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And I suffer through all the accidents
Of change as though I were settling a score,
As if to disinvent what death invents.
I once built a castle, now I do chores.
Joshua Edwards, Decline
In a world that revolves around work, I yet again have the problem of describing what I do. In September last year I finished my role as CEO of HICAPS, Australia’s leading electronic health claiming business. I did so to take up the role as Chair of Bank First, an exciting challenging new part time position.
Suddenly people want to know what I was doing. Surely a part-time role is not enough. I love growth businesses: Was I secretly working on a new business in stealth mode? Board positions in many people’s mind follow an executive career: was I semi-retired? People who were concerned told me not to give up on an executive career: Was I looking for a new job? Growing frustrated with the pattern of questions, I had to reiterate myself what I was doing to have a satisfactory answer.
A Sabbatical to Learn
I have already referred to this period as one of reinvention. Reinvention takes reflection and learning and focusing on that need led to my insight. On reflection, I sharpened my understanding. I am on sabbatical. A sabbatical is an opportunity to learn something new usually granted after an extended period of work. Beginning in an Old Testament agricultural imperative , people have long understood the value of a break after long work. Interestingly, seven years is a common milestone. I spent seven years across LanternPay and HICAPS working hard on creating and growing the business opportunities. I felt badly the need to change my focus and do something new.
Like Heraclitus’s river, time has moved on over seven years. I can’t step back into the old world that was before. I need to learn new things again. In the time I have been working on the evolution of digital health a lot has changed. Social collaboration and flexible work have come and gone under the pressure of the pandemic. Many of the old issues are now passé (adoption of video conferencing anyone?) Yet some, like leadership of remote teams, are more vexed than ever. New ways of working like agile are now much more common place. However, organisations struggle with collaboration, how to manage fast paced adaptive change and deliver value from innovation. Transformation is hard in any age.
Concepts of a Plan
The art of a Sabbatical is the focus on learning and regeneration. I don’t have a specific plan. I intend to discover one as I go, following my nose into new opportunities.
I have started work on improving my health and wellbeing. I have fitness to regain and some weight to lose to be healthier. That’s well in hand. I’m also taking better control of my cortisol stress cycle now that I have had time to work to my own goals. I suspect I will live longer and happier as a result.
This change was triggered by an opportunity to return to Bank First. I intend to spend time with the board and management of Bank First on its mission to be a bank for its members in healthcare and education. This will be a critical experience of learning and discovery. Financial services needs innovation that is driving better outcomes for customers. We need to listen to our members and partners more deeply, learn from them and test and experiment our way to new solutions. There’s a lot of people in financial services racing to do the same things as the biggest banks. Mutual members deserve compelling solutions that reflect their unique needs and delivered in ways that suit them better.
I have a five year-old idea for a book that seems more urgent than ever. The good news is that the research and writing has begun. Like the years the book has evolved around a central concept and become stronger for time, thought and learning. More to come on this front.
Discovery
Most of all I want to learn a lot more about people, culture & organisations, innovation, growth and leadership. Nothing about the future is ruled in or out yet. I needed a break and I am taking the first six months for my new role at Bank First and to reset myself. After that I will explore all the options that are available led by purpose and with curiosity as my guide. As always, my curiosity will lead me through networks of old and new friends. So if you have been feeling we need to catch up then it’s almost certain we do.
Let’s hope that curiosity leads our paths to cross. I’d love to learn what’s up in your world.
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
Li-Young Lee, From Blossoms