After nearly seven years to the day, I have made the difficult decision to step away from the Savant/ACTIVE group, with this week being my final hurrah.
The recent merger between ACTIVE and Savant has been an exciting chapter of the business's ever-growing story, and I could not be prouder of how the team and business have reacted. A big thank you to the ACTIVE team members who made me feel welcomed and valued.
On reflection of my time here, I have learned, grown, and been challenged in more ways than I could have ever imagined, which is exactly what I hoped for when signing on with the business! I can confidently say there are many business challenges that we have faced, and given the experience I have now, I may have handled those differently, but I am proud to say there are very few instances of people issues I think I would change.
Empathy, morality, and supporting good humans appear to have been a winning approach for our team. I have always been a firm believer in employing smart people to do smart work, creating an environment to empower them for growth, and supporting them to be the best they can be on any given day. In this role, I have been privileged to have experienced both sides of this.
I would like to think my greatest achievement at work is that my efforts in this space will make a lasting impact on the culture and people of the business, (which I quietly think is a free hit to myself, given the rockstar calibre of the ever-growing team we have in place). Not a bad effort from someone who learned 99% of their management skills from Michael Scott on The Office.
Between multiple locations, varying ownership structures, rounds of funding, policy reform, wholesale market collapses, emerging tech, and much more, it truly has been one fun ride and one that I would do ten times over! A special thank you to Darren Lines and Dan Porter for their endless support, fun, and friendship over the years.
As for what is next, it is time for a quick personal break to become the ultimate Olympics armchair expert before seeking out the next long-term challenge. If anyone in my network has anything they think might be interesting, even if it is a bit left field, please reach out (once the Olympics are over)!
What a fantastic and innovative idea! We take great pride in helping business owners relocate to Tampa.