Bittersweet is Underrated

My family is dealing with a lot of bittersweet right now.  It turns out, bittersweet is underrated.

Sammy is changing schools for 5^th grade.  We loved Rodeph, it was nurturing, well structured and rigorous – the educational foundation was excellent.  Sammy has great friends there and we love the community.  Unfortunately, the school only goes to 8^th grade, so we needed to make the switch sometime.  We applied to what has long been our first choice for Sammy – an amazing all-boys school in our neighborhood.  We were thrilled when he was admitted to Collegiate.  The school gives Sammy the chance to grow, expand his independence, and explore academics, arts and athletics in greater depth than Rodeph could offer.  We loved Rodeph and owe the faculty, staff and families a true debt of gratitude.  In this case, bittersweet feels great.  We had an amazing experience, and I would not change anything about the years we spent there, at the same time we are excited for the next chapter.

I am facing the same emotion with my career.  I have left NCI and am joining Boston Consulting Group.  Again, bittersweet.  NCI was a great place for me.  I had a chance to work with people I trust and enjoy.  Dan McCarthy, the CEO at NCI, has been a mentor to me since we first worked together in 1998.  Dan and I have been great partners at both Primedia and now at NCI.  I have tremendous respect for him, his loyalty to NCI, his vision and his leadership.  Gerry Parker, the CFO, is a straight-shooter with an amazing grasp of the macro and the micro (Gerry seems to remember every bill ever paid by NCI).  Gerry has great judgment, an extremely even keel and the ability to guide the organization in growth and in decline.  I will sincerely miss working with Dan and Gerry.

At NCI, we had the opportunity to be resourceful, aggressive, move fast and do things most of our competitors were unwilling to try.  I had the opportunity to work with a team who had a bias for pace and execution that continues to amaze me – in fact part of the bittersweet nature of the departure is leaving the Interactive team and the By Design Publishing team in such capable hands.  I know that TJ, Scott, Belinda and Teresa are up to the task and have developed great decision making frameworks to drive the business in the right directions.

In moving to BCG, I had significant time for introspection.  I know what I excell at, and I know what I love to do – I love solving tough problems, I love analyzing complex situations, I love working with smart teams, I love finding the creative solution.  I had worked with the BCG guys when I was at Cendant and was impressed by the team, their approach and their work.  I am truly excited for the change and thrilled to be joining the BCG NY Office.  While the change is bittersweet, I have no regrets about NCI and nothing but enthusiasm for the next chapter!