Everyone enjoys a great barbecue, right?
You know, the grill is fired up, and the beverages are iced down. There’s meat for the carnivores and veggies for everyone. We’re in San Diego for this barbecue, so the weather is perfect – crisp breezes brush through the palm trees and the early evening temperatures are warm enough for short sleeves and cool enough for a fire pit. And there’s a pool, of course.
To top it off, you love everyone there. They are your friends. Every one of them.
This is perhaps my favorite part of our Extreme Leadership Certification classes. After three days of studying together, working together, and getting to know each other, the always diverse group of 15-20 newly anointed Extreme Leaders comes to my home and we celebrate.
They’ve all gone through the Extreme Leadership workshop. They’ve all developed an Extreme Leadership action plan. They are ready to apply the principles they’ve learned to the challenges they face in their business and personal lives. They’ve all learned the ins and outs of leading the workshop should they decide to teach it to their teams. They’ve gotten personal instruction and feedback from me and my entire team, not to mention each other. And now this group from all different walks of life and from different parts of the country – sometimes the world – gets one final evening with each other to share in the relationships they’ve forged.
Everybody loves this barbecue. But I don’t think anyone loves it more than me. I get to raise a glass and toast another Council of Extreme Leaders, envisioning the great things they’ll accomplish in the weeks, months, and years to come. But most of all, it’s my opportunity to see my mission lived out.
It’s my opportunity to do what I love in the service of people who love what I do.