Success on Your Own Terms: 6 Promises to Fire Up Your Passion, Ignite Your Career, and Create an Amazing Life

"An incredibly authentic 'view from the top' from a leader who has never forgotten his roots, and in fact has used them as a competitive advantage."
--Kim Davis, managing director, TENEO LLC, former president, JPMorganChase Foundation

"The message to the next generation of leaders needs to be 'embrace your passion.' This needs to be reinforced...in business and life. James Rosseau is on it. I have seen James lead teams of people with gentle, dedicated, and passionate direction. He is a leader who garners respect. His words will inspire."
--Mark Berman, president, Mallett Group

Passion comes from inside. Stoke it.
Setbacks happen. Find your way around, over, and through them.
Be willing to receive, then give back. Pay it forward.

Many people—perhaps four out of five or more—are dissatisfied with their jobs. Why not pursue a dream?

It’s up to you to create your custom-tailored career and define success your way. But how? Combine your burning passion with drive, determination, strategy, and commitment to pay it forward; find and nurture mentor support, stay steady on your path, and see the fireworks. SUCCESS ON YOUR OWN TERMS  will show you exactly how to do it.

Living parallel lives as a Christian hip-hop artist/producer and a Fortune 100 executive and author, James Rosseau has merged the streams of his dual passions to make a difference in his own life and the lives of countless others.

Learning to make and keep six promises during his diverse career, Rosseau now shows anyone in transition, looking for a change or ready to act on their passion how to do the same:

1. Embrace your passion. Don’t discount your dreams. Return to that childlike fascination you once had and find a way to spend your work and life passionately.
2. Perform to progress versus perfection. Don’t become paralyzed by perfection or the pursuit of it. Instead, perform to progress toward your goals and dreams, celebrating each small step along the way.
3. Promote with purpose. Let people know who you are in a way that is personal and purposeful -- not a slick self-promoter. People recognize and reward those who stand confidently in their strengths authentically and purposefully.
4. Parlay your platform. Your ‘platform’ is the station in life you’ve achieved thus far. It is the sum total of all your efforts in honing your talents and skills. It may not be where you want to be yet, but it’s yours.
5. Put it into action. Keep your eyes and ear open to see when opportunity knocks. Be alert to it and be aware. Take action on the four steps that lead up to this as earnestly and as often as possible.
6. Practice philanthropy. Give. You can never go wrong giving, even when no one hears about it. So many of us have benefitted from the gifts of others, and you’ll never know what your small, or even not-so-small, gift might mean to someone in need, be it a coworker, a friend, or even a boss.

Through his personal stories, lessons, setbacks, and triumphs—from the neighborhoods of North Philadelphia to Fortune 100 boardroom—Rosseau reveals new possibilities in an inspiring blend of smart strategy, hard work, and willingness to connect to help others.

James is the CEO of The Corelink Solution, a mission-driven non-profit organization focused on revitalizing communities by empowering individuals to reach their career potential. James has more than 20 years of professional experience in the financial and retail industries. He most recently served as the Chief Commercial Officer for LegalShield, where he was responsible for products, brand advocacy, organizational alignment and strategy for the company. He joined LegalShield in 2014, creating LegalShield Business Solutions and serving as its president, driving three consecutive years of substantial growth. Prior to LegalShield, Rosseau launched the Affinity Solutions brand at Allstate Insurance Co. and served as its president. He led revenue growth through the creation of new distribution partnerships with several corporations, including United Airlines, Intercontinental Hotels, and Bass Pro Shops. As a senior vice president at JPMorgan Chase Card Services, he was responsible for driving member and revenue growth through partnerships with more than 250 companies. He also served as the HR Service Delivery North America Executive while playing a key role in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, offshoring and numerous operational and technology transformations. Rosseau serves on the Board of DeVry University and is the author of Success on Your Own Terms: 6 Promises to Fire up your Passion, Ignite Your Career and Create an Amazing Life. He holds an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, where he also serves as an Executive in Residence for 2018. He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

Billy Dexter is a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and is a member of the Global Diversity Advisory Services practice that assists clients in creating diverse leadership teams. Billy works across all industry & functional groups in developing inclusive solutions as it relates to talent acquisition & leadership development. Billy also serves as a member of the financial services, human resources practice, & board of directors practice as well. Some of Billy's clients include Marsh McLennan Companies, Capital One, WW Grainger, Travelers, Lowes, NY Life, Allstate, and Huntington Bank .Prior to H&S, Billy was Executive Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer MTV Networks, a Viacom company. As EVP/CDO, Dexter partnered with MTV Networks senior leadership to create and develop strategies that further Diversity & Inclusion throughout the global company and to identify new ways of enhancing existing initiatives across multiple platforms. For over 20 years, Dexter has been a leader in talent acquisition & diversity/inclusion related efforts. Prior to Viacom MTV Networks, Dexter was President of Hudson Inclusion Solutions, a business division of Hudson Highland Group (HHG) a diversity consulting practice he founded within Hudson Highland. Dexter also served concurrently as Chief Diversity Officer of HHG and worked closely with Human Resources to create an inclusive culture. Earlier, Dexter was Vice President for Diversity Recruitment initiatives for Monster Worldwide, former parent company of HHG. Prior to Monster Worldwide, Dexter worked for Deloitte as National Director of International & Diversity Recruitment Solutions and Motorola as Director of Global Talent Acquisition & University Relations and started his corporate career as Manager of Talent Acquisition at United Airlines. Dexter holds a B.A. in Education from Saginaw Valley State University and a Master's degree in Administration from Michigan State University. In 2010, Billy completed the Harvard Business school executive education certificate program and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council. He serves on the board of directors of Teen Living Programs, Metropolitan Club of Chicago, Link Unlimited, National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, Executive Leadership Council, Goodman Theater and NFL Players Association. Billy has also received numerous honors over the years but most recently Chicago United named him as a 2009 recipient of Business Leader of Color. (SHRM) Society of Human Resources Management named Billy one of the "Top 100 Global Diversity Thought Leaders" in 2008-10. Savoy Magazine awarded him with the trailblazer award and recognized him as one of the Top 50 African American executives in 2010 and Uptown Professional Magazine recognized him as one of the "Top 100 Corporate Executives" in 2012. Also in 2011, Billy received the Distinguished Alumni of the year award from Saginaw Valley State University. Billy lives in Lemont IL and is a avid golfer and loves to travel the world.