Navigating Success Through Determination Featuring Clifford Harrison
Sep 25, 2023
Dr. Rick Arrowood
Are you ready to hear a tale of extraordinary resilience? Meet Clifford Harrison, a former Foundation Year student and now an esteemed professional at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Juggling the demands of early parenthood while striving academically, Clifford's narrative is an inspiring testament to the power of sheer will and determination. This episode also explores the value of networking and seizing every opportunity, providing listeners with real-life insights into achieving success.
We'll delve into Clifford's journey, where he cleverly navigated his way to success. He'll recount how surrounding himself with smarter individuals and learning vital life skills from his basketball coach spurred him on. Clifford emphasizes the significance of mentorship, community service, and staying true to your purpose - all ingredients of his recipe for success. As a cherry on top, he'll impart the wisdom he would share with his seven-year-old self about the life ahead, a conversation not to miss. Tune in today and discover the extraordinary leader within you.
Are you ready to hear a tale of extraordinary resilience? Meet Clifford Harrison, a former Foundation Year student and now an esteemed professional at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Juggling the demands of early parenthood while striving academically, Clifford's narrative is an inspiring testament to the power of sheer will and determination. This episode also explores the value of networking and seizing every opportunity, providing listeners with real-life insights into achieving success.
We'll delve into Clifford's journey, where he cleverly navigated his way to success. He'll recount how surrounding himself with smarter individuals and learning vital life skills from his basketball coach spurred him on. Clifford emphasizes the significance of mentorship, community service, and staying true to your purpose - all ingredients of his recipe for success. As a cherry on top, he'll impart the wisdom he would share with his seven-year-old self about the life ahead, a conversation not to miss. Tune in today and discover the extraordinary leader within you.
Welcome to another exciting edition of the Leader Brew, where we catch up with former students and learn about their journey from the classroom to the real world. And I have to say that I am very excited with today's guest, a former student from Foundation Year, we think, about 10 years ago, give or take and that's Clifford Harrison, who is currently working at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council in Cambridge, commonly referred to, I think, in the media quite a bit as mass bio. So you know, I have to say first of all, welcome and it's so good to see you again.
Speaker 3:
Yes, it's a pleasure Dr Rick you have. I was thinking about this intro for you and I said Dr Rick is one of the more influential professors that I met at Northeastern during my time at Foundation Year. There was one thing that you said to me on your way out of the door and it was network your ass off. And I said okay.
Speaker 2:
Oh, doesn't that sound familiar? And I'm sure for the students who are listening to this now, this episode, they're certainly being reminded of that, because I do think that's, you know, that's really important. And I recall, finally, my time in Foundation Year. I recall you and so many other students and you know you just had this thing about you and I have actually followed you over the past decade or so, so I'll see some of your journey. Mostly it's been, you know, through LinkedIn post. It's been really exciting to see someone who is, you know. You just seem to be taking on life and you seem to be doing it with such joy and purpose and passion. I'm kind of curious what is it like in those early days in that Foundation Year program for you? What was kind of going through your mind?
Speaker 3:
Well, you know, to be honest, you may or may not know or remember, but I wasn't your traditional student, freshman student, foundation Year student. I came into the program with a newborn daughter and I was competing with daddy duties and classroom responsibilities every day and it had its rewards, you know. Obviously. You know, being a young parent it grows you up very, very fast. You know, the flip side of that was I wasn't able to attend certain gatherings with my peers and because I was always casted in a leadership role if you remember Carla Kent, who's no longer at, or with Foundation here or with a Northeastern University she was constantly putting me in leadership opportunities, speaking engagements and it that also grew me up very, very fast. So you know, I kind of hit the ground running and that's just been the trajectory of my professional and personal career.
Speaker 2:
You know, when you were in that sort of beginning stage of Foundation here, where did you think life was going to take you? Oh gosh, I was at more about how am I going to get the money to pay for the diapers of my child, and who's going to be said. You know what was kind of going on in your mind at that point.
