Good morning, Team!  It’s Friday!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one already…  Guy walks into a bar, sits down and and starts talking with an educator, an accountant, a banker and a couple of engineers. (Belly laugh-that’s a doozie, judge)

{I apologize for the Caddy shack reference for those who missed that.}

I’m actually writing this on Friday morning (surprise) as my Thursday evening was filled with, as last evenings host put it, “maybe the most intellectual dinner… [he’d] ever been a part of.”  It was a tremendous discussion filled with civil discourse among other healthy exchanges.

What on earth, might you ask, does this have to do with leadership?

[whisper] He didn’t call it a saw sharpening thingamajig.  Maybe he scrapped this together and hit send before he meant to.

Allow me to complete the thought.

Leaders are many things, great communicators near the top of the list.  For the self-deprecating in the room last evening claiming a lack of social graces, each and every participant shared openly, articulately and demonstrated that their vocation did not define their leadership capacity.

This dinner brought together business owners in a social setting with the noble intent of supporting a good cause through silent auction, supporting a new business (the restaurant) and then getting to know each participant better at a social level.  Business dinners happen thousands of times a day across the globe but invariably, those conversations are dominated by one or two attendees with an agenda.

We were all a shade guilty of describing how we might be living vicariously through our remarkable children.  May each prosper in ways we could have only dreamed of and whatever our attempt at prepping them for adulthood looked like, we secretly hope it helped more than hindered.

Get to the message, Michel!

Money line:  what appeared to the naked eye or uninformed observer as a half dozen people enjoying amazing cuisine in a new restaurant was actually a room full of influencers who, at no stretch of the imagination, touch millions with their products and services.  No one taking a victory lap, just a curious group learning more about each other.

If what took place last night was an example of how other leaders recently in Hanoi or daily in D.C. could accomplish, this would be an entirely different world.

Encouragement:  When you communicate from this day forward, be more conscious of what you say.

•Remove any hidden agendas.

•Speak more from your heart than your head.

•As my old pastor Jerry used to say, As you go out into the world this week, remember, everyone is fighting a battle of some kind, so be gentle.

Have a blessed weekend!