In mid September of last year I let go of my corporate gig as CEO of TGI Friday’s based in Dallas and started to pursue some alternative goals. I wanted to spend some time at home supporting the family, to organize my darling daughter’s wedding (April 30th 2016) and then to go on an extended sail and get my Yacht Masters Ticket. I’ve kept some “serious” work going – s seat on a publicly traded company board (Spirit Reality Capital – which I love – chairing the Governence and Nominations Committee), some advisory positions and a fledgling small family investment business (couldn’t be a worse time to stand back from this one!).

Of course we never really know what the future might hold, but I’m pretty sure I will go back to work doing something when this is done (its over by the end of August 2016). However – I have no idea what this experience will do to me! My sailing adventure includes a 7 week circumnavigation of Great Britain – and I imagine that will allow me time to reflect and Contemplate. I enjoy contemplation – but usually it ends in action – significant and fast paced action. We’ll see. The fun in life comes from marrying intellectual challenges to doing real work (if you call managing change through leadership – real work). I will need some real work if I’m not going to drive myself and everyone else in my world completely mad!

So here is a journal of what I’m up to. I’ll try and share both a diary of activity with some thoughts and observations. I’m not a writer – so excuse the words (and the spelling and grammar).

Here we go from CEO last year to SeaEO this year!