Daniele Forni
Jun 8 4 min read
The lion must be proud of my hair
Yes, I know. I have not publicised much that I left HSBC three months ago.
Monday I have finally taken the classic shot of me next to the lions (the bronze pair guarding HSBC's headquarters), like any respectable ex-HSBC employee must do.
Why did I leave?
I left because I truly realised that I do not belong in corporate anymore. The bureaucracy, the frustrations of delivering large-scale projects, the technology that always seems not to be working.
Of course, the tattoos, earrings and long hair were external evidence that I did not want to belong, or was willing to compromise. But a steady and large salary was enough motivation to keep me going.
So I pretended everything was alright, whilst silently creating a crack between my internal identity and my external one...and guess what? It was just a matter of time before the bond between the two started to break down. And all I needed was a trigger.
Unfortunately that trigger was health: a combination of mine and my family's. Last year I had to take time off, measuring my blood pressure every day and taking new medications. For the first time in a decade I had to spend 4 weeks off work to recover. And that time forced me to re-assess what the hell I was doing, and, most importantly, why the hell I was doing it.
The result was simple: I realised I needed to get back control of my life and my health.
So, f*ck it, I quit.
What do I do now?
Well, it is complicated, mainly because the last three months have been really wild.
I was supposed to start a new job in London, but I did not want to continue the same life.
For the past decade, I had been coaching senior managers at HSBC (you will find some of them now on its board and in companies across the City), and I thought to myself: could I make this into a career?
Not that I knew at the time what executive coaching was... It took me a year at Cambridge to realise that was what I was doing.
I have always been the person who says what everyone is thinking but is scared to say out loud. I have always been the challenger to the status quo, asking the difficult questions. I have always been the creative one looking outside the box.
As an employee, these are terrible traits. But as a coach...this is exactly what you need.
And there you go, I found my "vocation": I could be authentically myself, and helping people find their true self and excel at their job.
The solution was simple: changing the focus from me to others.
And, apparently, I have been doing it quite well (or so they say!)
Final self-reflection
Yes, I have given up steady money. Yes, I have given up stability. But I have found myself more fulfilled and free to pursue my goals.
Fast forward three months:
My coaching practice is coming along quite well, with happy clients and new ones every week.
I found the time built an app for coaches and people who want to self-develop (not public to everyone yet, more to come later in the year!). And,
I have accepted my new role as a holistic healer.
My life is now dedicated to helping others achieve their goals and feel better about themselves - there is no better feeling than seeing someone else succeed, while knowing that you helped a little bit.
If you want to know more about personal transformation, I would love to talk. Send me a message and let's organise a coffee chat!
The "F*ck It, I Quit" Zodiac
♈️ Aries: The corporate box is officially too small for you. Your natural urge to say what everyone else is scared to say makes you a terrible employee but an incredible catalyst for others. Stop compromising and start challenging the status quo.
♉️ Taurus: You love the comfort of a steady, large salary, but pretending everything is alright is taking a toll on your health. It is time to trade the golden handcuffs for a life where your external and internal identities actually align.
♊️ Gemini: Your communication skills are your true vocation. Shift your focus from delivering bureaucratic projects to organizing coffee chats that change people's lives. The transformation happens when you start listening and guiding.
♋️ Cancer: A health trigger, whether yours or your family's, is the universe forcing you to hit pause and take time off. Use this space to completely reassess your path and embrace your emerging role as a holistic healer.
♌️ Leo: You have taken your obligatory photo with the corporate bronze lions; now it is time to leave them behind. You do not need a massive corporation to validate your worth. Lead by helping others find their true, authentic selves.
♍️ Virgo: The bureaucracy and broken technology of large-scale projects are draining you. Channel your analytical mind and urge to build into something meaningful, like developing your own app to help people self-develop.
♎️ Libra: You have been silently creating a crack between your internal identity and your external one. It is time to drop the disguise. Realign your outward expression, tattoos, earrings, and all, with your internal truth to find real harmony.
♏️ Scorpio: You are primed for a radical "f*ck it, I quit" moment of rebirth. Let your old corporate identity break down completely so the executive coach and powerful challenger can rise from the ashes.
♐️ Sagittarius: Your pursuit of knowledge, perhaps a year of study or deep self-reflection, has finally clicked into place. You have realized that guiding others to excel at their jobs is the ultimate adventure you have been seeking.
♑️ Capricorn: You have spent a decade dealing with senior managers; now, redefine what success looks like. Your real power lies not in climbing the corporate ladder, but in coaching the people at the top of it.
♒️ Aquarius: You have always been the creative one looking outside the box. Do not hide your rebel spirit just to fit in. Use your unique, unconventional perspective to innovate and build tools for personal transformation.
♓️ Pisces: The solution to your frustration is simple: change the focus from you to others. Lean fully into your empathy. There is no better feeling for you than seeing someone else succeed and knowing you helped them get there.