The Bounce

For years in my corporate life I gave a little talk about ‘the bounce’ in professional life. In a nutshell it was a talk about how sometimes the missteps, the mistakes, and the biggest disappointments in a career can lead to an unexpected ‘bounce’ to higher levels than you could have ever expected.

One famous example, in 1985, Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple, the company he co-founded. 11 years later, Apple found itself in a tough spot. Its operating system was outdated, and the company was losing ground to competitors. The board asked Jobs to return and be the CEO of Apple. He spearheaded a remarkable turnaround, Under his leadership, Apple became one of the most powerful companies in the world.  But if you’d asked Steve Jobs about his career in 1985? He would have told you that he felt like a total failure.

I never gave the talk without someone in the audience giving their own career examples of how something frustrating or embarrassing eventually led to something bigger, better, more than they could have hoped for. One gentleman talked about getting demoted during a reorg and it leading him to change disciplines. Eventually this change led to him finding something he was truly passionate about, which in turn led to him getting promoted to lead an entire division. You can’t make this stuff up.

Disappointments in life are common. And as I write this post, one-handed, with all the graciousness of an elderly raccoon beset with rabies on a bad hair day…I hope there is a bounce coming my way.  Note to the current Apple board: I’ll think about it.