Cape Cod in the Fall… New Orleans Just Ahead

It was my distinct honor to keynote the New England Water Works Association Annual Conference in Cape Cod, Mass this past week.  It was a truly uplifting and great experience from start to finish!  By far one of the best conferences I have ever attended!  Thank you to everyone up there who made me feel so welcome.  I know that most of them could barely understand my southern dialect but all were extremely friendly and made the trip a quite memorable experience… surely something I needed after the recent loss of my mother. 

Next week, I am in New Orleans speaking multiple times at the Water Environment Federation’s WEFTEC conference.  WEFTEC is the largest utilities trade show on the planet and, somehow, I managed to volunteer for more activities there than there are hours in the conference!  I’m speaking at a financial planning workshop, two technical sessions on HR subjects, an elected officials workshop, three committee meetings and at least two dinners out.  As much as I love giving away information, somewhere in all of that, I need to find time to gather information to help me and my utility out, too!  I hate to be short here, but I have a lot to do yet to be fully prepared. 

In my next post, I’ll explain why most utility companies and Lindsey Lohan have a lot in common… and that is NOT meant as a compliment!  Stay tuned!!

   

Another Great Conference in Indiana!

Things have been very busy and I am sorry for the lag in my postings!  Last week, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to speak at the Alliance Indiana Rural Water Conference.  While I was there, I provided three different addresses:

-          The keynote address at the opening ceremony:  This was a short talk I love giving about the things my father passed on to me over the years and how they have helped me build a steady and prosperous career over time.  My dad was hilarious in the stories he would tell me and in the things he would say.  Some day, I am going to write a book just about that.  He always knew exactly what to say to me to get my attention so that I would actually hear his point rather than blowing him off as not nearly as smart an me in my youth.  I am reminded of the Mark Twain quote about his father.  “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”  Priceless!

-          An hour-long presentation on my "Good Enough Isn't" Method:  Again, great participation and a lot of follow-up requests for additional information.  That is always great feedback to a speaker!

-          The Guest Speaker at the Operator’s Awards Luncheon:  I spoke about the powerful return on investment from having a great customer service program and again used my father’s words as illustration of the points.  Special thanks to “Duke” who helped me through one of my illustrations.  I had no idea that this person was quiet and shy when I picked him from the crowd.  It turns out that he was the perfect volunteer!  Thanks again!

Thank you to AIRW Executive Director Connie Stevens and her entire staff for putting on such a great conference.  It was truly a first class event from start to finish!