Juarez by way of Madison, WI

I can very clearly recall my first trips to Juarez, Nogales, Chihuahua & Hermosillo. Probably the one that sticks out most accurately was my trip to Juarez. Now this really could be for many reasons, right? Not the least of which was the ability to have my first Margarita at The Kentucky Grill…. birthplace of the margarita. Other major milestones would be things like:

-         Crossing the border from El Paso to Juarez

-         Meeting my customer service and sales team in the Industrial Park

-         Having what would turn out to be one of the most impactful meetings with a prized customer on day one

-         Crossing the border from Juarez to El Paso at night for the first time after going to Kentucky Grill

Now maybe these things don’t really jump off of the page as WOW moments but let me tell you they absolutely were and were the beginnings of my ability to better understand what today's leadership has to deliver to everyone they are accountable for.

So what exactly do I mean by this you ask???? What I mean is that this was my first day as VP, Sales & Marketing but more importantly this was the first day that I was to be responsible for not only my own individual contributions but for the inspiration, the attitude & the growth of a relatively large group of people that, just like myself, want nothing more than to be appreciated, be grown and be the inspiration for folks they are accountable for. 

This is most likely the theme of my wanting to write this Blog. In the days of civil unrest, COVID, uncertainly and economic pressures many of us seek empathy & a leader who has our back. Now this doesn’t mean make bad business decisions because you “care” for your people. This simply means being honest and once again….being empathetic. The word just continues to show up on my social feed, when I peruse the worldwide web and believe it or not during my own personal dealings at home. Though I try my best to be empathetic. I just want the kids to keep their elbow tucked in, bat through the strike zone and extend through contact……LOL….my bad Little League season is upon us.

So this is what you can expect from my writings. Many times I find myself in an airplane (well used to) or sitting in the airport on a lay over or driving to Golden Valley, Oak Brook, Milwaukee, etc and every time this happens I encounter opportunities to reflect on how my team is doing & what they need from me. What can I help them with, what do they need today, (crap) what can I provide today. It is very interesting as these things change every single day so the ability to be dynamic, flexible and leave my baggage at home is so critically important to me being able to deliver for my team on these levels.

As I continue reflecting I will put these words on paper or whatever method you choose to consume this in. I hope it is inspiring. I hope is makes you think how can you do better today. I hope it encourages you and fills you with a sense of enthusiasm that will ooze out of your pores only so that your team can absorb that enthusiasm and be a better version of themselves that day. I say that day because that is truly what we have guaranteed. That’s truly where you can make the most immediate impact. That’s where you decided…..how will I make today a good day. Que the Ice Cube Music!

I look forward to this. I hope you do as well. I need to grow as well so my only ask is feedback. Interact w/ me. Lets see where we end up. Until next time…..EJO