It is especially fitting that as I write this column on Valentine’s Day that I am writing about my Valentine. My wife, Lisa, has absolutely been an integral part of my work life. In fact, I don’t know how I could it without her. That is not prose or sentimentality, it is truth.
Lisa and I will have been married for 28 years in March. I have worked in the Chamber/Economic Development industry for six months longer. This career has taken us to three states and five different communities. Throughout them all, she has become the biggest fan of our newest hometowns. You cannot do this work without loving where you are and she has become a fan of each though some more than others (ask her some time about the 20 months we lived in her “favorite”).
Leading the organizations I have lead inevitably makes me a quasi-public figure. When your name and face shows up regularly in the news, social media, and you are frequently on stages (not to mention being 6’6”), people often recognize you when out in public. I love when people want to stop and chat when I am out and about. Being able to answer people’s questions and hear their concerns is one of the parts of the job that I most enjoy. Crowds energize me especially if I can be in the middle. Everything I just wrote about me is the opposite for Lisa. She prefers, in fact, enjoys the background. If she is at a Business After Hours, I can almost guarantee you she is on the outer edge.
She will tell you that first and foremost she is a mom and granna. Roles at which she excels. However, her mother role is not exclusive to our children. She cares immensely about CEP team members and is often the one to put the hammer down when someone needs to go to the doctor but has been delaying. She keeps ups with their lives and knows far better than I do what is happening with each. For more than 20 years, we have annually hosted a Christmas breakfast for the team wherever we were working that has become more than a tradition. Each year at that time I begin getting messages from team members in different communities talking about this tradition and their memories of it some going back to the late 1990’s.
Lastly, no one keeps me more focused on the priorities (and my ego contained) better than she. I know I can count her to honestly tell me when presentations have gone well and when they could use some polish. She provides another viewpoint, outside the business community, which is invaluable.
Every couple must balance work and life. Whether you work together or separately, I can only wish each a partner who is as supportive and engaged as mine.
