Lots to Love

There is a lot to love about being Executive Director of GEO:

• I'm privileged to work with a great team...Michele, Wade, Shawn, Will, Bob and Jennifer are as good as they come. GEO operates as a virtual office, so we don't see each other face to face very much, but the way everyone works together to support each other and the goals of the organization never ceases to amaze me. Thanks all.
• The travel...Have you ever noticed that GEO has local chapters in some of the world's greatest cities? While I don't get to attend every chapter meeting, it's good to know I have an excuse anytime I want to visit Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney or Madrid (not to forget Amsterdam). Now all we need are chapters in the Caribbean, Cyprus, Rio and Dubrovnik and we're all set ;-). Seriously, though, look for new chapters opening in Milan, Washington DC, and Southern California in the next few months.
• The opportunity to make a difference...when I first started in the equity compensation business, I had a boss who liked to say that stock options were the "greatest wealth accumulation vehicle in history." Of course, that was before the first Silicon Valley tech crash in 2001 and things have calmed down a bit since then. That said, there's never been anything like equity to put wealth and financial security within reach of so many people around the world. We're a part of that...and we should take pride in knowing that we're making a real difference in the lives of millions of people.

All that's true...but it's not really the topic of this post. For the second time in a month, I had the opportunity last Friday to spend some time with a truly dedicated group of GEO volunteers. Most recently, it was as the speaker selection meeting for our new National Equity Compensation Forum (you can read more about that meeting at http://geonecf.blogspot.com); the previous time, it was at our most recent GEO Awards Judges Meeting (which I'll tell you about some other time). In both cases, the room was filled with accomplished leaders in the employee share plan community striving to do their best for all for all of GEO. Despite otherwise demanding careers, each person in both those rooms were extremely well prepared and approached the tasks at hand with creativity, humor, and a commitment to seeing the very best outcome. We're all stronger for that.

In the coming weeks, there will be more opportunity for other members to get involved. Nominations are currently being accepted for GEO's Board of Directors and our revamped Advisory and Provider Councils will be launching soon, to be followed by our new Academic Advisory Council later this year. That's lots of opportunity...and lots more to love.

MB