Speaker 3:
You know, one of the questions that I had was is this program like? Can I get a stipend from Foundation here for attending? How quickly can I get a job, work, study? I think was also one of the top of mind inquiries Just not typical questions coming from a, you know, a freshman student that is just looking to, you know, go through a program that is very rewarding.
Speaker 3:
Having taken place on the Northeastern campus, I didn't have too many expectations. To be completely honest with you, this was an opportunity that I said this is probably my last opportunity and if I don't take advantage of this, I don't know what else is out there for me. And I for sure didn't want to be statistic to you know, just to be completely transparent, young black in the community, kid out of marriage, you know, no job, really just trying to figure things out. And I said this is my opportunity and it was, and I treated it as such. So that you know there really was no expectation and I think, as we go through this interview, a lot of what I am doing today is still very much unscripted. I don't know, I truly don't know.
Speaker 2:
Well, it's so true, because in doing these leader group podcasts I truly don't know either, and I think that's the beauty of them, it's just. And actually when I go into the classroom I will sometimes admit I truly don't know, even then, because I really do enjoy that opportunity for people to just be organic. You know, as you were talking about essentially, you know seizing the day, carpe Diem. What sort of advice would you give someone out there now that you know in front of them is the opportunity? But sometimes you know recognizing it is relatively easy. It's not until you actually acknowledge it and you say, hey, this is my time. Like how do you pull that out of someone other than just sort of shaking them? You know how do you do that.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, you know I only like to speak for myself and you know, when it comes to advice, I say the best advice is to just not take advice. It's your life, they're your experiences and you are going to handle them as you see fit. You know, of course you will be mentored along the way. You'll be coached if you are coachable.
Speaker 3:
But you know to your wise words. When you know I was an unfamiliar, unsuspecting student going through foundation year, you pulled me aside and said network your ass off. And that. Nothing more, nothing less. And I just said, yeah, you know, you are like a blonde demigod that just fell out the sky and is like. You gave me some of the best advice that I still hold on to to this day.
Speaker 3:
And you know, outside of just networking, you never know what an opportunity or how far an opportunity is going to take you and I really do think it is up to you to take it as far as you want to take it. And you know, if you feel like you have squeezed it to a point where there's nothing left to gain or give, another door may open for you, or you go and figure out where the next door is and then you just start that whole process all over again. I've always disliked I won't say hated, but I've always disliked when you know. I was told growing up you need to know where you want to go and what you want to do.
Speaker 3:
That's not how life works and I think that I'm a prime example of you know unscripted is a great way to figure out who you are, why you are and when you are. Because if you, if you, move according to what someone is saying you, how you should move and where you should go, there's not a lot of room for discovery and curiosity and creativity. And I really try to live my life based off of that unscripted nature, because I want to be the best that I can be at the end of the day, and the only way to do that is to do uncommon things. You know, go places that you've never been before, experience you know new landscapes, meet new people, and I just think that that is probably the best advice that I can give to, again, unsuspecting, unknowing students that are just trying to live their lives, and I think that's what we're trying to do is just live life.
Speaker 2:
I think you're absolutely right. You know, when we talk about this whole concept of networking and I'll say to students, listen, you can have as many LinkedIn connections as you'd like, but there's a couple of parts of that. One is you need to build those relationships, sustain the relationships and then, you know, really get engaged with them. And sometimes what I'll see with some students is this resistance, this hesitation.
Speaker 2:
Swiss psychologist, carl Jung, said it perfectly you know, what we resist persists and I think, in terms of that networking concept, that's exactly it. You know, to some extent perhaps we are afraid to reach out to someone within our LinkedIn database because and we come up with a multitude of excuses because we haven't talked to them in years, we haven't had any communication with them, and so all of these issues really pop up. I'm curious to know how you've navigated building and really sustaining those relationships over the years. I mean so my advice to you was get out there and network, network, network. But there's the next evolution to that, which is how do you balance keeping those relationships lively and timely and current? And even if you've not been in touch with someone for 10 years, how do you get over that anxiety of reaching out to them?
