I read the news this morning that a friend and colleague, Rachel Jacobs, lost her life in the Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. I am shocked and saddened at the passing of such a bright and kind spirit. I was lucky enough to work with Rachel on a few products she was (trying to) incubate at our last company. I had been with the organization for a number of years and sometimes felt like Radar to her Hawkeye. I helped her source what she needed in an organization that was becoming increasingly siloed. She came with a fresh perspective and a deep need to make the world a better place. Her vision excited me–the first time in a long time–and yet–for one reason or another–not uncommon in business–nothing happened. It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. The last time I saw her earlier this spring, just before we both left the company we worked for, we met for coffee. We discussed what really made us happy, and how to affect change when there was apathy, or downright antipathy, to what you were trying to do within an organization. We talked about what made us stay, or why we might leave. She left for what appears to have been her dream job. I can only hope that she was immeasurably happy as she rode that Amtrak train home to her husband and young son. The world has lost a brilliant and kind soul.
