June 26th
What a day! It was an easy morning which was very nice. I was able to get in a three mile run on the treadmill and get some work done to boot. From the hotel SRC, SC and I we taken to The Union League of New York, a very posh looking club. No cell phone use is permitted while in the building and I am sure at one point no women were allowed. We were first led to a lounge that we decided must be the “Presidents Lounge” because of the paintings of past U.S. presidents on the walls. The food was good and the table conversation great!
Time Warner Center was our next stop. SRC and SC were scheduled to do an on-camera, recorded interview with Glenn Beck. This was my first experience with this type of media interview. The men first went to “make-up” and then led to the studio to get their mics on. Shortly after that the taping began. It was so interesting to see this entire process and to watch the interview. Both SRC and SC did a great job and let the sound stage with smile.
We rushed as best we could in New York traffic to the airport. What we thought would take us 30 to 45 minutes took us well over an hour. The poor pilots had been waiting for at least three hours for us…luckily they could wait in the terminal and not have to sit outside in the 90 degree weather. Add in the humidity and it was like being in a boiler room. As the pilots prepared to roll out to the runway word came back that the right engine would not start. Uh oh! One pilot went out to see what he could see. The determined that the starter for the engine had gone bad. While the pilots, the airport, and the charter company were trying to determine what to do it just so happened that one of their planes was in the air or just happened to be landing in New York and would be empty traveling back to where they are based. Amazing! So, here we are on the plane not knowing what our fate was going to be and another plane came to our rescue. The luggage, etc was moved as the other plane was being re-fueled. We finally arrived in Boston 3 ½ hours later than scheduled but we were there with plenty of time for a good nights sleep.
Boston, MA
June 27th
Mark this down as one of the most phenomenal days of my career with SRC. It was amazing! The group consisted of about 140 Mangers and Directors from a well-known food company. The day started with a 90 minute review of an Engagement survey that this company had instituted and completed with their employees. Results were reviewed, questions answered, and comments made. The group took a 30 minute break and then hunkered down for SRC’s presentation. SRC set the tone by showing “Everest” first asking the group to look for signs of leadership, trust, systems, and communication. SRC wanted to get them out of the mindset that they were in from the previous meeting. At the conclusion of Everest SRC asked the participants to break into groups and discuss what they had observed. I love that film. It is such a great illustration of the four things listed above. Plus it is so powerful to see this blind mind reach the summit, Mount Everest with his team. You feel like you can conquer anything.
I won’t go through the entire day but I will tell you that SRC spoke to their hearts, he spoke to their minds, he taught them. It was amazing! The flow, the feeling in the room…it was electric. All systems were in alignment for this to be a great day! At the conclusion of the day as SRC was giving his final comments and he became quite emotional. That does not usually happen. I tell you what, the power in that room was awesome! The group was captivated and gave him an amazing standing ovation. So many people approached both me and SRC with sincere thanks of gratitude. One gal said to me, “That was amazing. He had us laughing, crying, learning. Thank you!” What I have recounted here does not do this day any justice but trust me when I say that it was a most amazing day!
If I can make this about me for two seconds, it is days like this that keep me doing what I am doing. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to do what I do and support SRC in doing what he does. I also know that the prayers being given on our behalf are being answered. I am so appreciative of everyone who supports SRC in his work. Your efforts do not go unnoticed nor do your prayers go unanswered.
The view from my hotel room in Boston was unlike any other…the airport runway! These pictures were taken outside the hotel.
Panama
June 28th and 29th
The two days in Panama were amazing and exhausting! We arrive into Panama City at about 1:00 a.m. and into our hotel rooms by 2:00 a.m. After preparing for the next day I finally got in bed and was asleep by about 3:00 a.m. The alarm was not a welcome sound 3 hours later but duty calls. I was up, dressed, and down to the event venue by 7:00 a.m. The first event was for the public. The topic was leadership. The room was huge and filled with people anxious to hear SRC’s message. I would say there were about 800 people there. It was a good group.
The second event was in the afternoon for all government employees of the Panamanian government. The room was set for 1,400 people and I would say that just about every chair was filled and people were lining the back wall. SRC was fantastic and really hit a home run with this group. The participants sitting within my line of sight were busy taking note, anxiously waiting for the next principle or skill or tool that SRC was teaching.
The third event of the first day was for the community. Again, a fantastic group. The room was set for 1,200 and I would say that 90% of the chairs were filled. The topic was families and, as always, SRC spoke from the heart. He speaks from the hear for every program but when he talks about families there is a tenderness and reverence with which he addresses the topic. The day was over by 9:00 p.m. My plan, once in my room, was to check email, have dinner, and go to bed, wake up and go to the gym to run. I checked the schedule of the gym and it opened at 6:00 a.m. which did not work with my schedule. So, I scratched my initial plan and ran Thursday night. It was a good run…on the treadmill.
