Unfortunately, saying thank you seems to be an afterthought 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: Eric Willeke
As is often the case these days, I can’t remember exactly the moment I met Eric Willeke at this point. I’m pretty sure it was Agile2008 or 2009 as one of the conferences volunteering bag-packing events. But I could be totally off base there. The point is that I’ve known Eric for quite some time and he continues to make an impact on my life.
I’m doing this specific appreciation for the moments that just make me feel grounded and curious. Eric is really good at reaching out occasionally and making plans for taking a walk. Those walks always include conversations that bring me such joy. We’ll flow between personal life topics to work topics to world topics all in a span of an hour. In fact, I think if someone ever listened in, their thought would be “is there any topic off limits?”.
These discussions have supported me (questions of how he could help or advice). These discussions have challenged me (what do I want to do next or brand considerations). These discussions have given me energy (what is possible, how I can help). These discussions have made me laugh (sorry that’s just for us). These discussions always leave me wanting to make sure we do this again.
To have someone where the psychological safety and trust are so high that there isn’t anything off limits, that I can be authentically me and that I feel respected and appreciated…seriously, it’s wonderful. Thank you Eric. I truly appreciate you!
Picture from Linkedin
