When the going gets easy...

It had been my intent to close out that phase of my life, but I've still got the itch. I used to say that when the going gets tough, the tough may get going. But, when the going gets easy, the white knights split. Since then, "white knight" has apparently taken on a new connotation, as reflected in this chat room excerpt:

"If you go to nerd forums you see the same thing, only regarding women. They refer to it as "white knight" syndrome, whereby fat, sexless nerds go to insane lengths to defend the "honor" of the girls who hang out there (typically to attention-whore). Nerds make it even more blatant because they are so desperate for female acceptance, but it's really the same social signaling."

I'll have to find a new metaphor but, whatever you call it, the "itch" is that I've always enjoyed taking over a failing business, turning it around, and growing it into something significant. I also liked to start businesses, but the bigger the challenge of an existing organization in trouble, the more satisfaction there was in flipping it. Not that doing a start-up is a walk in the park.

A turnaround is risky and stressful. When I took one on about four years ago, I told myself it was a human service thing more than a business, but that didn't alter how I approached it. I also told myself it was my last quest. I gave myself two years to right it and then go on automatic pilot. The first part worked out. The second part; not so much. Hard to back off the throttle.

There had to be others who managed the trick, so I looked for success models. I found people who had sold off successful businesses they started or acquired and went into a different paradigm, like academia or government, or getting lost in a big corporation. That didn't seem to be the answer. Most were driven crazy by it. They didn't fit the mold.

Then, I saw a newspaper article about Ed. He had had several companies, although the article wasn't about that. However, it did reflect that he was out of that scene and had gone cold turkey. I called him and invited him to lunch. I wanted to know his secret. I wanted the answers.

He had none. He had remarried a couple years ago and part of the deal was that he divest himself of the business and the 55-hour weeks. Seemed like a good idea at the time. But, not now.

"I know myself," he said. "Which means, I know you, to some extent. It's like water skiing. If you're clipping right along, there may be things flying at you, but you're up. If there's no speed, you sink. Challenge, risk and stress isn't your problem. It's your air. Go find another challenge."

Maybe he did have the answer.