๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐: ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ญ
โ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ช๐๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐.โ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฑ:๐ฏโ๐ฐ
Yesterday, after walking our two golden retrievers with my wife, I checked my email and calendar like I always do. Seeing that it was October 19th brought me back 39 years to when I was a relatively new financial analyst covering the U.S. automotive industry for Kidder Peabody, one of the great firms I had the privilege of working for.
On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6%โstill its largest one-day percentage decline in historyโexposing unprecedented volatility and just how interconnected global financial markets had become.
As I reflected further on that day, I remembered so many conversations I had with my more senior colleagues in the weeks that followed, wondering if I would lose my job and what I might do next. Having just left the safer confines of economic consulting, I kept hearing that incessant internal voice saying, โJack, you should have stayed in consulting.โ I was 32 years old with a two-year-old daughter and another daughter on the way. Her due date? October 19th!
But 39 years later and with Godโs grace, I view that emotionally difficult experience through a different lens, recognizing that every career brings with it challenges and uncertainty, but also opportunities for personal growth and transformation. That’s because I was blessed with some truly extraordinary mentors at Kidder Peabody: George Boyd, our Head of Research; Teddy Johnson, our Head of Institutional Sales; and prominent industry leaders like Roy Burry (Beverage and Tobacco), Bob Hageman (Metals), Steve Albert (Homebuilders), and Arnie Snyder (Pharmaceuticals). Each of them went that extra mile to calm my fears, share their wisdom, and coached me long before I could fully appreciate what a gift their mentorship would be to my professional development.
Those lessons of Black Monday would help me navigate later crises: the 1989 mini-crash, the 1991โ92 recession, Long-Term Capital Management in 1998, the tech bubbles collapse, the Great Recession, and the global pandemic of 2020.
So, to anyone facing a challenging economic or market environment for the first time, my advice is simple and proven over time: Reach out to your managers, peers, and mentors. Lean on their experience and wisdom. They can be like your best guardian angels, helping you find perspective and strength when the path ahead seems uncertain.
And when you get through it, pay that kindness forward and be there for someone else who needs you, just as George, Teddy, Roy, Bob, Steve, and Arnie were there for me 39 years ago.
Wishing my clients, fellow coaches, colleagues, and friends the gift of Gods abundant blessings, Dr. K 
PS — My daughter Katie decided to wait until November 4th to enter this world and what a special gift she has been to our family. I’ve lost track of how many times the late Arnie Snider asked me on our morning research call between October 19th and November 4th “Jack, did Jean have the baby yet?” and I would say “No, not yet” and then the day came where I said “Yes Arnie, we have another daughter named Katelyn” and then everyone on the call and in the room clapped and cheered — just an incredible memory!
#ExecutiveCoaching #CareerCoaching #Mentorship #Resilience #KidderPeabody
