Lessons Learned...

Having just completed the toughest, both mentally and physcially, year and a half of my life, I am left with some lessons that will stay with me forever. They were imparted to me from multiple sources - those within my company, as well as clients and vendors. The are not specific to one line of business or industry, but I know I will continue to utilize them:

1) It's not what you say, but how you say it.

2) If you are debating including someone in communication, include them. Best to hear (see) it from your mouth than someone else.

3) No matter the context, there is always a client and there is always a vendor; respect that relationship and define who is who in every setting.

4) Sometimes, the person on the other end of the phone or email just wants to hear, "I understand."

5) If you can't define how "progress" is or can be made, you are wasting your and your client's time.

6) There are no two better words than "trusted advisor".

Stories for Boy(s)

Well, we have a music lover on our hands. Each time Jimbo gets strapped into the car seat in the Santa Fe, "Dance! Dance!" are the first words out of his mouth. What is he diggin' on these days? U2's Boy. How awesome is that! We always start at the beginning of the tape, and he has just started counting off Edge's "1-2-3-4" at the beginning of "I Will Follow". He doesn't have the verses down yet, but he has the "If you walk away, walk away, I'll walk away walk away" down pat.

Next, Pearl Jam...