When I look at the past year and what millions of leaders have done to adapt to a strange time in our history, I am in awe. I have seen you step up and take on the unknown to create a good path for your teams, companies, customers, community, and yourselves. Skill sets were expanded to meet challenges and achieve goals with more wisdom and ability.

I want to take a moment to thank each of you for gaining these skills when perhaps it was not in your “operational plan” for the year.

Thank you for a year of uncommon leadership and adaptability. We would not have done well without your willingness to step up, learn, change, adapt and find positive ways to move forward while continuing to build great teams.

Here is what I experienced and how I saw leaders step up:

• Having an astute sense of the impact of world and national events that were much larger than others first thought.
• Connected with peers to quickly take a “temperature check” on the impact in other arenas and industries.
• Focusing on the salient points to move teams and companies forward.
• Fearlessness in looking at all sides of potential impacts.
• Willingness and courage to make decisions and move forward, knowing even wrong decisions provide information and opportunities to adapt and change.
• Quick retraction and even faster expansion.
• Showcasing stronger internal and external
• Creating real relationships and conversations with customers and vendors to build a community of “we are in this together.”
• Instead of dwelling on what was lost, focusing on what is present.
• Developed growth strategies even in a time of turbulence.
• Moved past the noise, news, and fears to see what is true.
• Did not question others’ experiences but looked to find a path forward for many diverse needs.
• Developed new indicators to read the terrain in their industry.
• Had courageous conversations and did not hold back on putting the hard stuff on the table.
• Even when tired, acknowledged it, and came back with even more energy and ideas to move forward.
• Mostly, I am so impressed by the ability to adapt to the needs of the team, as work and personal blurred.

Most will not know how you had to manage not only the regular needs of doing business but added on the daily changes and adaptations based on new guidelines. Thank you for being you, thank you for all you did to ensure your business promises were met, thank you for finding ways to care and support your teams during this time, thank you for committing to your learning, and committing to your teams, to lead well during this time, and thank you for having a vision of the future that is better than our yesterdays.

My advice to you:  Go on vacation, shut off your technology and do the things in life that fill you up and light you up.

I am honored to know you, work with you, and be a part of your excellence.

Nicely done!!