Bob Gerst spent weeks building one report. His managing partner kept three pages and threw the rest in the wastebasket. What Bob learned in that moment — from the man who hired him — shaped the next 50 years.
That man was my Dad, Jim Peek: Bob’s first boss and lifelong mentor.
My dad read the same poem every morning for half a century. He was passed over for partnership twice and never turned bitter. In his final days he could still recite that poem from memory. I’m releasing this episode the week before Father’s Day — and it is Bob’s tribute to the leader who taught him what resilience looks like when the work doesn’t go your way.
Today Bob is president of HR Transitions and host of the People in Transition podcast.
In this episode, Bob and I explore:
- The poem my dad read every morning — and the two instructions inside it
- “Look at what you have. Not what you don’t have.” — the wastebasket reframe
- How HR earns a strategic seat when it’s still called overhead
- Why even a VP of 10,000 can feel qualified to run a team of 5
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Action4Traction™ — Take one this week:
1. Identify your “poem on the breadboard” — the belief that has carried you through your hardest seasons. Write it down and put it somewhere visible.
2. Name one person who modeled resilience under pressure for you. Send them a message naming one specific thing they showed you.
3. In transition: write down the three capabilities that made you effective in your last role. Read it before your next interview.
Talk4Traction™ — Bring one to your next team meeting:
1. Who has modeled responding to setback with forward momentum — and what did that look like?
2. When your team doesn’t get the outcome you worked toward, where does your first conversation go?
3. Where do leaders in your organization most need to understand the business from the ground up?
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Together, we’ve got this!
Janyne
Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janynepeekemsick/
Connect with Bob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobgerst/
About our Guest:
Bob Gerst began his career as an auditor — until one recruiting season changed the trajectory of his life. Recognized early for his rare ability to spot, develop, and inspire talent, he made the leap into HR and never looked back.
Over the next four decades, Bob became a transformative HR leader across industries spanning national real estate, global financial services, Las Vegas hospitality, and international agriculture. He guided organizations through mergers, built HR infrastructures from the ground up, and led teams across continents — always with a people-first approach.
Today, as president of HR Transitions and host of the People in Transition podcast, the “Job Transition Professor” is dedicated to one mission: helping job changers land faster, smarter, and with greater confidence. In every sense of the word, Bob Gerst is a builder of people.
#YourAuthenticExecutive #5REdge #ExecutiveLeadership #Resilience #HRLeadership #JobTransition #DadsDay
Your Authentic Executive Podcast
Authentic Leadership | Profound Stories | Proven Lessons
Hosted by Janyne Peek Emsick, Ph.D.
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Thank you so much to Kimberly Cappellano for taking time to deliver such valuable insight to fellow executives!
Follow her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-cappellano/
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