All of us are going through different phases of life all the time and we don’t think about it, at least I haven’t, until now. I guess you think about it more as you mature (ha, ha, a diplomatic way to say “get older”). You also hear the comment from “mature” people that life flies by so enjoy every minute of it. Time is tight with our marriages, kids, careers, hobbies, etc. If there was one thing that I would do over, I would set aside time with family and friends to genuinely talk about what feels good about “this phase” of our lives. A gathering once a year to debrief, tell stories, and laugh about the positive things. I wish I had set up a reminder annually to get away by myself and reflect about my life. All my reminders seem to have to do with work, chores, etc.
Seeing Change
Over the past few years, I have seen two of my three boys get married and the other one is now engaged. He met his fiancée at 1:45 AM on the “night” of my first son’s marriage. It’s an incredible story. I will have to tell you sometime. The oldest son is expecting our first grandchild. My two boys who are married have started working for our company within the last two years. My wife and I have taken several trips which gave us the chance to laugh, learn, and enjoy being together. And finally, six months ago, I started to work with our leadership team to put together a succession plan for CGR Products.
I say all this to hopefully get each of you to consider the positive moments in this current phase of your life. In the future be intentional about it. Set time to reflect and make notes of the special moments in your life at that time. When you “mature” it will make you happy to look over these notes.
Planning Ahead
From a business perspective, I mentioned that we are working on a succession plan. Right now, it is just a plan. We want to be ahead. If we executed anything right now, my wife said she would be concerned for our, so far, wonderful marriage. I hope she is kidding.
First, we had to deal with the thought of succession. Then we had to decide how to get started and who to include. We have decided to engage a consultant that specializes in this type of work. After all that, you dig in and start to develop the plan. One of the first steps is to record all the things that people do so we cover all our bases. I have been amazed how many “little” things our associates do every day that are not part of their job description that help make this company successful. It is obvious how much our associates care and we are lucky to have them. Everyone is aware that we are working through the process, and we hope to announce the basics of the plan very soon.
Okay, that is Chuck Keeley’s once-a-year attempt at saying something worthwhile that may, just may, positively affect someone’s life. Have a great holiday season. We appreciate our Associates, our Customers, and our Suppliers. Be well and we look forward to a productive 2025.