Meet Tom Darrow | National leader in the Human Resources and Career Management professions

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Darrow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, how do you think about risk?
Life is full of risks. They stretch us. They help us reach higher heights. Sure, we’ll fail sometimes but that can be a positive in the long run too. As I’ve learned as an entrepreneur, failure is inevitable. The key though is to fail fast and fail forward. Usually failure appears it’s ugly head at some point. The sooner one can self-correct, the less the failure will have a negative impact. It’s also critical to learn from the mistake and move forward in a more educated and determined manner. I read one time that someone surveyed people who had turned 100 years old. They asked them, “if you had 100 years to do over, what would you do differently?” Three over-riding themes emerged: 1. They would spend more time with family and friends. 2. They would do more in their lifetime that will last beyond their lifetime and 3. They would take more risks. I think as we age, we learn that failure when taking a calculated risk is more worthy than not failing because we didn’t shoot for the stretch goal. Wisdom from age/experience tells us that even in failure, life goes on. And, when we risk and succeed, those are the pillar moments that actually define our life and legacy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own two companies. Talent Connections, LLC provides HR Executive Search services. We’re 22 years old and have placed over 1300 HR professionals. Career Spa, LLC is 12 years old and teaches people who are unemployed and misemployed how to manage and optimize their career. With both companies, we have a wonderful gift of a platform to help a lot of people. I’ve always felt that it’s a blessing to be a blessing. We love being a blessing to our clients, candidates, team, profession and community. We give a lot of our time, talent and treasure. Giving has a ripple effect. A gift of any size and type can grow and create immense good and forever ripple. It’s interesting too that when one gives, there is a little ripple effect that comes back to the giver. That’s called JOY. It’s not good to give to get the JOY but the JOY is important as it incents the giver to give again and give more.  My team and I love to give and look for opportunities at every turn.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to places that I think they would want to go to and experience that they would enjoy experiencing…not take them to places that I just want to go to. It’s like the Five Love Languages. Find out what the other wants and do it for them. I would also want my friend to visit our home and enjoy some rest, good food and drink and rest. We are blessed with a comfortable home tucked away in the mountains of Western North Carolina with a majestic view. I bought the property 26 years ago when I was single and 32, I designed the home and had it built 25 years ago. It’s a special sanctuary and I love share it with others.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jim Hartsook was my first boss in HR and longtime mentor. Jim helped show me what’s most important in life: faith, family, hard work and giving back.  He continue to inspire me and others every day!

Website: www.talentconnections.net www.careerspa.net

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdarrow

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thomas.m.darrow

Other: www.mountainmajesty.com