During a four hour layover at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, I had plenty of time to reflect on my experiences of my 10 days in Florence, Italy. I attended two Rotary club meetings, 5 meetings with American study abroad university programs, spent quality time with 4 long-time (28 years and longer) friends and logged a lot of steps on my FitBit pedometer. OK, I admit that I enjoyed some pretty good food too.
Personal reflections:
- I observed that an international organization such as Rotary can have the same mission and purpose, yet still do some things differently that adapt to the culture of the country or environment.
- American students in Florence look and sound a bit dif-ferent from my experience of 30 years ago; however, they
are there for the same reason – to expand their horizons. - Sustaining long-lasting friendships doesn’t just happen. There is a lot of care and nurturing and “give and take” from both parties.
- To make a great pizza, you need a superb Pizzaiolo (pizza chef below on left) as well as an enthusiastic team of helpers (below on right) and a great wood burning oven.
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Think about how my 4 reflections from my recent trip relate to you and your company’s success. How do the ideas transpose? What does it mean for you? Is there something to change in how you will do or look at things for 2012?
My Italian friend, Daniela, her husband Fabio (the Pizzaiolo) and their friends consistently meet every Saturday night to make pizza (at least 25) and to gather as friends. The keys for a successful pizza outing (i.e. meeting) seem to include pur-chasing quality ingredients, having the wood burning oven at the right temperature, the right leader as Pizzaiolo and a team of (technically) experienced workers. Last and far from least is that all participants have a great time and want to keep coming back each and every Saturday night (client retention). I would enjoy being part of this team; I wonder if they give me an honorary membership.
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