2007: Dear Christy Orris, New unexpected perspective

Dear Christy,

It was a surprise and flattering to be asked to be a periodic advisor to your family’s businesses.  I learned a lot and hope I was helpful.  Somewhere along the way you suggested I continue this evolution of my leadership perspective to join YPO- a worldwide network of privately held business leaders.  

As you know, the most unexpected, unplanned gift of this experience was finding my amazing husband, his family and friends.  However, in addition, I was given the gift of stepping into entirely different shoes where risk, independent decision making and the complexity of family relationships make for an entirely different circumstance to try to create value and deliver.

It has been a great experience.  It is such a gift to step outside of the familiar to humbly try to understand and learn from different forums. 

Thank you for the suggestion then, and your continued efforts to find new ways to put people in places that help them to grow.

Gratefully,

Ann Simonds

aka Annie Hoagland