The Power of Failure, Peers & Persistence

I am sharing my incredible journey with #Vistage, the world's largest #CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize business #leaders. On January 30th, 2023, I had the great honor of receiving Vistage's 2022 Don Cope Memorial Award.?This distinction is given to a Chair who has made the greatest lasting contribution to the Vistage mission and values in word and deed.

I first joined Vistage as a member in 1995. I'd been running my company for six years but was terrified that it would fail as my first business had thirteen years prior. My CPA told me about Vistage, and I met with Richard Beadle , who invited me to attend a meeting. I attended, hoping to feel less scared, and walked away feeling more in control of my success than I ever had. Over a few short hours, I learned that what was preventing my business from going to the next level was:

• My organization needed more data on a daily and weekly basis to provide insight into how the organization was running and what the market was demanding.
• I didn't measure the performance of everyone in the organization with key metrics.
• I didn't have an executive team, and I didn't delegate because I was afraid of the consequences of their mistakes. It was my life on the line, and I didn't trust the people who worked for me with my life.

I learned so much at that one meeting with a group of a dozen other #CEOs that I decided to join.

Ten years later, in 2005, I sold that successful business and moved to #NYC to raise money for a start-up I had co-founded. My vision was to create a web-based solution that would change the world. At fifty, I was ready for the challenge and felt more equipped than ever to succeed because of what I'd learned through Vistage and my success with my business in #Michigan.

In three short years, that start-up dream would die as the U.S. housing bubble burst, and the world experienced a global financial crisis.?After making radical life changes and expecting very different outcomes, I was depressed, angry, and unprepared to start again in mid-life.

I deeply reflected on what I loathed and loved, based on an exercise in the book The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success, by Marcus Buckingham and I realized that I didn't want to be a consultant because I was tired of traveling. And while I came up with great solutions, many of the clients did not implement them, so I didn't feel like I was making a contribution. I loved business, learning, helping others, coaching, and making a difference that would stick. I called my chair, Barbara Stanbridge , and asked for her advice. She nominated me, and my journey as a Vistage Chair began.

January 2009 is when the world realized we were in a recession; it was also the month I began recruiting members for my group. Being from Michigan, I did not have any contacts or a network to get introductions to potential new members. I tried everything I knew, including cold calls, attending every networking event and meet-up, and asking everyone I knew if they knew any CEOs in NYC. It took me until August 1st to find and enroll enough members to begin making an income from what would become the most rewarding and fulfilling job I've ever had.

I currently have the honor of chairing seven groups with 127 members, and I'm proud to have received multiple awards, including the Pat Hyndman Award, the Robert Nourse Award, the STAR award eight years in a row, and most recently, the Don Cope Memorial Award.

These numbers and awards reflect how deeply I believe in the mission and work of Vistage. I am willing to work with so many groups and members to better fulfill my vision of positively impacting the world by raising the level of leadership effectiveness. My concern for the future amplified when I became a grandfather. I realized that this was the best way for me to contribute to a better future.

Being a Vistage Chair is not just a job; it's a calling. I want to help my members achieve their personal and professional goals by providing a safe space to get valuable insights, guidance, and support. I believe that my legacy should be focused on positively impacting the lives of the members I work with.

One of my heroes is Cope Award winner Pat Hyndman, whom the Hyndman Award is named after. He chaired until the age of 96. I pray that I am mentally and physically able to do this work until I die. I'm so grateful for this work, for the recognition of my peers, and for your support and willingness to learn and be better leaders. And as a grandfather, I am more committed than ever to creating a better future through effective leadership.

I hope my story inspires you to continue learning, growing, and making a positive impact in your organization and life.