It’s OK to Jump – I Did, One Year Ago…

It has been a year since I became part of the Collinson Group family, and what a year it has been! For many people my career change came as a surprise, and to be frank, in many ways, it was a surprise to me as well. I am glad I took a leap of faith last year.

Why do I say that? Because I was blessed to be working with one of the most recognized brands in the world: FedEx. I had just celebrated my seventh anniversary, and had by all measures a great career. I started in January 2008 as an Inside Sales executive in Phoenix, AZ, 19 months later earned the opportunity to relocate to Miami, FL. In Miami my roles were Business Development account executive and then as a Market Development executive. Later, when I asked to relocate due to personal reasons, I had the opportunity to become a Strategic Development account executive in Houston, TX.

Management was great and very supportive. I felt respected. Not only that, I was a mentor to many sales professionals from different sales organizations within the company. I was seemingly on my way to management, and most of all, I was happy. Make no mistake; FedEx walks the walk when it comes to keeping their employees happy. There is not one instance where I can say FedEx did not take care of my family or me.

So, why did I leave? That is what this post is all about. The short of it, I took a leap of faith.

Those that know me know that I am an aviation enthusiast and I am passionate about it. My father worked for an airline, so I grew up in an airport and around airplanes. I am one of those strange creatures that loves the travel experience. Not just seeing new places, meeting new people and learning about different cultures. I also love going to the airport, the smell of jet fuel, walking down the jet-bridge and getting into a plane (window seat most of the time, unless it is a long flight). I am fascinated by how airlines engage with their customers, loyalty programs, points, etc.

In 2011, I went to visit my dad in Ecuador and on my way back to Miami from Guayaquil. There was a delay. Trying to connect to the airport internet, which was horribly slow, was frustrating, because I was hoping to advance a work project. I decided to go to the duty free to purchase water. As I was pulling my credit card to pay, it fell. I left my open wallet on the counter, and the woman at the counter said: “You know with that card”, pointing at my open wallet, “you can get into the VIP Lounge next door”. That is how I found Priority Pass.

I knew the card came as a benefit from one of the credit cards I had. I did not know how to use it though. In any case, I took it out of my wallet and went to the lounge next door. It was amazing! I was able to sit down in a comfortable chair, pull out my tablet and connect to a functional and reliable internet connection.  And not just advance but finish my project during that delay, all while drinking a beer and having snacks.

I did not do a lot of business travel then. However,  the realization came: all business people have to be able to get into these lounges to stay productive and relax. In my own trips, it changed my behavior. I would purposely arrive earlier so I can visit the lounge. My productivity raised once at the airport, than rushing before going to the airport trying to make it at the right time to pass security and board. I became a big fan of what Lounge Access can do.

Throughout my career, and specially during my time in Miami, I had the fortune to work a lot with Latin America based clients, global companies that have their Latin America offices in the United States and local businesses that have clients in Latin America. That ignited my passion for international business and multi-cultural relationship building. Moreover, I discovered that I was good at it too. During my time in Miami, it was my international revenue that grew the most year over year. I attribute that squarely on being able to relate and discuss business matters on my client’s own terms. Not just language, but understanding the subtle differences between dealing with different nationalities, adding local market context to help on their decision making, and presenting our various solutions using examples they could relate to in their own markets.

One day while browsing LinkedIn I saw that Priority Pass was looking for a Business Development Manager for Latin America. After reading the description, it felt right. After a few days, that gut feeling that I should reach out about the job posting, would not go away. I consulted with my family and the response was unanimous, no harm on checking it out. And if it is the right opportunity, let’s take that leap of faith.

I did not want to even consider the position without first talking to someone first. After a few unsuccessful attempts to connect with someone, I had moved on. That was until I received the Priority Pass monthly newsletter. As a last resort, I replied to that email with a message about my interest about their posting from a few days ago. I was not expecting an answer. To my surprise, after a few minutes, someone sent me an email. The email had the contact information for the Human Resources manager in the Americas.

I did a lot of research on Priority Pass and with that information, crafted a business development plan. I sent it to our HR manager to introduce myself and to ask if we could talk more in depth about the role. That is how I got my foot on the door. From there things progressed from phone conversations to an interview, and after some negotiating, an offer.

When I received the offer, it was obviously exciting, but also one of the most difficult decisions of my professional life. I was genuinely happy where I was, how could I think about leaving? For me, it came down to playing it safe or taking a leap of faith. On one hand, I could stay in FedEx and continue on a safe trajectory. I was comfortable and as long as I put the effort and brought results, career advancement and job stability are a guarantee. In the other hand, I could take a leap of faith and step out of my comfort zone.  Go where I did not have all the assurances and structure that FedEx provided.  However, I could be involved in the things I was passionate about: travel, loyalty and Latin America. I remembered a quote from the great Steve Jobs:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become”

Yes, staying was the safe, logical choice, however it was clear that as much I liked it there, it was not fulfilling my own expectations. My heart and my intuition were pulling me in a different direction, and as much as sought excuses not to leave, I ran out of them, took that leap of faith and I accepted the offer.

One year later, I am glad I did. Our leadership is extremely supportive, my professional network is full of incredible people that are leaders in the industries I am passionate about, and from whom I learn every day. As a group, we are in solid footing and growing which is exciting and more than anything, I am happy. I am now knee-deep in all the things I am passionate about: travel, loyalty, public speaking and Latin America. I have learned a lot too, on topics I am passionate about like travel policy, employee engagement and human resources, travel friction, social selling, digital marketing, loyalty, the payments industry, etc. Has it been easy? Thankfully no. There are challenges adjusting to certain things. Areas where I thought I’d make a bigger impact sooner. With that being said, it’s been an extremely rewarding experience. My leap of faith has been rewarded.

I am grateful I followed my instinct, and jumped. I am a better professional for it. To all of those who are not sure if you should jump, my advice is, if it feels right, I invite you to, as Steve Jobs said: “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition”. I did it, one year ago, and I am very happy I did.

This article also appears in LinkedIn. Thanks to www.chrislifestory.com for the great image.