It used to be that when I was asked what I do for a living, I would say I was a business development officer. The typical response was a polite smile, but rarely a follow-up question.

I had a similar problem describing my job to my children, who gave me the same careful attention I get when I explain the importance of cleaning their rooms. I developed a recurring nightmare about appearing at career day at their school. The other dad, of course, has a much more interesting job, and in the middle of my talk, the kids start chanting: "We want the fireman!"

All this is now behind me, though, because I have finally found a way to explain my profession—and in a way that makes it sound as exciting as it is. Nowadays I simply tell folks: "In my job, I get to be Christopher Columbus, Henry Kissinger, James Bond, and sometimes even Keith Richards."

Each day part of my job includes the environmental scanning that is necessary to assess threats and opportunities to my company. Like Christopher Columbus, I look to discover new opportunities that lead to growth and profitability. I believe in the New World even if other members of the corporate team are afraid to leave the shore where they are secure. It is my job to manage the risks and develop the business cases that justify expending the organization's resources. I also watch regulatory, technology, social and demographic change like navigators of old watched the wind, weather and stars to search for safe routes and safe passage.

The James Bond analogy may be a slight stretch since I do not have (or want) a license to kill. But with all the NDAs I have signed in my life, and the legal documents that I have had to review, you can be sure that my inner spy is alive and well. A business development officer is often required to gather the data necessary to address requests from different business units. Working with the business group to clearly define a goal or strategy allows you to develop a plan or approach and there is no better feeling than completing a difficult assignment.

My greatest satisfaction is when I am in the role of Henry Kissinger. All great diplomats have extensive networks that are built on trust. The ability to grow and maintain that network across multiple, sometimes competing constituencies is critical. Every part of business development is built around relationships and every relationship is built around finding common ground. Many of the people that I sat across from at a negotiating table have not only become trusted parts of my network, but friends as well.

OK, so where does Keith Richards fit in? Well, all of us in business development have had those days when we eat lunch from the vending machine and dinner at a five-star restaurant. We have spent endless hours reviewing documents with revisions on top of revisions on top of revisions, and watched the sun set and then rise through the same office window. Those are the times that we end up looking a little like Keith Richards.

But even that isn't so bad. Just remember to freshen up before you go to career day at the elementary school. — Russell Clarkson

Russell Clarkson (rclarkson@sagetelecom.net) is Vice President, Strategic Planning & Business Development at Sage Telecom Inc.

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