Day One as EO Chair: A Moment for Gratitude and Recognition

This post is for anyone who has found themselves stepping into very big shoes, hoping to be ready to fill them – or at least, wear them without stumbling. Today is my first day as the new global Chair of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and it is one of the great honors of my professional life to be asked to serve this global network of my peers. I am mindful, however, that I have very big shoes to fill.

Friend. Colleague. Champion. Wingman.

That is who our outgoing Chair, David Anderson, is to me. He is the guy I have turned to quietly, at board meetings and other events, and found an ally in vision. He is a visionary for EO’s future potential, to grow exponentially over the next 10 years and help move the world forward through our collective will to create, to build and lead. Dave has been that way for many of us who serve this wonderfully diverse and decentralized community of entrepreneurial change makers, with 16,500+ members in more than 60 countries. While I will certainly have my own insights and vision to share in coming posts, taking a conscious pause… a breath…a moment of gratitude and recognition for my predecessor… feels like the right thing to do.

I have been preparing for this role for the past year, as I have shifted from being my peers’ Chair-Elect to their new global Chair. Though I have launched, built, owned and sold my own business, doing the work of readying myself to lead a global board of high-performing entrepreneurs is a new kind of challenge that I happily embrace. This transition -- from Dave to me as EO’s Chair -- began gradually, but in earnest, this past January, when we met in New York. From that point forward, Dave leaned into my potential and spoke about a higher vision for this wonderful, 35-year-old organization to reach more, serve more, and deliver higher value to more businesses and families.

We believe that we can move the world forward by unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurs. By unleashing whatever perceived barriers or gaps may be holding us back from applying our full talents and tenacity, we can create opportunities for others, and leave the world a better place. This is our shared purpose.

Sometimes, I joke that Dave is my wingman, even though he’s been the pilot and I’ve been the co-pilot steering EO during this past year. He’s been there at my side, coaching me, guiding me, and propping me up for success, all while working 24/7 for our network, being a loving husband and father who is involved in his kids’ baseball games and first professional steps, and still running some key accounts for his behavioral marketing agency, Off Madison Ave. I secretly believe that Dave’s days are longer than 24 hours.

Thanks to him, and the equal support of my fellow Board Directors, and our outstanding professional staff colleagues, I am ready for this opportunity. I have the confidence. But if there's one small concern whispering to me in this moment of change, it is not having Dave as my wingman. He will remain a part of our network, but retires from organizational leadership to enjoy the gifts of EO membership.

Though I am Swiss, I am familiar with the time-honored tradition of U.S. presidents who, on their last day in office, leave a letter to their successor wishing them well, across party lines and personal disagreements. If all politicians spent their last term in office transitioning the way Dave has with me, the world would have a lot fewer problems.