Turning Point: It’s Lonely at the Top

People talk about the wins.

Landing a big client.

Growing the team.

Seeing your work in the world.

What they rarely talk about are the moments when everything suddenly changes.

Years ago, my partner of eight years left our firm.

She took half the staff. Most of the cash.

I kept the office because I thought I needed to look stable. In control. Like nothing had happened.

A year later, we were still standing. Barely.

So, I hired a turnaround specialist. He interviewed everyone and looked at the numbers.

Late one rainy Friday afternoon he sat across from me and delivered his evaluation.

“Ted, you’re an amazingly talented designer. A gifted strategist.”

Then he leaned forward with an intense gaze and said, “But you’re not a CEO. You have an incredibly gifted marketing person on your team. She’ll make a great CEO.”

I leaned back in my chair, noted the gray afternoon grow darker, and wondered what I was going to tell my wife.

The following Monday I fired my marketing person.

Then I started contacting clients — asking for time to catch up and show them our latest.

Fear can be a powerful motivator. Running a creative company can be exhilarating. But moments like that can feel incredibly lonely.

The decisions — good or bad — are yours alone.

And sometimes the thing that saves you –– is the very thing that scares you most.

Oh, I fired the turnaround guy. Although, I’m grateful he moved me into action.