The stakes are getting higher

Just wanted to document (though I'm sure I'll never forget the experience) the journey of putting together my first AMG Client Council meeting on January 22, 2014 in Seattle.  It was a meeting with 7 marketing executives centered around innovation, out-of-the-box partnership ideas and relationship building.  I owned the meeting end to end - aligning internally, setting the agenda, working w/ partner teams to produce content and following up afterwards.  I got a lot of positive feedback from both clients and internal stakeholders.  I worked so hard (put in hundreds of hours, revised, reiterated and changed things up until the last second, lost sleep...!) and it feels so amazing to receive this acknowledgement.  I learned a lot and truly believe I grew tremendously with this experience.  Here is some verbatim feedback I received.  Names withheld to maintain anonymity...but I'll always remember who took the time to send me these amazing words.

• “…you did such a great job today!!!”
• “Thanks again for doing such a fantastic job.  You nailed it.”
• “you've done a great job pulling this together. I know that there have been a lot of moving pieces and org changes that complicated this, and just wanted to let you know I've noticed how on top of it you've been. Just a quick shout out. :)”
• “great job this week.  I can’t wait to see your notes and I am being serious!!!”
• “Hi Jeong, were you happy with the Council?  Heard great things!”
• “Really nice work on this.”

For me, a high-stake meeting like this is like a planning a wedding.  You plan and plan and plan, stress, coordinate, rely on others and do everything you can to plan your idea of a perfect day.  But when it's showtime, it's showtime.  You have to stop, step away and let the show go on.  Yes, people will comment about what a beautiful wedding it was, how much fun people had and how the food was delicious.  But the true measure of a successful wedding is the success of the marriage that follows.  So though this meeting was considered a success, I am maintaining my high bar for success and ensuring this has my mark for as long as I own this.

 

News of success travel fast.  All of a sudden, I am being invited to more meetings with more senior people and more opportunity.  It is becoming crystal clear that the stakes are getting higher.  More visibility.  More expectation.  It is very stressful at the moment and some days are harder than others.  I often dread the journey but when it's over I am on this incredible high.  I know one of these days, I will retire from corporate America and these moments will be a distant memory.  For now, I'm trying to remember to have fun, do my best and let the show go on.  At the end of the day, I am so proud of myself and so grateful for my mother, husband and daughters for allowing and enabling me to live this extraordinary life where I can focus on both my career and my family.  Thank you!

 

And how lucky am I to be working for such an extraordinary company like Amazon.com?  4th quarter results were announced last week and the stock price jumped to over $400 a share!