The program held on Friday was very interesting. SRC had been invited to participate in a forum called Prosperous Panama. Along with SRC, other thought leaders from Panama were invited to present their thoughts and findings on how to overcome poverty in Panama. I found each panelist to have passion for the topic and they were well prepared and well spoken with their presentations. I learned a lot. Once SRC and the panelists had given their presentations the participants submitted questions and the panelists engaged in Q&A. Poverty is a hot topic in Panama and you could tell that the audience was inspired and energized by what they heard. SRC was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such and event. There were probably close to 1,000 people in attendance.
June 28th and 29th
The two days in Panama were amazing and exhausting! We arrive into Panama City at about 1:00 a.m. and into our hotel rooms by 2:00 a.m. After preparing for the next day I finally got in bed and was asleep by about 3:00 a.m. The alarm was not a welcome sound 3 hours later but duty calls. I was up, dressed, and down to the event venue by 7:00 a.m. The first event was for the public. The topic was leadership. The room was huge and filled with people anxious to hear SRC’s message. I would say there were about 800 people there. It was a good group.
The second event was in the afternoon for all government employees of the Panamanian government. The room was set for 1,400 people and I would say that just about every chair was filled and people were lining the back wall. SRC was fantastic and really hit a home run with this group. The participants sitting within my line of sight were busy taking note, anxiously waiting for the next principle or skill or tool that SRC was teaching.
The third event of the first day was for the community. Again, a fantastic group. The room was set for 1,200 and I would say that 90% of the chairs were filled. The topic was families and, as always, SRC spoke from the heart. He speaks from the hear for every program but when he talks about families there is a tenderness and reverence with which he addresses the topic. The day was over by 9:00 p.m. My plan, once in my room, was to check email, have dinner, and go to bed, wake up and go to the gym to run. I checked the schedule of the gym and it opened at 6:00 a.m. which did not work with my schedule. So, I scratched my initial plan and ran Thursday night. It was a good run…on the treadmill.
The program held on Friday was very interesting. SRC had been invited to participate in a forum called Prosperous Panama. Along with SRC, other thought leaders from Panama were invited to present their thoughts and findings on how to overcome poverty in Panama. I found each panelist to have passion for the topic and they were well prepared and well spoken with their presentations. I learned a lot. Once SRC and the panelists had given their presentations the participants submitted questions and the panelists engaged in Q&A. Poverty is a hot topic in Panama and you could tell that the audience was inspired and energized by what they heard. SRC was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such and event. There were probably close to 1,000 people in attendance.
Here are a couple of pictures: the view from my room, of course.
At the conclusion of the event we changed clothes and were driven to the airport. Dallas, here we come…or so we thought.
Travel
When SRC and I fly on a charter we typically fly with a company called Clay Lacey, based in Los Angeles. My experience with them thus far has been flawless. No problems with the planes, the pilots…sometimes we don’t have food on the plane but a safe arrival to our next destination is more important than food.
This trip presented some interesting challenges for us. As I reported in my New York blog we had engine starter problems as we attempted to fly from New York to Boston. Well, the problem came up again as we prepared to fly from Panama to Dallas. Because of scheduling changes we were departing 1 hour earlier than originally planned. I was excited about this because it meant getting into Dallas earlier which meant a possible run on the treadmill and a long nights sleep.
I could tell after 1-2 minutes of prep for take-off that there was a problem. Andrew got out of his seat and told us that they were experiencing the same problem with the right engine and they needed to take a look at things to determine if it could be fixed quickly. At this point the fun began. SRC was exhausted and short on patience for this sort of thing. I was trying to remain calm and keep a cool head. The pilots were so apologetic but also keeping a cool head. Over the course of two hours attempts were made to fix the problem. At the same time Clay Lacey dispatch was trying to find an alternate way to get us to the airport and I had Darla working on finding a commercial flight for us. I spent most of my time with the pilots or on the phone. I stayed clear of SRC…it made me more anxious to be near him.
Keep in mind that we are in Panama where the humidity makes it feel like you are in a sauna. Luckily there was a breeze and cloud cover but it was still thick and quite warm.
It was determined that we would not be flying on this lear jet. Plans were made for us to fly from Panama to LAX on a commercial flight and then fly onto Dallas on a charter flight. All of this flying were get us into Dallas at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning…two hours before SRC was to be on stage. We arrived into LAX at 12:20 a.m., flew out again at about 1:30 a.m. and arrived into Dallas at about 6:20 a.m. I had slept fitfully a total of about 3 hours between the two flights. I felt not so fresh and cranky. I consciously had to snap myself out of the crankiness and perk up. I was not doing anyone any good by being somber and cranky.
Dallas
June 30, 2007
There was a time while still in Panama that SRC considered not doing this event in Dallas and finding a local FranklinCovey presenter to present. SRC decided to suck it up and do the event. We are both very glad that he did. The group was big…about 800 and all a majority of people were there because SRC was going to be speaking.
