Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Darrell Scott

One of the truly great singer songwriters out there, Terri and I had the chance to see Darrell Scott in concert a few years ago and we've been fans ever since, From the mournful "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" to the nostalgic Ben Bullington cover "Born in '55", Darrell is as gifted a storyteller as they come.

As we break into Spring, this one seems pretty appropriate right about now on this Music Friday. This is "It's a Great Day to be Alive."

I got rice cookin' in the microwave.
Got a three day beard I don't plan to shave.
And it's a goofy thing but I just gotta say, hey
I'm doin' alright.

Hope you are, too.

The Value of Teams

Watching Princeton's incredible run to the Sweet Sixteen, I was taken by this commercial from Dick's.

It's more than Sports...it's Teams that power us forward.

3 Years After

It was three years ago yesterday that I sat across the desk of a County Commissioner who was railing about the $250,000 that sat in a reserve account of his DMO. I remember suggesting that such a reserve account was appropriate, especially given the unknown we were facing with a little understood virus called COVID.

Three years ago today, I was facilitating a Strategic Planning workshop with that County's DMO, the day after it was announced that the NCAA was cancelling March Madness. The spectre of the unknown was clearly in the air.

As I climbed into my rental car to head to the airport, I received a text message that my flight to DTW was running late and that I would likely miss my connection to MSN. Delta was suggesting I fly to ATL to make a different connection home. However, if that connection also failed, I'd be much farther from home.

It was at that moment I sensed what was ahead. I called my rental car company and asked if I could just drive home instead. They said yes.

I didn't fly again for eight months.

That's a Wrap

For those that have been missing their daily dose of Zeitgeist, j'excuse. We've been burning on finalizing preparations for and launching the inaugural Board Leadership for Destinations Symposium with our friends from SearchWide Global, Civitas Advisors, CFObyDesign, Fired Up! Culture and representatives from Destinations International. Hosted by one of our dearest friends in the industry, Maura Gast and the exceptional team at the Irving Convention Center, the event exceeded even our expectations when we hatched this egg of an idea in Toronto last summer.

Thanks to the DMOs that joined us on this journey for your faith in our ability to deliver compelling content to your Board members and provide them the opportunity to interface with their peers from across the country, from Mat-Su to Savannah and Newport to Anaheim. And thank you for the closing session encouragement that this was, indeed, an empowering experience for CEO and Board members alike. That was our intent all along.

And, for those that couldn't join us because of scheduling conflicts, know that we'll be announcing future dates in the coming weeks.

Because, this was just too cool of an experience for all of us to not do it again.

For all that joined us in Irving...Thank You.

Not That Hard

Stumbled upon a Social Media post by the former VP of Creative Services for the Nashville CVC. She has recently gone into business with her new husband. 

Jessica Redmond posted: Could you imagine running a business with your spouse?

I know, right!? Pretty terrifying!?

But that clearly hasn't been the case for Terri and me.

That post made me smile...because that was a conversation we had a few years ago during our photo shoot with our friends at C&N.

We riffed on how so many people think working with your life partner would be impossible. But Chris and Natalie (C&N, get it?) said, "spending all day with your best friend? How cool is that?" To which we couldn't agree more.

Which, I guess, suggests that if you couldn't work with your partner...are you really best friends?

Terri and I wouldn't have it any other way. Neither would Chris and Natalie.

Nor would Jess and Justin. Their new podcast (featuring couples that work together) should be fun...and eye-opening.

Nuts!

As the Southwest Airlines meltdown played out over the holidays, I went searching for a book in my library that I likely hadn't touched in 20 years. Nuts! (by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg) tells the fascinating saga of Southwest's initial fight for life and ultimate emergence as a dominant player in the airline world. And, they did it by breaking all the rules.

What caused me to pull the book for a skim was an open letter from a veteran Southwest pilot that explained that early leadership of the company was based on operational optimization. Things changed when accountants took over from founder Herb Kelleher.

What also apparently changed was the unwavering focus Herb had on placing employees first. One of my favorite stories about the Southwest Airlines culture was that you'd never find the then 60-something CEO in his office on the day before Thanksgiving (one of the busiest travel days of the year) because he would be on the tarmac at Love's Field slinging luggage with the baggage handlers. That's leadership.

Though the book is approaching its 30th anniversary, Nuts! is worth your time...because Herb's vision and leadership was timeless.

If Everyone Cared

We close each year of blog posts with a plea for the coming year. From hunger to inhumanity and the environment to runaway government, we've been sharing these songs since 2006.

There are those moments in which songs mysteriously shuffle forward, as if there is an invisible force directing your next move...and that happened yesterday in the shower, listening to my new waterproof bluetooth speaker. I had pretty much decided on a track earlier in the week...but shifted gears upon hearing a song I certainly hadn't expected to fill the room.

This year, it's our wish for the world to care from Nickelback.

And as we lie beneath the stars,
We realize how small we are.
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be.

Imagine, indeed. 

Best wishes for a caring New Year....and we look forward to catching up on the other side.

Thank You

As we wind down this Thanksgiving 2022, Terri and I toasted our friends and clients (so often one and the same) over our so not-traditional feast of sensational lemon butter sea bass and risotto. You've all made our lives rich in so many ways we could never have imagined twenty years ago. And, we so hope that we have, in some small way, returned that favor. 

As I thank all our friends this Thanksgiving evening...I must also thank Terri for everything she does to take this business, our homestead and my life to a level I also could never have imagined. And, while we have eschewed marriage as unnecessary when one is blessed with such a bond...this song from Keith Urban pretty much sums it all up.

Thanks, babe. Thanks for everything.  

Nothing About Us Without Us

I've been pondering this quote almost every day since I heard it this summer at the Annual Convention of Destinations International. And, we included it in our DMOU podcast episode in which we asked DMO pros about new positions and titles they were considering that they never would have in 2017.

Well, we decided to go deeper. And, on the just dropped 100th episode of DMOU, we talk with Ottawa Tourism's Catherine Callary about how Canada's indigenous story is being told through an increasingly authentic lens...and learn about the Ottawa Indigenous Tourism Entrepreneur Training program.

Good Stuff.

Phoenix Rising

As we breezed around a corner into the trade show area of last week's Upper Midwest CVB Fall Conference, what to our wondering eyes would appear but our friend Staci Wilken (the former CEO of Visit Kankakee County). 

As we talked about the tumultuous year that she's had, I thought back to a DMO CEO with whom I worked during my days in Madison. When I asked why she abruptly stepped away from what was (at least outwardly) one of the choicest gigs in the Midwest, she replied, "you can only be told "fuck you, you suck" so many times a day before it's really not worth it anymore." And, this was an individual that rarely swore in public.

That's pretty much what happened to Staci at the hand of a micro-group of community "leaders" who wanted her gone...despite the incredible work she had accomplished in her time there. So, she left behind the sickening bullying to recapture her life.

And, like a phoenix, there she was, launching her new venture called Experience Edit, an experience-based management agency. A what, you ask? Check out her Facebook page to get a more nuanced understanding of how Staci can assist you and your organization.

And, welcome to this side of our world, my friend.