I just returned from my annual trek to beautiful Sedona, Arizona, where not only my husband and I got married eight years ago, but also where I have attended a gathering of PR firm owners from all over the country for 16 consecutive years now. We are all principals of mid-sized, regional PR firms, and I liken the “Sedona Roundtable” to group therapy among non-competing firms, wherein we share every trial and tribulation with one another, and all return to our respective firms wiser, if not a little beaten up by all the “tough love” that takes place there.
This experience has convinced me, over the years, of the extreme value of identifying with a group of trusted peers to whom you can truly “spill your guts”. It is so easy for business owners to become isolated as we go about our business. It is difficult for owners to let down their guard and admit that they don’t know everything because we are so accustomed to the playing the role of “all-knowing leaders” with the troups that we manage every day.
I never fail to return from this journey into the high desert full of new ideas to implement and with a fresh perspective on my firm and on my “highest and best use” as the owner of that firm. For three days, I work not IN my business, but ON my business, with people just like me who are dealing with similar issues and challenges.
