Turning a Passion Into a Career

The following is an article that ran in the Spring 2000 Marquee newsletter on Penn State alumni David Miles ('67 HR&IM)

Dave Miles, President of the Miles-LeHane Group, a career management firm in Leesburg, Virginia, credits two fortunate chance events for two of the most meaningful turns in his life:  his marriage and a major career change.

The first lucky event occurred over a coffee urn when Dave met his future wife Melanie.  Dave's first job after Penn State was that of a manager for Saga, a food-services company which had a contract at Philadelphia's Immaculata College.  While working for Saga at the college, Dave met Melanie, a nutrition major, who was responsible for the student employees employed by the food services company.  

Saga was later taken over by Marriott and Dave joined Marriott, first taking a job in sales and marketing and later moving to human resources.

The second momentous event which shaped Dave's life came when he was working for Marriott International as Vice President for Sales and Marketing with responsibility for three billion dollars in accounts.  A friend called to alert him that Louis LeHane, founder of a major consulting firm specializing in career transitions, was thinking of selling his consultancy.  Dave's friend suggested that Dave give LeHane a call to discuss the possibility of a buyout.

Dave describes LeHane as the "founder of the entire career transition industry" and as a practitioner of a "holistic" approach to career management, which takes into account family and personal factors in addition to strictly business issues.  Dave fully subscribed to this comprehensive perspective on career management; and when his buyout talks with LeHane went well, he formed the Miles-LeHane Group.

Miles-LeHane offers a unique service to top executives in transition.  Holding contractual arrangements with ten of the Fortune 500 companies.  Miles-LeHane works with these firms to design retirement-transition packages for senior executives being separated from the companies.

Describing a typical comprehensive Miles-LeHane service to a firm retrenching senior executive, Dave says that his consulting group first meets with the firm to structure the transition event.  On the day of separation, Miles-LeHane is on-site.  Typically a senior executive of the firm breaks the news briefly and then leaves the room.  A human resources representative enters to describe the proposed severance package, including access to Miles-LeHane outplacement services.

Miles-LeHane works with the retrenched executive to structure a "career campaign," lasting from a month to a year, during which the executive establishes a financial plan, investigates career options, and refreshes his or he interviewing and negotiation skills.

Miles-LeHane derive approximately one-third of its revenues from its services to executives in transition.  Another third comes from it executive coaching services for executives required to acquire new responsibilities.  And a final third of the firm's income stems from contract personnel services.

An upbeat person in life and in his profession, Dave Miles considers himself lucky to have been able to combine his career with his "passion," personnel and human resources work.  He has extended this focus on his passion to the academic arena as well.  He is completing a Ph.D. dissertation at Washington, D.C.'s George Washington University, focusing on the key factors in enhancing career transitions.  A veteran volunteer for and former president of Penn State's Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS), Dave is currently a candidate for membership on the university-wide Penn State Alumni Council.