COLLECTIVE WISDOM ISSUE NO. 4 APRIL 23, 2021 |
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Monthly news and views from The JAG Collective alliance of experts, innovators, and thought leaders. |
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OVERHEARD AT THE CAFE “As entrepreneurs, we need to build relationships beyond just the project work. The JAG Collective is actually a reflection of this. Everyone on this team was a business connection at one point or another, and now look at what we're building together." —Ilka Jordan |
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: TODD NICHOLLS The journey to achieve professional fulfillment and success is not always linear. Many of us start down one path — gaining knowledge, skills and experience — then build on this foundation to move in a new direction and completely transform our careers. The seasoned professionals of The JAG Collective understand this concept all too well, which led to some lively discussion at our recent Collective Cafe meeting. The highlights from our guest speaker are the subject of this issue of Collective Wisdom. Presenting his unique story of transformation, Todd Nicholls shares his journey from small town boy, to global head of IT for Eileen Fisher, to his current entrepreneurial venture as Executive Coach and IT Strategy Consultant. Todd's story reminds us how each experience, which may seem insignificant at the time, plays a role in who we will become and how we choose to pursue personal and professional fulfillment. |
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"My personal life, background, education and professional career all come together to speak to who I am and where I am in this moment." |
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THE ROAD TO SELF-DISCOVERY Coming from small-town blue-collar roots, Todd was the first member of his family to attend college. Without having role models to guide his choices in pursuing higher education and a corporate career, Todd learned to figure things out on his own. Turns out, that was not a bad strategy for achieving personal fulfillment and professional success. Along the way, Todd's intelligence, work ethic, curiosity, empathy and openness to change served him well. He gained skills and expertise at small startups, midsized companies and global corporations. Eventually he landed an executive role as global head of IT for Eileen Fisher. But a few years ago, Todd chose to pursue an idea that had been percolating in the back of his mind for a while. More on that shortly. Back to the journey. |
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ALL PATHS LEAD TO GROWTH Todd's journey unfolded quite organically with plenty of twists and turns along the way. After graduating second in his class in high school, he went on to New York University with interests in languages, math, science and social science. The world was a curious place and he wanted to explore it. Upon graduation, he worked in operations for a small sweater company, where we was given tremendous opportunity to learn and grow. After several years there, Todd decided to move to South Florida to experience something entirely different. After two years working as business manager for an interior design firm, Todd returned to New York and held several more positions, including two years at an investment bank and several years as a tech contractor. It was during his time of self-employment that he gained invaluable experience in serving the needs of his clients from start to finish. |
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"While self-employed, I was involved in the full software development lifecycle. I would understand the needs of the business, propose solutions, and then I would build it, test it, document it, deliver it and support it. This end-to-end experience that I acquired as a contractor became the cornerstone for the next leg of my career." |
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ACCELERATING THE PACE That next "leg" for Todd was to get his foot in the door at Eileen Fisher, just as the clothing brand was growing and gaining in popularity. Joining the company at a junior level in IT, Todd used everything he had learned as a consultant to solve the business challenges he faced in his corporate role. Over the course of 16 years at the company, Todd was promoted five times, grew the IT team from 25 employees to over 50 and became the global head of IT. "I enjoyed a lot of success and learned a vast amount, not just about business, but about change and transformation. I really began to put emphasis and focus on leadership and developing people. I wanted to maximize the people that I had for the benefit of the company, but I also wanted to support each individual's needs, their interests, their growth opportunities, while also challenging them and setting expectations." Despite his success, Todd shares that he didn't always love what he was doing. It took him many years to realize that what he enjoyed most, what he cared about deeply, and what he feels passionate about matters more than anything else in order to sustain himself. Reaching the pinnacle of his corporate career was an accomplishment he was proud of. But working in IT at the corporate level wasn't what he wanted to do the rest of his life. He realized that the next iteration in his career needed to be something he cared deeply about. |
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COURSE-CORRECTING Todd knew he was ready for a big change. He decided to become an executive coach, leveraging his business experience, the valuable executive coaching he had received at Eileen Fisher, and the growth he had achieved through personal therapy. Making a full commitment to his new career venture, Todd took professional training and gained certification. He is now a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) and a Member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). "Today, as an executive coach, the work that I do mostly is connecting with individuals, one on one, creating a safe space for them to be heard, bringing to bear my experience, but also the framework and the tools from my training, and then providing all of this to my clients so they can make the most of it for themselves." |
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CLIENT KUDOS "Todd has a true gift for coaching. He provided excellent tools and asked challenging questions that helped me make a critical career decision in keeping with my goals." —Julie Howard, Innovation, Strategy and Marketing Executive |
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TODD'S 4-STEP PROGRAM Developing a framework that's both simple and robust, Todd offers a 4-Step Premier Coaching Program to help clients achieve greater success and satisfaction in their careers and in life. Over the course of 8 coaching sessions, he works within this 4-Step framework to upgrade his client's business and leadership skills: Step 1. Taking Stock of Opportunities Step 2. Prioritizing Areas of Focus + Goal Setting Step 3. Developing New Skills + Taking Action Step 4. Assessing Progress + Planning Next Steps To learn more about this innovative program, you can book a FREE 30-minute Introductory Call by clicking HERE. |
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Coaching For Results Helping technology professionals build critical leadership and business competencies to accelerate career success and satisfaction. TODD NICHOLLS, LLC COACHING + ADVISORY https://toddnicholls.com (914) 908-5410 |
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Sharing ideas, knowledge, and best practices is what The JAG Collective is all about! Watch for more member profiles in upcoming issues of Collective Wisdom. |
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