1. Ended a 2 year relationship with someone I loved dearly, but who broke my heart
2. Starting dating and met a young man who swept me off my feet
3. Got engaged to be married and started planning a wedding
4. Conducted a job search in this economy– Not Fun (There is nothing more frustrating than interviewing for a job that you know you are qualified for and being told you need more experience)
5. Hosted my two largest events in Atlanta and Paris
6. Paris – Not Fun –  Lots of Work and had to deal with worker strikes, bad customer service, and too much wine and bread (I gained 8 lbs on this trip, still working to get it off)
7. Honeydo moved-in–wow–definitely a change from living by myself–what is the role of a wife? How does this fit with my career? (lots of questions)
8. We both found new jobs-  and ourselves.
9. Then other miscellaneous things happen….flooding,Exs, fashion, cigars  and the list goes on…..

Many changes. So what did I learn from this year?-

1. Caring about what others think, do and want makes a difference in how they see you and how they perform
2. Having a strong network is  like having money in the bank, you build it over time and when you really need it you pull it out (just know if you deplete it you have to build it all over again, there is no overdraft protection)
3. Ambition helps you establish faith in yourself when no one else believes in you
4. Sometimes you have to have enough love for the both of you
5. A true friend is there for you even when you hurt him (and hurt him repeatedly)
6. Pets give you peace when adults give you noise
7. Quitting or leaving a job is not a bad thing if you gain peace. If you are going to spend 50 hours a week doing something you better like it and like those around you.  If you are not happy, then you need to be focused on “finding your happiness elsewhere.”
8. Your weight (number on the scale) does not define who you are. You are not a failure because the number goes up or down. That said, confidence and success are connected. So having success in maintaining your weight is important. This helps you feel confident in who you are and your ability to have self-control. So…watch the number, create a plan, set small goals and keep it pushin’

This is my list..I will add to it as I think of more lessons, but I do love the comprehensiveness of it and how it shows deep and superficial insights

What do I expect for 2011? What I expect every year -Love, Happiness, Success, and lots of chocolate!

Happy holidays everyone!

1. Leading the right acquisitions can build your leadership brand and value in your company
2. Stock price reflects investors’ confidence in you and your ability to follow through
3. Join a Board Not just any board
4. Restructuring in a down economy can position your company for the future
5. You must have and communicate your vision for the organization to everyone
6. Being a necessary asset to the business is critical (no fringe roles)
7. Choose your mentors wisely

It is a little early for me to use this list, but at the very least I can use it as a compass as I climb to the top.

• Opportunities will come to you
• Brand is stronger than money (don’t ever water your brand down by agreeing to projects/partnerships that don’t reflect you)
• Mistakes or failures make you stronger (teaches you lessons that help in the future)
• Healthy Partnerships and Friendships can make you money and last over the years
• Experience teaches you what works and what doesn’t work
• Fully committed is the only way to – true north- all in
• Fear and low self-esteem can stop/kill any dream
• People who truly care about you can see your potential and see the future. Listen to them!
• Look at market data- see the trends- stake your claim
• Recognize talent even when others don’t (Good people know good people)
• Set Big Goals (and tell the world!)

You may remember from last year I produced my first ever international event. I had
42 attendees, 3 days’ worth of meetings and coordinated my first strategy
off-site. This year I upped the ante:

1. We planned the event in Paris
2. We had 58 attendees
3. The meeting was 4 days- with one day with an external training
4. Several complexities: Language, country culture, strikes, budget constraints

This
was a difficult one. But even with all the complexity in the world, I am
confident that the event went well. So far the feedback I received has been
very positive and I feel good about it. Now- what did I learn from this
experience:

1. Country culture matters:
   What works in the US and UK may not (and probably doesn’t) work in France.
   Knowing the culture of a country really well can help you plan and execute
   better. Next time I plan an event I will spend more time assessing the
   country culture before selecting a place for an event or starting
   planning.
2. Resources matter: You must have your A-team with you whenever you are undertaking a project or
   event. Think results first, then budget. Sometimes by underinvesting you end up preventing (or not realizing) the ROI
3. People are People:
   Building Blocks to a great event:

• Cover basic needs:
  Food, Shelter, Water, Tea, Coffee, Power Cords, Internet, Rest Rooms
• Communication: Pre-event, During and Post- Event Communication is important
• Treat it like a show:
  You are the Director, the audience should not see the “behind the scenes” it should be a magical experience
• Create a Friendly Environment: Having a friendly, personable, approachable attitude
  is important. You are their connection to the event.
• Be knowledgeable or Have Someone around you who is: You are the center of
  information. Knowing where things are or how to find it is important
• Don’t take it personal:
  This is the hardest one for me. I usually leave my heart on the floor after every event. I am very disappointed when things don’t go as planned.
  I am now evolving into a new creature which accepts mistakes or missteps as learning opportunities. I also realize that business is business. When people don’t follow through it probably has nothing to do with me, there are forces incentivizing them to behave differently than I want. If I can figure out what is driving thier behavior, I just may be able to influence it (maybe). If it is something I can’t influence, then I plan around it but accept what I cannot change.

