Author

carmface9

"Greatness is blind to color, race, religion, sex, politics, demographics, or any other category that could be used to divide people.  Greatness lies deep within each of us.  We just need to be aware of the fact that it’s there and overcome the fears that prevent us from achieving greatness."

 

Carmine Del Sordi is an entrepreneur turned business leader who has significant experience and achievements within Fortune 500 companies that span the consumer goods, biotechnology and information security industries. He is passionate and committed to leading highly engaged teams, in addition to bringing out the personal best in corporate rookies. Del Sordi's strong collaborative skills and tell-it-like-it-is management style have allowed him to thrive on both coasts. He holds a BA from Arizona State University and earned his MBA from the University of San Francisco. Carmine and his wife, Kristin, and step-daughter, Hailey, live in Pacifica, California.

 

"Life often takes more than it gives, when people do all of humanity suffers. Pay it forward."

 

Hello, my name is Carmine Del Sordi and like many of us, I work hard to put forth my best each day. I will be the first to admit that I do not always get it right one hundred percent of the time, but I do learn from my mistakes and have grown significantly as a result of it. More importantly, I hold myself accountable for all actions and thrive through the pursuit of continuous improvement. My passion and commitment towards personal growth is supported by staying true to my core values and letting them influence the decisions I make each day, even the small ones.

The more aligned my choices are to my values of integrity, spirituality, family, knowledge, and gratitude, the better the chance my personal brand will reflect my character, and help to guide me along a truer path. Making this alignment is key to living life with conviction. Without such clarity we increase our exposure to contradiction and becoming derailed.

If you are a supporter of my work, and would like to learn more about me, beyond what's mentioned in my book, Welcome to the Big Leagues, then please read on ...

Despite being raised in a broken home, I was part of a large Italian family in New Jersey where I had the opportunity to learn almost everything about the real world from my relatives. As the youngest male of more than 20 first cousins, I found that learning what not to do in life could be just as valuable as learning what to do. For example, those who harbored the wrong attitude, engaged in recreational drugs, or blamed the world for their problems, never prevailed through life's many hurdles in the way those who exercised personal responsibility, confidence, and a strong work ethic had. Even at an early age, it was easy for me to see how one's good or poor use of judgement became the building blocks of his or her character ... all of the way through adulthood.

Of course I made a few bad decisions on my own, but I avoided many great ones by observing and learning from the mishaps, torments, and regrets of others. From poor investments, business ventures, and assessments of risk, to bad loans, marriages, and relationships, I gladly accepted the new-found wisdom and never hesitated to share what I've learned with those closest to me. I would later find that my experiences within corporate America would be no different.

Having navigated my way through both turbulence and success within three Fortune companies of different industries, I felt compelled to share the most essential tips on how to thrive in the maze. My timing could not be more perfect, as the workplace has evolved to be very a unfair and unforgiving environment, where new college graduates of today must possess a heightened sense of awareness to sustain success.

Think about what may seem like only moments ago, when young adults first leave the nest to attend college. They were emotional times where fear of the unknown and a little anxiety may have passed throughout the entire household. Attentive parents would have helped to ease this transition by making a trip to the campus, sorting out living arrangements, and holding their teen accountable to select classes on time. Solace came from believing their loved one had a secure place to live and class schedule to follow to hit the ground running. To further ease the minds of the young adults and enhance their odds of success, each class came with a concerned instructor and replete syllabus to follow.

It's now four years later and time to face the greatest transition of all ... making it in the Big Leagues. Unlike college, corporate America does not come with a class schedule, syllabus or concerned professor, instead each individual is left to sink or swim, and jumping into the murky waters without a plan is like wearing ankle weights.

Those entering the business world need to be reminded of how to commit to the greater good of the team before promoting self-interests. During this initiation phase, rookies will be labelled, ranked, and put into a box based on first impressions, where seasoned colleagues are eager to find flaws. This fierce competitiveness and quick judgement comes at an inopportune time when most are figuring out how to manage independence outside of the workplace, and yet the pressures never seem to cease on both fronts.

I wrote Welcome to the Big Leagues with a big heart, to steer millennials away from making poor decisions during their leap into adulthood.

Two month's prior to beginning my career in corporate America, I suffered through the greatest tragedy and loss imaginable. Just six weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, my mom took her last breath while embraced in my arms. I was numb, in denial, and felt both victimized and cheated, while too scared to even consider the harsh reality of facing the rest of my life without the support of the one person whom I loved most.

I learned how to survive in public by masking my emptiness and grieving heart behind the facade of a smile, but it took plenty of time and every ounce of energy I had to eventually overcome the intense feelings of despair. I may have been able to heal faster had I sought the use of prescription drugs, but I knew no medication could ever return what I lost, and the only place to lean was towards my inner-self.

When I embraced the belief that I was here for a reason, and realized that the only way to truly honor my mother was to live a more purposeful life, I attracted everything needed to prevail. I just had to be mindful of my surroundings in order to see it.

"Gratitude and a positive mental attitude were the only two supplements needed to enable me to thrive in the workplace, as well as in life."

Everyone faces a unique set of challenges or crosses to bear in life. There are more than 30 million Americans today on anti-depressants to support this claim. I also believe that my triumphs in both career and life will be no different than yours, and aim to reach as many as possible with a timeless strategy that has been proven to work.

The insights detailed in my book, Welcome to the Big Leagues, and The Corporate Rookie Blog, were designed to make readers cognitively aware of the keys to sustaining greatness and living a more fulfilling life. In essence, I'm teaching rookies how to keep their eyes on the ball and knock it out of the park.

Despite our differences in background, social status, and level of parenting, we can each gain the wisdom and build the inner-strength needed to consistently make good decisions, follow righteous paths, and turn our greatest desires into realities.

As one who strives for reaching full potential, I enjoy helping others to do the same. When we commit to personal growth and development, there is zero time to become consumed by hate, engulfed in greed, or succumb to the other evils that have been known to destroy lives. Instead, our focus shifts towards humanitarianism and attracting like-minded individuals. It is said that an idle mind is the devil’s playground so, if bored, pick up a book about someone who lived a remarkable life and then prepare to write your own.

The majority of us do not know whether there’s a quarter, dime, or nickel left in our meter. Therefore, we must view each day as a true gift and never strikeout on the opportunity to be engaged, reflect gratitude, and do whatever we can to help others.

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Hopefully this has provided you with additional insights as to who I am, and why I write what I do. If you enjoy my work, please share your opinions on my blog and forum, and help to spread the good word. Your support is greatly appreciated. Best of luck to you on this amazing journey ... may you always live without regret and to thrive on.