Kirk Thompson has worked in a lot of different environments (that’s him working underwater in the photo above). He’s worked in government, big corporate, small business, as an entrepreneur, and as a volunteer and philanthropist – always applying his education and ever-growing experience as a data analyst to enhance corporate strategy and build a successful career. Kirk also happens to have been around in the very earliest days of the V-REEL™ Framework when I was first using it as a tool to teach strategy. He joined me on the podcast to talk about how he has built a dynamic career and also to talk through what’s next for him after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated his home and business in St. Croix in 2017.
“The world is a dynamic place, and things change,” Kirk said, quoting one of the five big answers I offer my students as a fundamental truth they can lean on when other answers to exam questions aren’t coming to mind.
Kirk has experienced a great deal of change throughout his career, some changes he pursued. Others happened but might have been avoided had he known a little better or had just a bit more experience. Still others, like two hurricanes in one year, were entirely outside his control. And that’s life. The world is a dynamic place and things do change. Kirk embraces that change. He acknowledges foibles as learning opportunities and has done a very good job of thinking strategically about himself in order to build a resume and a career in which he can bring increasing value to the world. And, because he is intentional and he does take the time to take stock from time to time, thinking ahead about what’s to come, Kirk has a resilience that is enabling a long, rewarding career.
This episode is about one person’s effort to build a career and a life with intention. I talked to Kirk about how he made career choices, how he responded to inevitable changes, and what grounds him as he figures out the path forward after the storm. I, of course, put it all in the context of the V-REEL™ Framework in hopes that it might help you organize your own thinking toward a long, rich, value-creating career and life.
This episode is particularly poignant in light of the devastation underway in the wake of Hurricane Florence. All who are suffering unimaginable losses are in my prayers. The world is dynamic. Things change, sometimes in horrific ways. Stepping back to think about what you have to work with after the storms of life can bring the hope of possibility. Perhaps Kirk’s insights will is one year out from the storms he endured and, as you’ll hear, despite having a rich set of personal resources and capabilities he is still struggling to articulate a plan. That’s to be expected.