The Blueprint

Introduction

The Raw Materials of Change Are Already within You

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

—Arthur Ashe, American tennis player

“Your job has been eliminated. Clear out your desk by noon.”

Those were the words that changed my life. In the spring of 1984, when I was 32 years old, I drove to my job as the director of marketing for the Parker Brothers Toy & Game Company in Beverly, Massachusetts. I can remember the commute vividly. The salty sea air wafting off Boston’s North Shore filled my senses. A snap of wintry briskness lingered in the air but there was a whisper of warmer weather to come. It was a beautiful day, serene and promising. I felt good. Sure, our company had recently changed ownership, and things had been chaotic, but I was still confident in my ability to contribute. I walked into my job that day energized, expecting to put in another honest day’s work moving things forward for the organization.

When I arrived, I was asked to report directly to the office of the VP of marketing, who was fidgeting nervously and waiting for me outside his door. Gravely, he asked me to step into his office. He was having trouble looking at me, his eyes darting around at everything else in the room – landing on inanimate objects like his stapler, the doorknob, his chair – anything but me. Despite his strange temperament, I had no idea what was coming. Once we were both settled in his office, he fired me immediately, and with barely an explanation. ...