. So he put together a plan on how to do it. When they still weren't ready, he decided it was time to start his own company. It was a huge investment of his personal money and time. He was newly married and when he told his wife that he was planning to start a new company she was nervous. "Living without a paycheck for many months in the beginning was uncomfortable for her, but I had the confidence." Although she was hesitant, she supported Paul.

It wasn't just the pressure of supporting his family that worried Paul, but now he had his own employees. "You become highly focused when you have a number of employees with a lot of mouths to feed, rent and insurance bills to pay."

Becoming the Best
"I started out with the idea of tracking best practices globally instead of exporting learning from the US," he says. His passion grew as he become more involved. It sounds glamorous but it is hard work being an international consultant. Most often it's a 10-14 hour day. You are with a client all day and then taking phone calls and replying to emails around the clock depending upon where you are in the world. You spend a good deal of your time on an airplane, not sight seeing.

Soon he was working with some of the largest corporations in the world, from China to Chile and the Czech Republic. "My dream came true," he says. "I had expected to work with smaller companies in just a number of European countries.

The Paradox - Both Plan and Remain Open to Opportunity
When times were difficult and Paul temporarily lost his passion for work, his wife and family supported him, reminding him that he had been through difficult times before. What does he say when others ask him for advice about finding and keeping a love for work? "Number one, your career has to keep changing. You have to keep thinking about what your skills are, where the opportunities are and how you can rediscover and reinvent yourself, just as companies do. Nokia went through many evolutions before they became a mobile telephone company."

He shares a simple decision tree with new employees and suggests that they map out where they want to go by starting 10-20 years in the future, and asking themselves what they really want to be. Too often, he says, people take it one mini-step at a time and then find their career has been blocked because they've been in one area too long. "You lay out the 3 or 4 things you'd like to be. Actress, executive, public relations consultant, or whatever, and you work back and then you realize, 'My goodness, I'm going to need some stage experience and in order to get that experience I'm going to need to do this,' and now they are forced to make some decisions." Interestingly, though Paul laid out options for himself, he also 'kind of stumbled' into what he did in his career and education. He is now planning for his "next chapter in life which will include writing a book and making time to give back to a global society which has been so good to me."

Most people find that it's a combination of planning and happenstance - and being both disciplined and open to experience - that make for a fulfilling, successful career.

What Will You Do?
Have you thought about and planned for the kind of work you want to do, while at the same time been open and courageous enough to take the risk of opportunity? When your inflection point comes will you be ready emotionally, experientially, educationally? Are you willing to pay the price to become the best? It is hard to be passionate about something mediocre. If you are willing to do the kinds of things Paul Sullivan has done, you might just find yourself doing something extraordinary with your life and career.

Leading with Passion is a regular communication from Michael Kroth and Patricia Boverie. Michael and Patricia have been researching passionate work since 1999, and their book, Transforming Work: The Five Keys to Achieving Trust, Commitment, and Passion in the Workplace, is about the indispensable necessity of passion for personal and organizational success in the workplace.

© Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved Patricia Boverie and Michael Kroth