3 Ideas I Picked From a Pile Became Law 6 Months Later!
Once upon a time, Walt Kicinski called and asked if I’d be interested in working in the New York State Governor’s office.
While I’d been job hunting, I didn’t know Walt, and his call was a surprise. He described the role, and I told him I was definitely interested.
I interviewed and was hired, starting the new job three weeks later on the first business day in January.
After a few days in my new job, Walt gave me a ten-inch high stack of documents and said, “Why don’t you read through this and see if anything jumps out at you?”
The pile contained letters, reports, and whitepapers that had been sent to the Governor proposing one idea or another.
Three ideas jumped out at me
They involved international business transactions outside the reach of state and federal tax laws and banking and insurance regulations. Making the proposed changes wouldn’t reduce revenue and might permit jobs to move onshore and into New York.
I shared my analysis with Walt, and he said something like “see what you can do.”
Six months later, the Governor signed all three bills into law
After considerable work with my colleagues and agency officials, three bills were introduced in the State Assembly and Senate. We negotiated amendments, and the bills passed the Senate during the last night of the legislative session.
Governor Carey signed the legislation and singled me out for praise. It was exhilarating!
I Learned Some Valuable Lessons
This experience of operating without a net and working with people I didn’t control set the pattern for my career as a corporate maverick and intrapreneur. Here are a few lessons that might help you.
Lucky and Smart: Somehow, in a brand-new job, with no equivalent experience, I picked three good ideas from a pile and achieved unbelievable success. I wasn’t a banking, insurance, or tax expert, but had a kind of intuition that has always been there.
Supportive Environment: I had a supportive boss and colleagues who were willing to help. I was free to act and asked for, and received, help whenever needed.
Influence Others: I learned that I could work with and influence people who didn’t work for me and who had their own needs, opinions, and objectives. By just taking the next step, and the next step, I was able to get folks aligned around a set of ideas and bring them to fruition.
Trust the Process: I pursued this project without expectations. Following Walt’s lead, I developed and pursued these ideas without even considering whether approval was possible or what success might mean for my career. I simply worked them and stayed out of my own way.
Find a New Job: Success like this was not likely again. I learned it was time to take my learnings and move on to another job. This experience did set my career expectations very high, and it’s been necessary to take the not-so-good with the great while staying humble in the process. Those are stories for another day!
If you find this story interesting, let me know what questions you have and especially what you’d like to know more about. And if you’re trying to achieve unachievable things inside your organization, please share your experiences.
Thanks for reading!