Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Richardson.
Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you for having me.
I grew up in a non-traditional household, due to my parents being divorced and our moving quite frequently. I was primarily raised by my grandmother because my father was not around, and my mother had to work multiple jobs.
I was a bright student but largely unexceptional in most regards. I didn’t follow a traditional education and career path. Instead, I took a job in banking at the age of 19. For over 35 years, I had a career that spanned Main Street to Wall Street and everywhere in between.
After being displaced in 2005, I decided to get serious about my education and earned my bachelor’s degree in 2010. By the end of 2012, I had earned my first master’s degree. In 2017, I began working towards a Ph.D. but withdrew in 2018 due to a major medical issue. I knew I wanted to continue learning but needed help to handle the rigor of 15-25 hours per week of school while working full-time. So, I worked on a second master’s degree. That was awarded in 2019.
And after many years of working hard professionally and academically, this year has been one of the best years of my life as I was finally awarded my doctorate eight days after marrying my wife, Amy Bryant.
Finally, this past summer, I was displaced again as part of a large cost-cutting initiative at one of the nation’s largest banks. That has led me to begin a small consulting firm focused on helping non-profit organizations. It is called 7 Values Consulting. My doctorate program’s applied research centered on leadership effectiveness in the non-profit sector, and this is an area I am fiercely passionate about.
I am on the board of directors for the Samaritan Resource Center, a fantastic organization caring for those experiencing homelessness in east Orlando. I was also a founding board member of Art’s Foundation for Seniors (now renamed The Florida Guardian Support Network) and now chair their Advisory Committee.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been relatively smooth?
It has not been a smooth road, but I wouldn’t change any of it. With my grandmother being my primary support, we didn’t have much. I was operating a shoeshine box at a local men’s barbershop at 10, and that tiny amount of money went directly to our expenses. It’s certainly not the path I’d want others to travel, but it taught me the importance of hard work and gave me a deeper understanding of some of the challenges that families can face through no fault of their own.
Even in my academic studies, there have been challenges. In addition to the health challenges I experienced during the first year of my Ph.D. program, I was also dealing with the end of my 25+ year marriage. And finally, as I was coming to the last semesters of my studies and was a few months away from completing my doctoral work, my mother’s deteriorating health required me to abandon my studies for six months as I dealt with her final months.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to be more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
While my analytical and critical thinking skills are the root of my professional success, I enjoy working with others and helping them grow. In fact, after my displacement last August, most of the support I received was about how I helped others grow and learn. For me, that has reinforced former President Teddy Roosevelt’s quote, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Even now, as I seek my next professional opportunity, I was humbled and honored when my alma mater (Indiana Wesleyan University) asked me to mentor seven first-year doctoral students.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When I was a child, we didn’t have much money. Yet, my grandmother would save her spare nickels, dimes, and quarters so that I could buy a book or two when the RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) truck would come to our school.
Because she was a senior citizen and I was under 10, we qualified for free or significantly reduced fares on public transportation. Almost every Saturday, we would walk a half-mile to the bus stop and take the bus to the local library. She’d sit quietly and let me read whatever I wanted. She would then allow me to find a book to bring home and read for the week. Then, we’d return it the next week and repeat the process. She dropped out of school in the 2nd grade, but I am still grateful for and inspired by these memories.
In fact, my daughter is a kindergarten teacher and for this year’s National Teach-In Day, I wrote a short story highlighting how my grandmother encouraged me to always learn. My short story was called The Curious Little Boy and the Quest for the Magic Hat. I read it to 35-40 students, and they seemed to love it. At the end, I let them wear my “magic hat” (my doctoral Tam) and encouraged them to find their own magic hat whether it was one worn by a first responder, a chef, a construction worker, or a nurse or doctor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://7valuesconsulting.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsonrobb/
- Other: https://samaritanresourcecenter.org/
Image Credits
Photo with wife and our dogs: Secret Garden Weddings of Longwood, Professional Image: Indiana Wesleyan University, Doctoral Photo: Grad Images, Photo with our one dog: Amy Bryant
