Those of you who know me, know that I tend to emphasize work. I’m happiest, it seems, when I’m in the office doing what I love.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the “other” side of life. And part of my “outside” life involves my work with a fabulous organization called synerG. It’s a group dedicated to attracting, connecting, and engaging young professionals in Greensboro.
Our entire council — at the encouragement of our executive director (and my good friend) Cecelia — decided to read the book “Live First, Work Second.”
The premise (as it applies to us) is that young professionals select a cool city before they pick a job. Three out of four of them approach life that way, in fact.
The moral of the story is that smart cities don’t care only about the “same old” traditional things (e.g., recruiting big businesses, offering incentives) Instead, they think like smart businesses. Which is to say, they spend time…
…Recruiting Talented People.
The author and consultant, Rebecca Ryan (@ngcrebecca), does an excellent job of building the case for building a cool community that will be attractive to Young Professionals.
Smart cities make themselves appealing to driven, high-energy people in order to benefit from their talents in the same way that smart businesses do.
She related an interesting story that I had not heard before:
In 1962, “One hundred eleven Atlanta art patrons die[d] in a plane crash at Orly field in Paris.” The victims were Atlanta Art Association members who had chartered a plane to hear the city’s orchestra play in Paris. They were Atlanta’s leaders — judges, executives, and old-money folks. They were the Establishment. The bluebloods.
And then one day, they were all dead.
She went on to ask, what would have happened to Atlanta if they hadn’t died. Would it be the vivacious, exciting community it is today? Her point was that one of the biggest challenges facing any community is the proverbial “good-old-boy” network. Young professionals don’t want to fight to break into that crowd.
We just want to make a difference.
There are about a million books about generations, but this one adds another layer: How communities should react to our generation. Check out the book. I promise that you won’t regret it.
Loads of people struggle with these distinctions and they wind up calling everybody “an alum” but that’s not always correct. And speaking accurately is a laudable quality. So, even there’s no accompanying fortune cookie or photograph, I’ve decided to add my two cents in this post . . .
Alumnus: A single, male graduate. Bob is an alumnus of the college.
Alumni: More than one graduate, at least one of whom is male. Jerry, Sarah, Beth, and Esther are alumni of the university.
Alumna: A single, female graduate. Berta is an alumna of the institution.
Alumnae: More than one female graduate. Betty, Samantha, and Kelly are alumnae of the high school.
Alum: An informal way to refer to any graduate. Tom is an alum of the school.
Alums: An informal way to refer to a group of graduates. Natalie and Joe are alums.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at my law school graduation. I’m not good at sticking to a script, so this is merely an outline of what I intended to say rather than what actually came out of my mouth, but it’ll give you a general idea…
Good afternoon. I’m Jeb Brooks and it’s an honor to speak with you today.
Today is our chance to step back and recognize what we’ve accomplished: All of the books we lugged around. The thousands of cases we read. The lectures.
But I think today goes a lot deeper than all of that “stuff.” It’s deeper because we couldn’t have accomplished any of what we did without each other.
In other words, None of us on our own are is as capable as all of us together.
And so today is about the bonds we’ve formed here. It’s an opportunity recognize and remember the connections we’ve made here.
It’s about the relationships we’ve built. When we arrived at this school, it was still new. But, together, we helped to fashion an institution we could be proud of. And we were able to do it together.
Each of us will face challenges that will seem insurmountable. In fact, many of us already have. But I’m confident – I know with every fiber of my being – that no matter what task comes to us, no matter what challenge we face, we can accomplish it by relying on the people here. The people we met just up Greene Street whom we’ve come to know, trust, and admire.
As we move on, I hope this experience stands as strong as my favorite Latin phrase: Res ipsa loquitor.
Let’s hope that the mark we leave on Elon is as indelible as the one it left on us. That mark will always be greater than the rankings – no matter how high they climb. It’ll greater than the cases we read or the rules we learned or the tests we took.
It’s greater because it’s the result of the relationships we’ve built. Relationships with the people who have come into our lives as a result of all of us being here at this time and in this place. Together.
In closing, I ask you all to remain in touch with each other and with me. Because, the truth of the matter is that the only thing that matters are the relationships we build in this life.
Thanks to each of you for every great thing that’s to come.
Recently, I did the voiceovers for two TBG webinars about disengaged salespeople. It was a lot of fun being in the studio, can’t wait to do more! Take a look (scroll down for part 2, I think it’s better).
I never want to be in a position where I look at the past and say, “That was a better time, I wish I could go back.” Instead, I want to always look forward with gusto and enthusiasm for what’s to come. That being said, it’s vitally important to look back on previous accomplishments to realize the successes that lie ahead. In that spirit, here are a few things that happened to me over the last decade…
“None of us are as smart as all of us” is a motto I live by. I believe it’s a Japanese Proverb, but I’ve also heard it credited to Sam Walton (founder of Wal*Mart). Depending on who you ask, one source is better than the other. However, in my opinion, its source doesn’t really matter all that much. I like it because it emphasizes the fact that we need each other to reach our full potential. So let’s work together to accomplish something great. In that spirt, let’s connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter!
I think a lot about having passion for my work. It’s important to care about whatever you’re doing. However, this meteorologist shows us that it might be possible to be too passionate.
The word-of-the-day is “Tyro.” Apple’s “Dictionary” defines it as a novice or beginner. I like the word because it’s what I’m going to call myself when I do most things.
He's a second-generation family-business tyro, sales connoisseur, recovering legal eagle, fortune cookie aficionado, and amateur photographer who knows you don't care all that much what he's up to but chooses to maintain this blog about his life in Greensboro, NC anyway. (Click for more).
Those of you who know me, know that I tend to emphasize work. I’m happiest, it seems, when I’m in the office doing what I love.
