The Power of One

I had the pleasure of hosting a table at the Excaliber Awards on Wednesday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel. It was a wonderful event, chaired by Brian Shield, the CIO at the Weather Channel. Having chaired a couple of these events I know all too well the potential challenges that can occur during the event, especially the ones surrounding timing. Brian and his planning committee along with Frank Baia and Susan Stottlemeyer did an absolutely stunning job in this area. The event started on time and finished bang on schedule almost to the second.

The winners were Sequoyah Regional Library System in the small company category, Solid Source Realty in the mid-size company category, Southern Company in the large company space and the Georgia Aquarium in the creative category. Congratulations to all the winners, and to all the companies that did not win, but made the list of finalists.

For me, the most special part of yesterday's event was the chance to listen to Debora Wilson, the President of the Weather Channel, speak about the journey that the Weather Channel has been on for the past 25 years. The Weather Channel began as an idea hatched in the head of television weather reporter and presented to Landmark Communications, Inc., a privately held media company. Today, it is one one of the most admired firms in the United States. Debora spoke about how technology and the Weather Channel had grown together and the role that technology has played in allowing the vision to become reality. But perhaps the most striking part of Debora's presentation was her comments regarding the "power of one", the power of one person to make a difference. She was clearly very passionate about her belief in this concept because she had witnessed it in her tenure with the Weather Channel. She spoke very fondly about one individual that she believed had driven significant growth through his personal commitment to the success of the business. It is, in my humble opinion, the most important concept for every person entering any field of endeavor to grasp. Why? Because when you wake up every morning believing that you personally can make a difference, then the world has endless possibilities. More importantly, you can make a difference. I tell folks here at Tescom USA that each of us must contribute more than just our presence to make the business successful. We must commit to "being the difference that makes a difference" as my good friend Charle Gottenkieny always used to tell me. It's an incredibly powerful perspective for an individual to hold. Just imagine. Everyone associated with your business believes that they have the potential to create a positive impact on each and every day. Wow! How incredible would that be? Google operates on that principle and so should every firm in America. But it starts with you believing in you! Debora Wilson reminded me how important the "power of one" can be and that evening during our all-hands meeting I referenced her presentation during my comments to the team. In fact, I referenced her comments to introduce our Associate of the Quarter Award and talked about how the winner embraced all the tenets of self-belief and empowerment. Thanks Debora for sharing your vision with all of us.