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We have been blessed with the opportunity to serve hundreds of CEOs since we started our leadership advisory business.
Our clients lead Fortune 1000 enterprises, mid-market companies and smaller, growth businesses.
We continue to grow with them and learn from them. So, in this new series, we will share the best leadership advice that one of our CEO clients has received.
Today we will feature Nate Ungarean, CEO, AIM Recycling.
It was my first job, one I did not deserve, and I was working for one of the wealthiest guys in the world as a ‘financial analyst.’ Title, as it turns out, didn’t mean squat.
I sat in my new office for a few hours on the first day. No computer, no pen, no paper. Just a desk and chair. Finally, my new boss walks in, drops a pile of folders on the desk, and turns around to walk out.
Me: “What do you want me to do with this?”
Him: “Make it make more money.”
Me: “How?”
Him: “Figure it out.”
Me: “What if I can’t?”
Him: “You’re fired.”I don’t think I saw him for another month or two after that. Probably one of the more pivotal moments in my career. My lesson: no one really knows the answers. There’s no plan B.
You’re here if you can be relied on to solve problems and do hard things. Dive into the details, ask lots of questions, grind, hustle, make the picture clear, and use whatever you can at your disposal, no matter how limited your tool set is. Don’t complain, don’t say you can’t, you don’t need anything more than what you already have … FIGURE IT OUT!
I can assure you the job got more and more interesting from there. Over time, I realized how much he and the rest of the senior team enjoyed seeing if I was still alive in the lion’s den the next morning.
I really enjoyed finding out too, which eventually led me to an entrepreneurial journey that keeps me on my toes and enjoying the next challenge.