25 years old, 25th wedding anniversary. Anything you celebrate that you did for 25 years is a pretty big deal. This week my Vistage Members joined me to celebrate my 25th anniversary of being a Vistage Chair and the party was awesome. A KEY Member* hosted at the LA Athletic Club in the Blue Room – a speakeasy up a skinny staircase from the 3rd floor decorated with memorabilia like a display of old tennis rackets and a tower made of books. There was music and drinks and appetizers and joy all around.
Before we finished, I did the Vistage Chair thing – I had to say something. I thanked everyone for coming and spoke of what a joy and honor it is to this work, to work with them to be better leaders and build better companies. Of course, they did not let me off with that. They spoke back to me. The appreciation and thanks was overwhelming. Humbling. Emotional and deeply felt.
There are moments in your life where your soul fills up to overflowing. This was one for me.
I’ve put one foot in front of another for 25 years doing this crazy work in the space in between. In between what is and what could be. In between who my Member is now and who they need to be next. In between scared and successful. Some days I/ we are just average. Some days we break through to awesome. Being good today just sets the floor for tomorrow and next month and next year.
I love this work and I love the people I have the honor to work with. My Members, my fellow Chairs, the Vistage team that supports us behind the scenes, and my family who get the least of me during meeting week. I feel like I had an Irish wake without having to die to get it. I just had to walk up the skinny stairs to the Blue Room.
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*Thanks to Vistage HQ for funding the party.