Once at the hotel SRC went to his room and I went to the ballroom to take care of the AV. I had 20 minutes to freshen up and put my suit on before needing to be back in the ballroom for SRC’s presentation. I managed to stay awake for the first part of his speech but with difficulty. My mind felt cloudy and sluggish but at the break I found Diet Dr. Pepper, grabbed three cans and proceeded to wake myself up. I am trying to stay away from soda but today was an emergency. I made an exception, if you will. It worked! I made it through the second half without much trouble or wanting to crawl under the table for a nap.
At the conclusion of most events, as SRC is giving his closing comments he will thank me for my help. Before telling you about his closing comments I will first say that when SRC was introduced the participants were told that SRC and I had flown through the night arriving at 6:30 a.m. that morning for the event. So, when SRC was closing he expressed thanks to the participants for being there, the event organizers, the client and me. He said that when we arrived at the hotel he immediately went to his room and I went to the ballroom to set-up the AV. SRC said, I at least had a chance to take a bath, Chelsea didn’t…but she still looks sparkly. He said this after he had thanked me for my help. When he said what he did about not having a chance to shower I said, “Thanks a lot Stephen.” Everyone laughed. It was quite comical.
Now, we are on our way home. I can’t wait to take a shower!
At the conclusion of the event we changed clothes and were driven to the airport. Dallas, here we come…or so we thought.
Travel
When SRC and I fly on a charter we typically fly with a company called Clay Lacey, based in Los Angeles. My experience with them thus far has been flawless. No problems with the planes, the pilots…sometimes we don’t have food on the plane but a safe arrival to our next destination is more important than food.
This trip presented some interesting challenges for us. As I reported in my New York blog we had engine starter problems as we attempted to fly from New York to Boston. Well, the problem came up again as we prepared to fly from Panama to Dallas. Because of scheduling changes we were departing 1 hour earlier than originally planned. I was excited about this because it meant getting into Dallas earlier which meant a possible run on the treadmill and a long nights sleep.
I could tell after 1-2 minutes of prep for take-off that there was a problem. Andrew got out of his seat and told us that they were experiencing the same problem with the right engine and they needed to take a look at things to determine if it could be fixed quickly. At this point the fun began. SRC was exhausted and short on patience for this sort of thing. I was trying to remain calm and keep a cool head. The pilots were so apologetic but also keeping a cool head. Over the course of two hours attempts were made to fix the problem. At the same time Clay Lacey dispatch was trying to find an alternate way to get us to the airport and I had Darla working on finding a commercial flight for us. I spent most of my time with the pilots or on the phone. I stayed clear of SRC…it made me more anxious to be near him.
Keep in mind that we are in Panama where the humidity makes it feel like you are in a sauna. Luckily there was a breeze and cloud cover but it was still thick and quite warm.
It was determined that we would not be flying on this lear jet. Plans were made for us to fly from Panama to LAX on a commercial flight and then fly onto Dallas on a charter flight. All of this flying were get us into Dallas at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning…two hours before SRC was to be on stage. We arrived into LAX at 12:20 a.m., flew out again at about 1:30 a.m. and arrived into Dallas at about 6:20 a.m. I had slept fitfully a total of about 3 hours between the two flights. I felt not so fresh and cranky. I consciously had to snap myself out of the crankiness and perk up. I was not doing anyone any good by being somber and cranky.
Dallas
June 30, 2007
There was a time while still in Panama that SRC considered not doing this event in Dallas and finding a local FranklinCovey presenter to present. SRC decided to suck it up and do the event. We are both very glad that he did. The group was big…about 800 and all a majority of people were there because SRC was going to be speaking.
Once at the hotel SRC went to his room and I went to the ballroom to take care of the AV. I had 20 minutes to freshen up and put my suit on before needing to be back in the ballroom for SRC’s presentation. I managed to stay awake for the first part of his speech but with difficulty. My mind felt cloudy and sluggish but at the break I found Diet Dr. Pepper, grabbed three cans and proceeded to wake myself up. I am trying to stay away from soda but today was an emergency. I made an exception, if you will. It worked! I made it through the second half without much trouble or wanting to crawl under the table for a nap.
At the conclusion of most events, as SRC is giving his closing comments he will thank me for my help. Before telling you about his closing comments I will first say that when SRC was introduced the participants were told that SRC and I had flown through the night arriving at 6:30 a.m. that morning for the event. So, when SRC was closing he expressed thanks to the participants for being there, the event organizers, the client and me. He said that when we arrived at the hotel he immediately went to his room and I went to the ballroom to set-up the AV. SRC said, I at least had a chance to take a bath, Chelsea didn’t…but she still looks sparkly. He said this after he had thanked me for my help. When he said what he did about not having a chance to shower I said, “Thanks a lot Stephen.” Everyone laughed. It was quite comical.
Now, we are on our way home. I can’t wait to take a shower!
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