It seems as though I am in high demand again. My new employer is sending me to Europe to meet with a major client. The specifics of the trip are not important, but the honor of representing such a large company at an important meeting gives me pause to be incredibly grateful for the chance to make a difference once again.
I am no man in the middle. I have never been satisfied to be adequate. That is not to say that I haven't failed in my endeavors. It is hard to make it through 47 years and not slipped on a few banana peels. The opportunity to reach ever higher and to be rewarded periodically with the fruits of success is truly a blessing.
The company I currently work for recruited me back, more than ten years after I had left them to come to Cabela's. Despite the manner in which I was promoted to customer after delivering solutions that continue to save Cabelas's millions of dollars over the years, it left me width a sense of failure that someone with the stellar employee engagement scores I had, could be unceremoniously dumped under the guise of cost-cutting measures. One must acknowledge and move on, and the interceding two years allowed me to reflect and make a ton of mistakes.
I guess one of the reasons I hung on for so long in Sidney was the nature of many close friendships I had developed. Contrary to what a small handful of Gary Person and his friends would have you think, I was, and am, a quite loyal friend. It was loyally, in fact, that led me to the creation of this publication. I don't like seeing publications such as the Sun-Telegraph, or KSID radio offer only one side of the story. While it is true, that I offer a strong opinion, I do try to balance it with a sprinkling of facts. When I am wrong, tell me so, and I will correct the record.
Believe it or not, you cannot approach true greatness without a dose of humility. Nothing humbles a person like losing your home due to loss of income. I learned a hard and valuable lesson then and it will make me stronger for the rest of my life.
In any case, I have learned a lot about people and how companies value human capital during my tenure at Cabela's.
While I am on this trip, I plan on taking taking some time to photograph my sojourn into the old country for the first time since my military service in the mid-1980s. Lake Geneva is beautiful this time of year and the city is alive with tourists and events that are highly European. I am looking forward to the day of decompression that my company is affording me before our meetings start. I am hoping to find a kayak and paddle around a bit and take some photos to share.
If anyone out there has been to Switzerland and knows of a few good places to see, let me know, and feel free to share your experiences here. I have turned comments back on.
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