Turn the Page

This Tuesday started off like most any other Tuesday (except for it followed a 3 day weekend so it really felt like a Monday). All that aside, my day started at 3:30am so I could catch an early morning flight as I had scheduled a meeting in our Allen office at 8am... (Yes, I know, it seemed like a good idea at the time). That meeting was scheduled so I could communicate to a trusted business partner my intentions not to continue our relationship in the upcoming budget year. Sure I could have delivered this message over the phone or over email, but that's just not how I want to operate. I often talk about the value I place on relationships and people. Nothing speaks louder about how you treat people then your actions.

Shortly after the meeting began, my day already presented me with several challenges. Each with varied degrees of complexity. More often than not, I can overcome most any challenge which comes my way but every now and again, something stops me in my tracks and Tuesday was one of those times. I had learned that a colleague who was battling cancer, was given the news over the weekend he had a couple of weeks to live. Sure I had knowledge about this but the finality of the message hit hard. I immediately took time to reflect on this. Many thoughts raced through may mind. Of course I knew of his circumstances and while I held out hope for his recovery, I also was prepared for the fact he would not recover. I think most anyone who has dealt with the loss of someone close to them can relate. You can prepare for something which is eminent, but sometimes nothing prepares you for reality.

So there I was, sobered by the idea that his family was wrestling with many things. In tandem, many of my team members were also coping with the eminent loss of a colleague and friend. As I was looking at my calendar, I was planning to pay a visit to him in the hospital the next day. At the same time, asking my wife to give our son a hug for me and letting them both know how much they mean to me.

Needless to say, I was more than happy for Tuesday to end and looking towards the next day where I could visit my ailing colleague. One thing I learned as a baseball umpire was to turn the page. Turning the page means, you look forward and not backwards. In baseball, often times a player, coach or manager will reference a play earlier in the game in an attempt to correlate it to the present. If you attended a game I worked in the past, it's likely you may have heard me say "turn the page" to a player or manager. Over the years, I've leveraged what I learned on the baseball field as a leader of people and Tuesday afforded me yet another opportunity to do so.

Wednesday came and my team and I made an attempt to turn the page. Our effort to turn the page was not to discount the gravity of what we were dealing with but rather to focus on the next steps and ultimately what we would be dealing with. Those next steps came more quickly than we had expected as we learned our colleague was no longer responsive. We started our day thinking we had days and maybe weeks to prepare but it was quickly becoming apparent, we had mere hours. At 1pm, just before my staff meeting, we learned of his passing. @James, may you Rest in Peace.

We took the majority of our staff meeting not to talk about budget, or human capital management but about James and the impact he had on each of us. We shared stories about him. Some funny, some not so funny. Like the time I first met him and he was coughing. I asked him if I could get him some water and he said, "no it won't help anyway". So in an attempt to be funny, I said, well how about a beer? He laughed and politely declined. Shortly there after, his manager (one of my direct reports) told me of his cancer which led to his coughing. Boy did I feel like a real jerk... So I immediately reached back out to James to say I was sorry. As I was doing so, he said to me, "I will take you up on that offer to have a beer down the road". That was the last time I spoke with him. Someone I had only met 1 time, had left a lasting impression on me.

Today, as we've now turned the page again so we can focus on what is next for us post James, I have been speaking to the many who are affected by his loss. Why is it you don't have a full sense for the impact someone has on others until they're gone? My team has a list of what they call Robism's. These are things I say from time to time. One of the things I tell people is you don't have an appreciation for someone's presence until they are absent. In fact, I shared this with my admin Lynn as she sent me a note today to check in while on PTO. Sure I can manage but it's never as easy without Lynn. While I hope she's enjoying her PTO, I can't wait for her to come back to work.

As my day continued, one of my colleagues shared with me the love James had for muscle cars and in particular Roush Mustangs. Turns out, James sold his car when his child was born. I thought, had I only known. I own a Roush Mustang and I would have loved to share stories with James. Sadly a missed opportunity. I don't get the Roush Mustang out much because it's loud and I don't want to upset my neighbors. But tomorrow, I am taking out the Roush as I join a colleague for lunch who has announced his departure from our company. My purpose for the lunch is to say thank you to him for all he did for me and the company and to learn from him. Learn about what prompted him to resign so I can take corrective action and prevent future departures. The combination of events this week is providing me an opportunity to reflect and to show the value I place on people. First, I can take out my Roush Mustang in honor of James and I can say thank you to Juan who helped our team achieve much success.

As I reflect on this busy week:

• I will let the engine roar on the Roush in honor of James.
• Say thank you to Juan for all he did for us and wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.
• Be reminded of how much I appreciate Lynn for all the little things she does but also those really big things.
• Work hard to provide leadership to my team who are down this week due to recent circumstances.
• To Andy, the partner who I told this week our business relationship won't be extended. Thank you for all you shared with me over the time we worked together.
• How much I miss umpiring baseball and the relationships I built over the years. @Joe Hannigan (Hanny), good luck with your move to Florida, @Nick Sweeney (Young Nick), I'm so proud to say I played a small role in your development, @Scott Wadas (Schwad) I really miss working with you. We shared so many great times together and I can't think of anyone I would rather be on a ball field with than you, @Mark Hoops (Hoops), thank you for all you taught be about umpiring and life. @Gary Spevak (G), thank you for believing in me when I didn't even believe in myself. @Mark Kedziora (Dutch), thank you for the many, many times you had my back. Even when I was wrong, you still had my back.
• and to be grateful for all I have. My wife and children, all the blessings we have.

The common theme for me is to continue to place a high value on people. On relationships. It's those relationships which will pay dividends in your achievement of success but also when you navigate some truly challenging times. Also to live for the moment. As I was reminded of this week, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Live for today!

Now it's about time for me to turn the page as tomorrow will bring a new set of challenges. I'll be ready.