I must be honest. I have been blessed in life. I may have had to walk some difficult roads but after everything I count myself blessed living a life riddle with grace. This blessed life had me face a decision that was not easy to make.
Quick reflection…
Its hard to measure a life, I don’t think life should be measured by the fun you’ve had or how much you enjoy, sometimes its hard to take hold of the things that really matter. I don’t think it should be measured by the size of you wallet, I know plenty of people who have wasted their lives chasing money having lost everything in the process. I also don’t think life can be measured by a single attribute. Life is more beautiful than that, more intricate, more like a diverse tapestry instead of a colourful piece of cardboard.
In the movie “The Bucket List” Morgan Freeman says that you should measure your life by those who measure theirs against yours. I love this quote. It reminds me that people mark your life, in good ways and bad. They impact you, challenge you, inspire you, mentor you and basically shape the person you become.
I am surrounded by great people. That’s why I count myself blessed. My son is the light of my life, my fiánce is truly the most exquisite person I have met, DigitLab is packed full of the most dedicated and talented people and TomorrowToday is the wisest counsel I have been privilege to sharpen my mind against.
So whats the hard decision?
At the beginning of the year it became clear that my time working alongside the TomorrowToday team was coming to a close (at least for a season). It was sparked by a growing realisation that I need to be more available for my family and the team at DigitLab. These aspects of my life have grown and were demanding more of my attention. I’m glad they’ve grown, but it was hard to make the decision to step away from the most astute team of people I have ever worked with.
Keith Coats has been my leadership mentor and guide through many of the toughest leadership challenges I have ever faced. Graeme Codrington has this incredible ability to sharpen a persons thinking in every circumstance and has been the inspiration behind many tough conversations I have been in. Vicky has been the never-ending support and Jude must be the master at managing virtual teams always bringing calm and fun to every situation. Above all, they are my friends. We have nursed each others failures and celebrated our success, we have spent many evenings around the fireplace solving the worlds problems and even more time building into each other. These are people I would measure my life against.
It is this unique team of individuals (with many more great people in the TomorrowToday UK office) that is shaping some of the biggest companies in the world (Seriously! Look at their clients). Their insight, passion and live’s are dedicated to helping executives direct their organisations into the future.
The details
As of the 1st April 2014 I am no longer a Partner at TomorrowToday. I will remain an associate and will be called on to deliver work to TomorrowToday clients that I am working with. No existing client projects will be jeopardised.
As I step into DigitLab in a full time capacity I am very excited to realise new opportunities in my capacity as CEO. So watch this space, DigitLab is still bent on making a massive difference in the Digital Marketing arena.
In the last three years Darren Young, Steve Gardner, Meegan Rourke and I have been working hard to build DigitLab. We have been privileged to work with some of South Africa’s greatest companies, been nominated as one of the Top 6 South African digital agencies (#humbled) and launched an agile agency service including digital research, social media marketing, mobile app development and design. All underpinned by a strong combination of creative, consumer and technical strategy. If this is what we could do in the first three years I am seriously looking forward to the next three. What a team!
The hardest decisions you make in life will most likely make the biggest impact on your future.