Speaker 3:
Right to again to your wise words network your ass off. I mean, as you said, you have been following me throughout the course of, say, eight to 10 years since my time at Northeastern, and I believe that that was because of the impression that we both made on each other and it's like I took a like into this kid. Let me see what he's up to. And I can't say for every person in my network I have a strong relationship with for the most part professionally you have to. I work in the world of business development. So much of my world is to make those LinkedIn connections and see if I can get someone's attention. There is a skill to that. But for the most part, I take my brand seriously and I try not to burn bridges. And you never know who you are going to come into contact with five, 10 years from now. It could be the person that you said, hey, yeah, I've tried not to swear. Hey, you know, puff, you know that. However, many years ago, and now that you are launching your career or launching your personal brand, those people may come right back to you full circle and they will remember that. And my wife early on, when we were kids, she was wise beyond her years. She said to me don't burn bridges, don't ever burn bridges. And for that reason it has made the world of social media, specifically LinkedIn, because that's the only social media that I have it's made functioning in that world a lot easier.
Speaker 3:
The worst thing, the last thing I'll say, dr Wiggins, the worst thing someone can say is no, and if you're getting no online via LinkedIn messenger, who cares? That shouldn't ruin your day or put you in a bad headspace of man. That person doesn't like me, they don't like what I'm selling. So companies are, there's a hierarchy within every company and if one person says no, chances are the next person that's also on that same team will either say yes or be interested enough to take a meeting, and that's all it is. I've had people C-suite level employees tell me no and their assistant on the same team will come and say yeah, we'll take the meeting and they're like all right, perfect, really appreciate that and we'll go from there. But that's how I try to interpret those LinkedIn cold outreaches. The worst thing that anyone can say is no, but keep knocking. Eventually the door's gonna open.
Speaker 2:
I love that. You know, as I'm listening to you, there is an absolute authenticity that's coming through, that's passion, and you know this excitement for life and I'm telling you that's one of the things I remember about you after years and it's still there. It's meant to be getting bigger. Let's talk about your work in the community, because that's certainly a major part of your platform, whether it's on the scholarship committee, ev kids or Nativity Preparatory School. So tell me about how you made that transition into high nonprofits. I'd love to help you.
Speaker 3:
I actually started as a resume building tool, you know, just inquiring on how to join boards. And you know, believe it or not, I faked a lot of my experience as I was growing up in my professional career. And when I say fake, you know I would lead the people that I'm trying to get a meeting with to say, yeah, I can do that, believe me. And you know, whether or not it was my presentation or my speech, they believed it. And because they believed it, I believed it as well. And I never wanted to fall flat on my face and sometimes it worked, but most times, I mean, sometimes it didn't work, but most times it did work, because I was just driven to succeed and I truly did not want to fail and I say, if I had the opportunity to walk into a room, I belong there and no one's gonna tell me, no, you don't belong there. And you know, given enough time, I will figure it out. And that's really how I treated early on in my career how to get from point A to point B. And then it became oh, you know, cliff does have the experience, cliff can speak to these things, cliff can lead in these areas. You don't need to be an expert at any one thing or everything you know. You surround yourself with people that are smarter than you so that you look like you know what you are doing and you know you obviously contribute in any way that you can.
Speaker 3:
But it's always been important to me to give back to my community and you know one of the ways that I enjoy doing that is on, you know, serving on boards.
Speaker 3:
Ev kids close to my heart, nativity Prep, my alma mater middle school that I went to, and the experience and the opportunities that come just from, you know, serving on a board are so gratifying.
