The JERA Story
The JERA Partnerships journey began, as many do, during a period of transition.
After many years working for Fortune 100/500 companies, we had an unexpected chance to pause – take a ‘breather’ – before continuing on to new roles. As self-professed career “corpaholics,” we suddenly found ourselves with a different identity – we were outsiders, looking in.
But this new vantage point came with opportunities for reflection and introspection. During a trip of a lifetime (a vacation to the tennis-Mecca, Wimbledon), we had a brief layover in Iceland, where we discovered the legend and lore of Icelandic runes – ancient Nordic hieroglyphic stones used to share wisdom in their agrarian-based culture. Given how far north Iceland is, it is sometimes blanketed in perpetual darkness or sunlight (depending on the season), which makes planning even more critical for those who depend on realizing a harvest.
The trip was during the summer solstice, where the sun never set, and we were bathed in perpetual light. We felt an immediate emotional connection to the Icelandic runes because each of them held relevant and powerful meaning. And one of the runes spoke to us – it was the Jera rune. Traditionally pronounced “YER-uh,” as in “year,” its meaning is “the anticipation of an abundant harvest as a result of taking planful and deliberate action.”
In this moment, we felt that this was the universe was speaking to us, helping us identify our new path. We had been contemplating starting our own consulting practice and using our skills and experience in strategic planning to change the way the world “works.” Simply, the symbol’s meaning was profound, and it moved us. Why? Because we know that for organizations, teams and individuals alike, “abundance lies within” – there is a deep well-spring of energy, power, and resilience in all of us that is waiting to be tapped. If we bring our best, most-authentic selves to the workplace each day, we have an opportunity to create extraordinary impact and achieve amazing success.
We purchased that JERA rune as a souvenir and – within the hour – we secured the jerapartnerships.com domain name. JERA Partnerships was born.
Four years later, we haven’t wavered in our commitment to helping clients focus on what’s important and get things done. We have expanded our team and capabilities to include more of what our clients are requesting, including Total Rewards, Leadership Development, and Strategic Communications.
We continue to believe in the power of deliberate and thoughtful planning and how it can transform organizations, teams, and individuals. We’re grateful to our clients who have had a part in helping us write the JERA story thus far – and we’re hopeful that we’ll continue to make a meaningful impact on the world and in the lives of all of our clients.