Every six weeks for the last fifteen years, I have enjoyed the incredible opportunity to spend the day with six amazing peers. The resulting one thousand hours the seven of us shared have been without question the most valuable of any time I spent in any setting during my career. The experiences and lessons they have passed along saved me countless hours and dollars. Their willingness to challenge me through tough and pointed questions has given me the confidence to make decisions that have built multiple businesses. The trust we have developed has allowed me to stretch my comfort zone and grow my creativity knowing I can test my ideas with them in a judgment-free space. As valuable as all of that has been to me what stands out as the most important gift from these peers has been the certainty I am never alone in my journey. They are always with me, and I am always with them.
Our group came together through an association the seven of us had joined called Young President’s Organization (YPO). As a member, you can participate in Forums. The forum I belong to was established about ten years before I joined and four of our current members came into the group around the same time I did. It was just chance that brought us together. You are not assigned to a Forum in YPO. Instead, the other members determine whether you are a good fit for the Forum and you decide if the Forum is a good fit for you. During my time in this group, others have come and gone, but the seven of us together today have seen each other through ups and downs and everything in between over the last fifteen years.