"If you didn't take no for an answer, I would not be in this position today."
Those were the words of an executive I recruited years earlier for a C-suite position with a professional sports team.
When I first approached him about the opportunity, he wasn't interested.
He believed he already had the better job, with the better brand of sports team.
I saw something different.
The Risk He Wasn't Considering
One of the advantages of my years in executive search was the perspective I gained from working directly with organizational decision-makers. I learned first-hand across numerous organizations the dynamics behind leadership transitions, organizational changes, and executive hiring decisions.
In this case, both the candidate and I knew that a change in ownership was coming at his organization.
Anyone who has experienced a change in ownership, executive leadership, or board composition knows how unsettling it can be.
Sometimes those changes lead to significant restructuring. New leaders bring different priorities, expectations, and ideas about who should be leading the business.
In professional sports, where C-suite opportunities are relatively limited, that can create particular challenges for executives who unexpectedly find themselves looking for their next role.
My candidate knew the ownership change was coming. But he believed his position wouldn't be affected.
He declined the opportunity I presented.
We hung up, and he went back to work.
The following day, I called him again.
"I think you're making a mistake. Here's why."
I challenged him to consider what might happen if the ownership change affected his position.
He was confident he would be fine. But what if he wasn't?
What would his options look like then?
And what might he be overlooking by dismissing an opportunity that was available to him now?
He agreed to reconsider.
Shortly thereafter, he accepted the position with another professional sports organization, in another city and a different sport.
He took the risk.
What Happened Next
Several years later, he contacted me with news.
He had accepted an offer to return to his original team in an elevated role. It was what he described as his dream job.
And he told me:
"If you didn't take no for an answer, I would not be in this position today."
His former organization had gone through the executive restructuring we'd discussed. In hindsight, he acknowledged that his position would have been affected.
But because he'd been willing to consider a different path, he had continued growing professionally and ultimately returned to the organization he loved in a role he might never otherwise have reached.
Staying Is a Decision, Too
I've encountered many executives who are reluctant to consider change because they're comfortable where they are.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being comfortable. Nor is there anything wrong with being loyal to an organization or wanting to build a career in one place.
But comfort can make it easy to overlook risks or dismiss opportunities without fully considering them.
And sometimes the changes we don't initiate are the ones that have the greatest impact on our careers.
I'm not suggesting you should spend your evenings worrying about when the next organizational restructuring might happen.
Being present and finding satisfaction in your work matter.
But so does remaining aware of what's happening around you and being intentional about your future.
You don't have to be unhappy where you are to consider what else might be possible.
What's Your Change Plan?
Think about your own circumstances.
Is there change on the horizon at your organization?
Are there shifts in leadership, ownership, strategy, or business priorities that could affect your role?
Are you growing in the ways you want to grow?
Have you become so comfortable that you've stopped considering opportunities outside what you already know?
And if circumstances changed tomorrow, how prepared would you be?
Having a change plan doesn't mean you've decided to leave. It means understanding your options, maintaining relationships, recognizing your value, and being willing to consider possibilities you might otherwise dismiss.
It also means being clear about what success looks like for you, rather than assuming that the role or organization you're in today must remain the right one tomorrow.
When I originally wrote this article in April 2023, I was working in executive talent management at Activision Blizzard. The company's acquisition by Microsoft was still pending, and there was considerable uncertainty about what the future would look like.
At the same time, I was beginning to contemplate a change of my own.
I was in the middle of my executive coaching certification program, and the idea of eventually launching my own firm was beginning to take shape. I didn't know whether I would actually do it, much less when.
But I was asking myself some of the same questions I'd encouraged that executive to consider years earlier.
What did I want next? What might be possible if I was willing to consider a different path?
A year later, I launched The Catalyst Executive.
Looking back, I recognize that having a change plan wasn't necessarily about knowing where I would end up. It was about giving myself permission to consider something different before I knew exactly what that might look like.
The executive in my story eventually returned to the organization he'd left, but with a different level of experience, perspective, and opportunity.
My path led me to build something of my own.
Neither of us knew exactly where our decisions would lead.
Sometimes the grass really is greener. But you won't know if you're unwilling to look.