Professional Thanks

On this day I am grateful for the blessings that matter most: Family.  Friends.  Home.

And, because I am writing this for creative professionals, I am also thinking about the many blessings I have received as I pursue my work.

If I have see a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. -Sir Isaac Newton

Mentors.  I am so very grateful to the Giants who supported me as a baby consultant and earlier in my entrepreneurial dancing days.  I have been overwhelmed by their generosity and encouragement.  Most of all by their provocative questions that help me sort out my own mind.

I read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I can shoot dice.  That’s what I call a liberal education. -Tallulah Bankhead

Education.  Schooling is still a rare privilege in much of the world.  Here we have access to so many avenues for learning.  I have earned two degrees and both opened doors that I could not have anticipated.  Informal learning is also at my fingertips.  For an Extraverted Perceiver (Myers-Briggs personality) it’s deliciously distracting (“Wow!  Look at all these internet resources!”).  More than ever, lifelong learning is attainable.  I hope to learn how to shoot dice this decade.

Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners. -James Stewart

Clients.   I am so grateful for the wonderful clients I have now and the ones I’ve had in the past.   Hiring an organizational development consultant takes a leap of faith (“What is it you do for a living, exactly?”) and I appreciate the risk-taking.  The partnership in design is a delight.  The euphoria when the goals are met sustain me for weeks at a time.  I LOVE working with my clients.

So now I am in my prime.  I am a seasoned consultant and STILL really love my work.   I am grateful to my mentors, for my education and my clients.

At this point in my life, I also get to BE a mentor.

I am in the business of lifelong learning.

And I can benefit from the wisdom and services of other professionals.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!