Native
Americans used the term rainmaker to denote an esteemed member of the
tribe who could make the heavens release much-needed water. But the metaphor
extends to Carole Hyatt, who generates the opportunities and resources required
for success and sustainability. Noted lecturer, bestselling author and career
consultant to thousands through her international Carole Hyatt Leadership
Forums, Hyatt believes that in today's fast-paced, internet-driven world,
everyone in business needs to function as a rainmaker.
"Women, especially, need to learn to take responsibility for creating their
own career path or they'll hit the proverbial glass ceiling early on," says
Hyatt. She believes women can count on having at least seven different career
titles over a lifetime, adding, "They'll need to be prepared to reinvent
themselves and be courageous about it."
Hyatt grew up in suburban Queens, New York, with great dreams of becoming an
actress. As a child performer, she had a role in "Showcase Review," a local
touring company that visited schools and hospitals, and she came to know Helmy
Kresa, Irving Berlin's music arranger. Hyatt swears she belted out Berlin's
"Anything You Can Do" well before Ethel Merman got the song.
In time, her dream of performing evolved into using theater as a way of
reaching and educating children. At 22, with friend Paul Libin, she formed The
Peppermint Players, performing musical fairy tales in several New York City
theaters and touring the Eastern Seaboard. In the '60s, CBS saw the productions
as a way to reach a growing market of children under 12, and Hyatt negotiated a
one-hour special of the stories. Peter Pan Records got on board and recorded the
stories, ultimately selling more than a million records, and McGraw Hill later
distributed films of the group's performances.
Realizing the impact of TV and other media on children's audiences, she
wanted to provide the networks with a basis for developing educational programs
for children. "This was in the late 1960s or early '70s and banks wouldn't lend
to women," Hyatt says. Ultimately, her brother signed for her first loan, and
she found a partner in June Esserman, a social research scientist.
They began Hyatt-Esserman Research Associates, specializing in the design of
research projects focused on women and children, working with Fortune 500
companies, government agencies and philanthropic organizations. "Among other
things, we pioneered following women into the work force, identifying the issues
and capacities they brought to the world of work," says Hyatt. Their reports
were often cited by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,
Fortune and Good Morning America.
Hyatt and Esserman worked together for 18 years, growing the company to a $5
million enterprise in the '70s and '80s, when Esserman died suddenly of a heart
attack at 52. Devastated by the loss of her partner and friend, and weary of
trying to persuade traditional corporate clients to take chances on changing
trends, Hyatt sold the company.
She spent time with her husband, Gordon, and daughter, Ariel, in their homes
in New York City and the Berkshires, worked on her books, sorted through what
she'd learned from her seven different career titles and began to envision
another venture: a solo business to educate and counsel high-achieving women,
using virtual partners and virtual staff.
In 1996 Hyatt incorporated the Carole Hyatt Leadership Forum, blending her
background and abilities with what she calls the next step. "The Forum's
'Getting to Next' workshops address critical issues among talented and
accomplished women who've decided to change the direction of their professional
or personal lives," says Hyatt. "Over the past 11 years, we've become an
international forum to stimulate thinking, exchange ideas and provide counsel
for women who are reinventing themselves."
Sold-out workshops and lecture tours all over the world attest to Hyatt's
strong following. Her books--The
Woman's New Selling Game, Shifting Gears, When Smart People
Fail, and Lifetime Employability--based on case studies and
interviews, have sold to millions throughout the world.
"This is a smaller business than I had before, bringing in a net of $350,000
or so each year," says Hyatt. "But I'm having so much fun helping women become
visionaries and pioneers--rainmakers in their own careers."