I realize every day that I am blessed. In the last 4.5 years I have learned so much about myself, life and business. I have grown from a fresh college student
with a Masters into a professional. This road has not been easy. I have shed tears, been anxious, said “I hate this” or “I love this” I
have been optimistic and pessimistic. Full of hope and full of anxiety. I have lived life.

I now feel that I am embarking on a new journey. It is now time for Part II of the Alex Crump Professional Saga. Similar to the Twilight movie- will I choose
the werewolf or the vampire? I am definitely at a crossroads- Do I stay Fortune 50 or do I go non-profit? Do I go back to HR or did I see where this
event planning thing goes? Do I explore international locations or stay in the US? What about my husband’s career?

So many questions- and today I am not going to answer them. Let me just spend the
next 48 hours appreciating my successes and loving myself and life.

1. Your Team Matters- Having someone next to you who cares as much as you do about quality and execution makes a world of a different. Not just in being able to adequately get things done, but knowing you are on the same page with someone, you are in-sync.
2. The Journey Brings You Together- Working on an event (or any tough project) as a special way of bringing you closer to someone. In the process of working together you learn each other, build trust, work through frustrations, and learn how to get through all issues and incidents together. There is a bond that occurs, which when you feel like you and the person have the same goals, you feel at peace about the project and work.
3. Something Weird Will Happen- It never fails, no matter how much you plan, something out of the ordinary will occur when you are planning an event (i.e. an Ash cloud). All you can do is reactively respond. But there is nothing better than having a team around you who have the same sense of urgency and are willing to do what it takes to resolve it. You can overcome almost anything crazy as long as you have the right team around you.

 Summary, my biggest learning, is that if you want to shine, if you want to be your best, you have to surround yourself with people who have common interest and want to shine with you. Iron truly sharpens iron.

Lesson For My Career: Go work for teams/people who are passionate about succeeding, want to be the best, and want to help others be their best- This truly defines the best work environment

1. You Team Means Everything. We had 6 weeks to scope, develop, and deliver a national election. There is ABSOULTELY No Way, we could have executed without having sharp, committed and talented people as apart of the team. Although every one was volunteering their time, they gave thier best and cared about every step of the process being done correctly. This taught me a valuable lesson- when you have committed and dedicated staff you truly can deliver a consistent, quality experience and results.

2. Integrity is Your Guiding Light. During our first kick-off meeting as a committee we established that our number 1 goal was to create a fair, equitable and consistent elections process. In making this our goal, as we came up against milestones (i.e. developing communications, elections process) we would make go/no go decisions based on our original purpose. This made the difference for us.

3. Customer Experience is about consistency, it is not about heroics. Being able to provide a sound, predictable experience is what matters. Setting clear expectations up front. As a team we developed clear timelines and set expectations with our community. This made the difference in both participation as well as trust.

 It has been a long time since I blogged. I guess I have been busy. To catch you up I….

1. Started dating a new person
2. Got engaged
3. Started planning a wedding
4. Put my house on the market
5. Started to prepare to relocate

 Whew…. a busy few months. So with all of this change what have I learned?– I  have lost my mind–too much change at one  time can be crazy. But the interesting thing about it is that traditionally I welcome change, I enjoy change, I embrace change…but I have now realized that I have my own limits. Yes, Alex Crump has limits. I am the same person who went to school full-time and had 3 jobs (yes, I said- 3 jobs). I have always enjoyed being busy, multi-tasking, and embracing new and different things. Having ambiguity- not knowing what is coming.

 But now…. I realize that there are limits to change… so how am I handling all this change?- I am searching for stability in the chaos. I find myself appreciating my current job because it is the one thing I have that is not changing (at least not for now). I also find myself calling home, playing with my cat (Sebastian), Going to the gym, Praying, Making my favorite dishes… basically attaching myself to anything that I know is steady.

Isn’t that surprising, the same person who craved change is now the same person who is running from it. Human psychology is sooo interesting.

So dear friends, I know that I have been gone for awhile- but of course with my quest for stability- I will be writing more often. I know for sure that my trust blog won’t change. In fact, it has been one of the most consistent things in my life (besides my cat). Look for me to write more and often.

• How could I have managed this relationship differently before this issue occurred?
• How do I forgive myself as well as the co-worker/friend?

I start with these questions which lead me down a path of deeply understanding the situation as well as my role in the conflict. To more clearly define my role I ask myself a few questions: 

• Did I directly or indirectly offend?
• Is the conflict related to me or is it misdirected at me?
• How do I feel about the person? Am I caring hostility towards him/her/them?
• Do I want to see the situation resolved or do I accept the conflict as natural?

