The Daisy Chain: Trusting the Turns in a Nonlinear Career
In his 2005 Stanford commencement address, Steve Jobs famously said:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”
It’s true – and I believed it long before I ever heard that quote. My own nonlinear career path has unfolded more like a series of unexpected links than a straight line.
A Daisy Chain, Not a Ladder
In my case, I’ve always described it as a daisy chain. If I hadn’t done A, I never would’ve stumbled into B. And if B hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met C. Sometimes the links are obvious. Other times, they look like detours or wrong turns, until they bloom into something transformative.
My career has never followed a traditional arc. I didn’t set out to become an executive at a global marketing agency. I simply kept saying yes to things that intrigued me: roles that spoke to my curiosity, creativity, or conviction that I could add value. And somehow, that path led me from Barbie to James Brown, from film production to artist management, from AOL UK to SW14 Group, from New England to actual England.
I recently gave a presentation to colleagues at AGM called “My Accidental Career” that traced how those steps unfolded organically through music, food & wine, film, travel, tech, and a whole lot of serendipity. But looking back, what strikes me most is how coherent this nonlinear path became.
Each Chapter Added Something
What sometimes felt random now reads like a playbook for modern leadership. Each chapter added depth:
- Strategic range across industries and platforms
- A global perspective, sharpened by time working abroad
- A bias toward innovation, often defining roles and building teams that didn’t exist before I took them on
- Management experience in both scrappy startups and complex corporate ecosystems
- A clear-eyed understanding of brand, audience, and business growth
- The ability to distill experience into insight for others, honed by public speaking
Importantly, some of the most grounding links in the chain weren’t forged in corporate settings. Heading non-profit organizations and holding leadership roles within mission-driven groups taught me how to align diverse stakeholders, stay focused on purpose, and collaborate effectively across perspectives. Those skills continue to shape how I operate in business today.
What the Daisy Chain Teaches Us
That’s the real beauty of a daisy chain. Each moment counts, even the ones that feel like tangents or pauses at the time. You don’t have to know where it’s all leading. You just have to keep moving with intention, curiosity, and the confidence that it will make sense in the rearview mirror.
If you’re navigating a moment of uncertainty or reinvention, I see you. Know this: you don’t need a perfect plan. You just need to reach for the next link in the chain.
Curious about “My Accidental Career” and other kinds of talks I give? Here’s my speaker bio.
Featured image courtesy of Kim Leary via Digital You Photography
