So, brand new day, same old dreams...
So much to share, and at the same time, it's just the same old life and the same old dreams... to make a positive difference in the world around me - and in the lives of those I know.
So, with the announcement of any acquisition such as the one that we have gone through, there is always some concern. The overall vibe in the company is neutral to positive.
One of the concerns that has been voiced by several people is, "is our leadership going to change"?
That touches my heart... I love that people trust our intent.
Of all of the things that transpired last week - I gotta tell you - that is one of the most special for me - hearing the affirmation not just that our strategy and company was valuable - but also hearing that people value what we bring - on a personal level.
One of our teammates sent this into our "WOW" email (that highlights special contributors)...
This may be perceived as “brown nosing” or “sucking up”….that’s not my intention, and I hope it doesn’t come off that way ultimately, but I’m okay with the perception if that lets me relay how I feel at the moment.
3 years ago….a baby as EMG tenure goes…I sat in an orientation, with a bunch of PM’s, and Nestor gave us a welcome speech that confirmed what I knew in my first interview…this was the company I wanted to be a part of.
He put his cell number up on the projector and said “call me if you need anything”. In 3 years, I’ve come to believe that he meant that. As we go into the new, scary, unknown, I believe that Nestor’s number is still on the projector.
It’s a leadership style I’ve never known before, didn’t believe before I saw it, and now believe is real. To be very mainstream and modern, I say #inNestorweTrust….WOW to him, for leading us into everything our future may have to offer.
This was something that ALL of us accomplished... I make it a point to have a session with EVERY new person that comes into the company. I want to "set the tone" and really "set an expectation" for them about me and about the company. I LOVE that people remember that... I say to them, "This is a conversation, a relationship that starts today and goes on for the rest of our lives... and I am committed to doing the very best that I can to help you take meaningful steps toward your dreams..."
Last year we hired nearly 200 new employees. It's eveyr month a discussion with a handful of people... and I keep thinking... "does it make sense" - and truly, I don't know if there is anything that I do, that is more important for the company, then "setting the expectations" for our new employees. Not the expectations of them (though there is some of that) - but the expectations they should have of me, of our leadership, and of their experience with our company. Imperfect - yes... but deeply committed to evolving, growing with each person in it.
And, I mean it! I only wish I could help make a bigger impact - and at a faster pace.
Nothing has changed - other than perhaps just a little bit - that promise or objective that I set last year when I turned 50... that I wanted to CHASE it less... and BE it and LIVE it more... I think last week helps me really move meaningfully from chasing to living...
The thought crossed my mind last week - as it all became so very clear...
It's not about ARRIVING... It's about STRIVING... It's about REACHING... It's about LIVING...
For so much of my life - I wondered what was on the other side of that invisible wall... and, I now know...
Just the same amazing life with most of the same wonderful challenges... I am just as imperfect as I was a few days ago... ;-) Just a little more accepting perhaps of my imperfections.
There is no "arriving"... as an objective for a life.
There is simply a "being"... as an objective for each moment.
HARMONY... It SO works...
Nestor