The next step in the process is action oriented- what action do I want to take?- This is the hardest step for me. Not because I have challenge with taking action, more because I always weigh the cost/benefits of taking certain actions. Also, it is hard to predict the extended effect of your actions on other relationships (outside of the main conflicted relationship). For example, if I choose to break-up with my boyfriend, then that action also has impact on my relationship with his family, any friends that we met together as a couple, any relationships I developed with his team at work, even relationships with his pets.

So how do I decide on an action to help manage a conflicted relationship? Again- I have a set of questions:

• What is a solution that I can feel good about?
• If I take this action, what are the benefits?
• If I take this action, what are the costs?

I answer the above questions (weighing all benefits and costs) and then I take action. I accept full accountability for my actions and live with the decision. No regrets, just lessons learned.

I listened to it once. Then I listened to it again. By the 5th time listening to the song- I found myself belting out the line “I just want to be successful” and I realized that Trey Songz is singing about my struggle.

Since I was 16 and left home for boarding school I have had my eyes on “success.” Making my family proud. Making my community proud. Making myself proud. It has been my goal to pursue a life that had never been seen by anyone in my family. To take my family name to the next level- pursue a bigger life- a life that has global impact, more sustainable wealth, and more influence. Having my eyes fixed on a new world- a new opportunity for me to create a life and world for my future unborn children and grandchildren.

However pursuing this dream has had its challenges- many late nights, uncomfortable situations, difficult decisions, disappointments and times of joy.

One incident-when I just started boarding school my 11th grade year- the math department chair wanted to place me in the lowest level math class because of how I scored on the initial math placement exam. I was livid. I knew that if I was not placed in at least pre-calculus I would not be able to take AP Calculus my senior year. I also knew that most competitive schools want students who have taken AP Calculus–and I couldn’t let this math department get in the way of me going to a competitive school– so I harassed the math department chair as well as rallied a few of the boarding school professors to let me re-take the placement exam. My campaign worked. My studying worked. I was able to retake the test and over double my original score which gave me the credibility to be placed in the pre-calculus course. From there I took AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Psychology and went on to attend the top 3 school in the nation: Duke University. The point of the story is that diligently pursuing “success” has meant fighting for my future. At every turn/hurdle in my life: whether it is

• getting into college
• getting into grad school
• getting an A in a class— or not failing a class
• getting an internship
• getting a job
• making a career

Each step requires fight. It also requires help. I must say that the most encouraging/inspiring aspect of my journey are all of the teachers/mentors/friends that have helped me persevere as well as reach my goals. Just like with the story above, I wasn’t able to convince the math department chair on my own. I had help. There were other professors that believed in me that also influenced him as well. And that is the point. When I think of success I have come to realize that it is no longer an individual pursuit, but a community pursuit. That each of us work together to lift and help each other reach our goals. Determining your goals is the challenge. What is your dream? What are your goals?- Understanding this helps you get one step closer to success. But following through on diligently pursuing your goals is the true definition of being successful. This is why “I just want to be successful” is so significant to me. It is about struggle. It is about pursuit. It is about my life.

• I had 6 weeks to plan a 2-day offsite in an english-speaking foreign country for an international audience of 40+ senior level people
• I needed to both coach and coordinate our strategy facilitators, but also presenters and breakout discussions

Key event organization principles:

• Proactive acquired and used community insight to develop a 3-year strategy
• Ensure presentation content was relevant and engaging
• Focus on creating a community/team building environment- both with the location as well as tone

Outcomes:

• 92% contribution to initial strategy pre-work (which was used to develop strategy framework
• During the offsite received 100% agreement on strategy
• Created project teams to proceed with working on initiatives tied to strategy
• Allowed for corporate partners to get feedback from field via breakout sessions
• Enhanced networking and community engagement through a group dinner

What I Learned:

• Planning an international event is challenging- even if you take language out of the picture, small culture/language differences make it difficult to coordinate across continents. It is always best to have everything in writing- but also you must over communicate and have rehearsals
• Pick a strategy consultant that understands your business- if you pick someone who does not have enough context it can mean extra work for your team
• Special experiences can drive networking (i.e. everyone eating the same unique chocolate bar or drinking special beer- Creating a unified special experience for attendees can create an inherent sense of community
• Rehearsals are key- Practice, practice, practice ensures success on your special day
• Sleep and Coffee are important as a planner- when planning an international event you should arrive at least 3-days in advance to get use to the timezone, try to get 6 hours of sleep each night and drink coffee when necessary
• Last but not least- Unfortunately, particularly international events, can be very stressful. To best manage stress you need to have a source of energy/inspiration- whether it is a call from your spouse, a trip to the spa, going to a play with a friend- find both small and big ways to encourage yourself during a stressful event.

This event provided me great lessons and learnings- how to produce something internationally, how to build community among an international audience, how to organize and facilitate a community-based strategy

Although I am slightly sleep-deprived, gained 5 lbs, and exhausted- I have professionally gained something that has forever shaped me as an event planner, but also as a human being