Speaker 3:
You get to, and at least with me, I think I feel like my skill set has been in that world of mentorship and just trying to connect young talent to job opportunities, job placement. I think you know Professor Raj was another influential character in my life where she liked to refer to me as a social glue. You know, cliff, you always seem to be at the center of something happening. There's something there and you need to figure out what that is and I, you know, I'm confident 10 years later to say I know exactly what she saw, because I'm thriving in that now and the glue for me now is to give back to my community and again just to connect people with resources. So that's always been high on my list. I have a voice and I have a choice to you know keep the door open and also help others go through that door. You know, it's not enough to just walk through the door yourself, because that in turn is actually closing off other people from going through that door.
Speaker 2:
So I hear you as certainly being this cohesive force for others around you. You know a connector, someone who's really out there with a full commitment to make their community better, a father, a husband, I mean the list goes on and on. My question would be how do you or do you have that balance, sort of that quiet time that you can be reflective and just be about Cliff?
Speaker 3:
It's a good question. My wife absolutely hates the fact that I can't turn it off. I cannot turn it off, but I think it's that that keeps me going, and when you live in your purpose, you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing.
Speaker 3:
There's nothing to turn off. There's nothing to turn on. You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing, and for me, that's everything. For me, that is coded in my DNA, that's my genetic makeup. If I'm not giving back to my community, if I'm not putting a smile on someone's face, if I'm not having a meaningful conversation or meeting someone new, doing something new, learning something new, at those points I don't feel fulfilled, I don't feel a sense of purpose, and that's when I will make time to myself to sit in my chair and say, all right, well, what am I doing wrong? What am I supposed to be doing that I'm not doing? That I really need to be doing? Those are the questions that I ask myself.
Speaker 3:
But I'd rather be than not be, if that makes sense. I'd rather be doing everything that I am supposed to be doing every day, even if it is tiring. I'm exhausted at the end of the day. That's not even just from a professional standpoint. I love the relationship that I have with my kids and my wife. That also is high on the priority list of things that Cliff needs to be doing. It's living in my Jell-O.
Speaker 2:
I love that that might be the title of our podcast Living in my Jell-O. This is absolutely wonderful. One of the questions that we like to ask all of our guests on this show is what would you tell the seven-year-old what's ahead in life?
Speaker 3:
I tell him definitely not basketball. I had hoop dreams and a lot of people in my corner thought that I was going to go all the way and if you were to talk to the seventh grade cliff, he would tell you everything about the game of basketball. But what I would tell that kid is everything that you have learned on the court is what is going to transfer off the court. It's not how you dribble the basketball, it is how you listened and was coached on how to dribble the basketball. That's what translates into life. You know just a quick, quick story about that.
Speaker 3:
Basketball was taken away from me and, as a result, I had to pivot from the game of basketball, the thing that I love the most. I mean, you couldn't tell me. My own mother couldn't tell me that I wasn't going to play basketball. I said I am playing basketball, I am going to the NBA. You know, you couldn't tell me anything. But all of the time and the energy that I put into learning the game, little did I know it wasn't to actually play the game, it was to perform off the court in life. Take those leadership skills, take those team building skills, you know, take the work ethic and the competitive edge. Apply all of those things into what I am doing today and trying to grow in, even as a young professional, young dad, young husband, friend, mentor, all of that. You know all of those things, those skillsets that I learned on the court, that's what is now being used at a very, very high level. But would my seventh grade year old self listen? Hell, no, he would not. He'd still say, yeah, I'm playing basketball, I'm playing basketball.
Speaker 2:
Listen, that is absolutely wonderful. I have to say honestly, this has been an amazingly awesome catch up. I can't wait to catch up with so many other students along the way, particularly my foundation year students, and I'm just so grateful to have been a small part of your life and anytime you ever need me, you know where I'm at, definitely.
Speaker 3:
I appreciate the time Walker. It's been awesome, awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2:
All right, terrific. My very best to you, so thank you. This has been another wonderful edition, I think, of the leader Rue, and we look forward to hearing your stories from the classroom to the real world.
Speaker 1:
Take care From the classroom to the real world. We hope that today's Leader-Pru podcast ignited the extraordinary leader within you.
