Recently I was asked to consider and write down an answer to the question; “what EO mean to me?” After 14 years, as a member and volunteer leader in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, it was a challenging question to answer in just a few sentences.
I closed my eyes and reflected on nearly a decade and half of experiences, and then this is what I wrote down…
"EO is my playground for possibility. It is my tribe of trust. It is my multi-lane highway of leadership and learning, and it is my home for life.
There’s a lot of history behind those words. EO has become such a meaningful and impactful aspect of my life over these 14 years.
- I’ve participated in multiple forums with my entrepreneur peers, learning from their diverse experiences and gaining confidence by contributing my own.
- Time and again I’ve been forced to face my ever-present “impostor syndrome” and recognize my own worth and value as a leader.
- Attending professional learning events with some of the most inspirational and informed experts in the world has challenged my beliefs and biases to explore new ways of thinking and acting, uplifting my view of what is possible constantly.
- Sharing many first-in-a-lifetime experiences with dear friends (think spending the day cruising through the canals of Amsterdam during the raucous King’s Day celebration with more than 100 EO friends, or ziplining through Central American mountain tree-tops with howler monkeys and my forum mates, the list goes on and on…)
- As much as EO was a big part of learning how to grow and exit my business, it was also what helped us choose where to live when we moved on from decades in South Florida. I still needed to be close to my EO family in a new place, and we found it in EO Atlanta.
- Maybe most importantly, as I’ve integrated what I’ve learned about how to elevate and expand myself and others, I’ve then seen those same behaviors reflected in the people I love the most, my wife and children.
The second best “yes!” I ever gave. (The first was when Lisa asked me out for our first date, but that’s another story)
With everything I shared above, the single most impactful decision I made early on in my EO journey, was accepting an invitation to serve as a volunteer member leader on the Board of Directors for the South Florida Chapter (Thanks Michael). Since that first “Yes!” in 2010, I have had the opportunity and privilege to serve EO at the chapter, regional and global levels in 15 different roles. All of these as a volunteer, and in some cases my “EO time” could reach an average of 15-20 hours a week.
So recently I was talking to a professional colleague who wasn’t familiar with EO, and I was sharing about going to Singapore for the EO annual Global Leadership Conference and leading sessions there for my peers. I was just wrapping up a two-year term as the EO Regional Chair for the U.S. East and now preparing to move into my next role on the global EO Organizational Design team. When I told him that it was all volunteered time, and that if I really did the math, it would certainly total in the thousands of hours over the years.
He was dumbstruck and asked me:
“What do you mean, you don’t get paid for all this?”
It’s a legitimate question, and I understand why he asked. He just didn’t have the context and couldn’t imagine the impact that being a member leader in EO could have had on me. With EO leadership, I’ve had the fortune to travel to 5 continents, 15 countries and countless cities around the world, meeting and collaborating with some of the smartest, effective and most genuine leaders you could imagine. The travel experiences and the people I’ve met have each expanded my life and my thinking in ways I couldn’t have imagined 15 years ago. Each “Yes” has opened new doors, to new possibilities for growth. All of that has been so valuable and so appreciated, but the single most impactful value I’ve received from giving back to this organization is this.
I genuinely like and respect who I am, and I love who I can yet still become.
So, start seeking out something that aligns with your values, surrounds you with peers you respect and can serve as a platform for you to realize your purpose in life, then Just say “Yes!”
You’ll find a way to work the rest of it out along the way.
