Lauren and I spent some time in Denver last week which became the most OPUS filled 24 hours that I can remember. At dinner with some clients and their spouses, we went around the table and shared the current version of our OPUS’s. When it was my turn, I shared with them I felt like I have hit a false summit and what we are doing here tonight is a glimpse to the real mountaintop ahead.
It’s been an incredible journey with BTL the last 10 years especially the last 6.5 years as a Builder. I had a moment earlier in the year where I felt like that I had reached the summit of my OPUS that I wrote many moons ago and it has had the opposite effect than what I thought it would feel like. The best way I could describe it is disorienting. I obviously don’t want to go down the mountain, but when you hit a summit there’s not a lot more room to go up.
Last week at dinner when those two words false summit came out of mouth I finally realized we are at the summit before the summit. It’s a beautiful and rewarding summit to hang out on but far from the true destination. As I extrapolate this thought to Built to Lead and my bandmates, I feel like we, as a loose institution, is at its false summit moment. What a climb it has been over the last 24 years and in my soul, I feel like we have a new climb ahead of us.
I am so grateful for Chester and the builders that came before me that blazed the trail to where we sit today. It’s been the journey of a lifetime AND it’s time that we climb on. The next summit is still in the clouds right now, but I am ready to blaze the trail and do some pulling up the mountain this go round.
For those that feel similarly that they are at the end of a chapter of their OPUS, enjoy the view for a moment and realize there is always another summit ahead if you choose to keep climbing in life. I am working on a deep rework of my OPUS the rest of this year and will be coming into our Builder’s summit in January 2027 to unite as a band with a compass, map and tons of juice to climb on. Our first client summit in 2028 may be the first steps toward the next mountaintop.
This is my call to action to my bandmates and our clients for a deep OPUS rinse. Rinse and climb. Dream and do…
BUILT TO LEAD 