Unfortunately, saying thank you seems to be an after thought more and more. So at least once a month, I will take a few minutes to publicly appreciate someone that has had an impact on me.
This round: Lee Copeland
I met Lee back around 2010…I think. He was the first person to give me a shot publicly speaking at a national conference. I may not remember the year but I do remember it was Vegas and the session was about the benefits of continuously reflecting on situations and what you can learn as years pass and that he attended my session.
Afterwards, he told me “I only bring back speakers that do a quality job and get good ratings. I look forward to having you back as a speaker.”. I was so excited and relieved. I knew I had things to share but could I do this on a larger stage, turns out yes.
Over the years since, I’ve spoken at several Techwell conferences including being the closing keynote. Obviously, I owe a lot to Lee for these opportunities but the main reason for this appreciation post is regarding the Leadership Summit chair role. Lee really trusted me to get the right speakers, meet deadlines and make sure things were smooth. He didn’t micro-manage me. He encouraged and appreciated my work. I’m so very grateful for the opportunity; I’m even more grateful for his trust.
So thank you Lee!
Picture from LinkedIn
