December Offers Time to Reflect, Appreciate Value

If your life resembles mine, the last weeks of November through the end of the year are among the busiest yet most satisfying and important of the entire year. Most of us are highly motivated and set quantifiable objectives in January and then spend the year executing. Some we have accomplished, and others are a work in progress. With the time remaining, I find myself pushing to complete the outstanding goals. I am privileged to teach a negotiation seminar to third-year law students, and I try to use their final exams and papers, always due in December, as a reminder to make progress each week rather than studying every angle of procrastination. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of its historical significance and the opportunity it provides for families to celebrate each other. Few of us can accomplish monumental change without the wisdom, energy, and skills of others — ACG is no different. The next issue of Mergers & Acquisitions will contain bios of our talented incoming chairman, Patrick Hurley, and several other individuals who have volunteered to help guide Dan Varroney and ACG’s professionals forward in the coming year. I hope you agree we have every reason to expect great things from them. Importantly, each has demonstrated leadership in his or her chapter and understands clearly that our goal as an organization is to accomplish tasks like branding or membership growth and retention that allow us to leverage our collective work to obtain the optimal results for our chapters and members. Please continue to share your chapter board’s suggestions with the new ACG directors as they serve in the year ahead. Please permit me a few lines about those who are completing their service as ACG board members. Jay Fountain from ACG Portland has led our online effort the past two years and has worked to analyze our competencies and weaknesses. He and his experienced committee have helped craft an implementation plan that uses technology to lower our collective costs and significantly improve our operational effectiveness. The plan also seeks to improve the quantity and quality of the content available at ACG.org so you find useful data, proprietary and otherwise, so that ACG.org is a corporate growth portal that assists us in our careers. We want ACG.org to be the electronic equivalent to Mergers & Acquisitions, something that will help introduce ACG to potential members and partners as we seek to grow around the globe. Chad Murrin from ACG UK is proving that when dealmaking flows through your blood, leaving your position as the principal deal person for 3i makes you particularly attractive to those who understand the value of your contacts and wisdom collected through the years. Each time Chad has spoken at board meetings we have listened carefully because his observations were consistently “dead on” and often sprinkled with “a spot of delicious humor.” Jay Jester of ACG Boston deserves thanks for offering the template and strategies for the Capital Connection phenomena that have enriched many ACG chapters and members. At the same time he has advised that these important events continue to evolve so as not to become as ubiquitous as scarves and watches on Manhattan’s streets. Much of our chapters’ financial strength has derived from Jay’s insights and willingness to share his Rolodex with his ACG colleagues. Gary Levenstein of ACG Chicago moved with grace from a very successful tenure as President of ACG Chicago to the role of ACG Secretary, which he has held for two years. As our growth made some of the issues for a volunteer organization more challenging, Gary’s counsel proved invaluable. The leadership of Jim Tucker of ACG Orange County and his focus on increasing membership and establishing a program of monthly and quarterly reporting added many members to ACG over the years. The strategic planning he advocated for in October 2004 is responsible for much of the progress we have made over this year. Most of you already know that as a result of our new structure, while The Center for Association Growth is continuing to provide us with some important services, Carl Wangman and some of the other staff that have worked with us in the past are no longer as involved. I know that you join me in thanking the outgoing directors and others; they have worked hard to move ACG forward. I hope that we continue to benefit from their experience and friendship in new and different ways in the coming years. December is a wonderful month for reflection and goal setting. I try to benchmark myself against others whom I admire, and I encourage you to do the same. Reflecting helps me appreciate more profoundly those who put up with the many hours spent working and away from home. My father has been a judge longer than I have been alive, and although in his 80s, he finds so many fulfillments in his job that he boards the train many days at 6:15 a.m. My mother, an accomplished artist, has spent time as a commercial illustrator. She maneuvers her brush with the confidence of someone who understands that mistakes are part of the creative process. Her passion for painting reminds me of how important it is to be engaged in something that you love. In my wife and sister are evident impressive skills of organization and persuasion as they manage intergenerational challenges with parents and children. And our children offer inspiration. I find that reflection on their activities and thoughts not only increases my appreciation but actually improves my execution on a daily and weekly basis. I trust that you will give it one final push to complete this year’s tasks. I also hope that you will set stretch goals for your business and yourself in the coming year and that ACG and our talented members will help you exceed those goals. Finally, in the holiday spirit, I encourage you to reach out to the important people in your lives and let them know they are as valued as the work you are passionate about. Have a great month. Peter L. Coffey ACG Chairman Partner, Michael Best & Friedrich [email protected] (c) 2005 Mergers and Acquisitions Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.majournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com