“Ship go, same way”

I’ve been reflecting on how to make the best of 2024.

This time last year I was reflecting in a much different way, about the life of my dad whose health was in decline and who eventually passed away last February.

In the months leading up to and after his death, I considered his life choices and appreciated how they had shaped and influenced mine.

It is remarkable, I mused, how we are never confined to one moment in time, but always standing at the confluence of many narratives – the past, the present, the next steps, and the far future. All, while dotted with knowns and unknowns, and hopes and challenges, are made real and meaningful by decisions and acts that have impact.

For many years until he became too tired to speak, my dad’s response to anyone’s greeting was “ship go, same way,” in our native patois, meaning “the ship’s still on course.” He was a retired marine engineer, so the metaphor was typical of his way of viewing the world. I also am finding it an apt metaphor for our time and for my approach to 2024.

Like a seaman, in calm and tough seas, set your North Star, navigate the storms, but stay on course.

Like a seaman, sail with intention, with intact values, and with discipline.

I took my first trip of 2024 only a few days into the year.

Over the last three weeks, I taught Brand Management and Business & Society classes to MBA students in West Virginia, where it was impossible not to delve into the transformational changes underway in the world today.

In Atlanta, I met in person for the first time with my board mentor, who was in real-life as she has been on video calls – a reservoir of wise, thoughtful, and deliberate calm, illuminating exciting possibilities with well-placed questions.

In Memphis, I spent time with fellow trustees of Reach University at our first retreat and was inspired anew by the executive team and staff who are passionately forging the school’s bold agenda to lower the cost of high-quality higher education via the apprenticeship model.

While in Denver, I took another step in my governance journey, by completing directorship certification.

In each city, it was also great to catch up with former class-mates, school-mates and work-mates, and friends, and meet some strangers, both by plan and by circumstance.

I do relish the practice of curiosity and the challenge of growth, so each meeting and conversation over the last few weeks was an opportunity to make progress on my North Star goal - making consequential impact through courage - living life with courage, advising courageous brands and businesses, and developing leaders of courage.

I am aware that progress often happens in moments, and that when we consistently create impact in small moments we build massive constellations of opportunity - for ourselves and for others. While each day brings unique experiences, our north stars don't need to change often, and our focus on them need not waver either.

North stars are often blurry and lofty and can be elusive. It takes small habits and patterns to achieve them - and these small steps require us to be a certain way: to be daily and diligent in our practice of courage.

At my dad’s celebration of life events, this balance was evident in the eulogies about the small ways he had made a significant impact on others, even as his ship battled storms and kept on course.

Which brings me to my personal guardrails for the year ahead - in effect, observations and lessons from Dad.

Create Clarity – Starting with the base of what you do best and what best defines and fulfils you, operate from a place of confidence and strong self-affirmation. Be bold about your outlook. Tolerate no compromise of who you are or want to become, or a reframing by others of you.

Embrace Curiosity – Even as you define yourself, don’t just play to your strengths, but also (and more so) to your possibilities, while leveraging your strengths. Take risks and seek discomfort in how you set your goals and engage the world around you. Do something new each day! Speak to strangers to grow your interactions and knowledge.

Have Conviction – Be prepared to fight for what you truly believe but accept strategic detours as you can't and won’t win each battle. Employ patience to build consensus, creativity to solve problems, flexibility to play the long game, and self-control to avoid distraction. Stay consistent with your core values.

Leverage Community – No one is an island, so, work with allies, supporters and coaches who will help you grow and achieve your goals. Combine talents, resources, and ideas for a multiplicative effect. At the same time, build goodwill and the spirit and practice of giving freely to others. Leave everyone better off than when you met them.

Strengthen your Core – For your chosen purpose or goal, strengthen your fundamentals – the skills you must refine, the network you must build, the trends you must follow, the base of knowledge or familiarity in which you must become fluent. Your core will hold you up and build your confidence and credibility.

Five years ago, I found myself beginning to explore what had been the most fundamental unlocks in my life and in the effectiveness of people I knew and continued to meet. Or when I had fallen short, or seen others do so, to what opportunity could I point.

I found the answer to be COURAGE.

Courage is that much unused capacity that we can all access inside of us to do amazing things, live amazing lives and build amazing legacies. Courage can amplify our small moments into powerful drivers of change.

Today, in a world with much turmoil, few would debate (I hope) the immense opportunity we all have to be better, and to touch each other even more, in small impactful ways. With more courage.

But, courage starts with us - developed as a habit, formed intentionally, quietly and without fanfare and applause – bolstered by our willingness to seek and embrace clarity, curiosity, conviction, community and our core needs, with authenticity, vulnerability, and humility - seen and experienced by those around us as a life of impact.

This week, I will remember anew a life gone and the impact it had.

And today, I wish you all a great year of COURAGE, as all our ships sale on course – due north.