Dutch television

As I've mentioned before, the team gathered in The Netherlands in mid-January to meet each other and to take the first steps on this journey. I was (as I think most of us were) expecting a week of presentations and meetings with slides and facts about AkzoNobel and the program. While we did have a little of that, what a different and exciting week it was. I should have known when the first day shaped up to be a bit of an "Amazing Race" type day--we were hurried out of the headquarters building to a meeting an eco-friendly water cooling district and told to meet back at the train station at a certain hour. When we met back at the train station, we were divided into pairs and given very little information about the afternoon--different meetings for each pair to give each pair a glimpse at how people in Deventer were implementing sustainable measures in their lives. 2 of the groups (mine included) were pulled aside and notified that we would be interviewed by a local Dutch television station at our meetings--and all with only 2 minutes of media guidelines. Well, here we are a month after this visit, and I have finally seen the interview--if only I could understand it, about 90% of the story was in Dutch, but my clips as well as the clips of my teammate Lloyd are in English, and I don't think we did half-bad. The point of all this is that the week in Deventer certainly did a good job of driving home a theme to expect the unexpected. We had a really nice week--getting to know each other, getting to know more about ourselves and getting prepared for this expedition. We all left at the end of the week ready to go--seeing the video brought it all back--I'm ready to go again! 2 weeks from today!!!

The planning continues

Over the weekend, I exchanged my hiking boots (the pair I originally bought were too small, I decided) and started breaking in the new pair (no serious hikes--only shopping in East Cobb). My almost-9 year old was quick to give her thoughts on the boots--"very fashionable" in a somewhat sarcastic voice. I responded that my hope was/is that they will help keep my toes warm and dry in Antarctica. I also picked up my moisturizer (lots of it), sunscreen (SPF 50), lip protection and a Flip (www.theflip.com -- lightweight, supposedly easy to use and not too hard on the wallet). I think I am close to having completed my gear purchases--I'll go through them one more time this week, since we only have 2 weekends left before the departure date!

The Beginning of the Journey

I guess I should go back to the beginning of this journey, which actually started many months ago when one of last year's Leadership on the Edge participants made a presentation to a meeting I was in about his trip to Antarctica. I remember thinking what an incredible opportunity something like this would be, but I never thought I'd be in the position to participate. I was wonderfully surprised when the head of our department here in the US called to ask me if I would mind being nominated and then even more bowled over when he called again a while later to tell me I had been selected--I am so honored! I have to say that it is funny to gauge people's reactions--some are excited for me (and would love to join in on the expedition) and some look at me like this is the craziest thing they have ever heard--how in the world could being selected to go to Antarctica be an honor? I wouldn't exchange it for many things though--I am looking forward to the trip of a lifetime, a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about myself, my team, my company and our world.

This weekend, I've got to sort through my gear and make sure I'm not missing anything--more about that (with pictures) to follow.

Leadership on the Edge

OK--I have been planning on creating this blog for several weeks now. I'm not sure why it took so long except that writing about my thoughts does not come easily to me. Hopefully, the more I blog the easier it will be.

I can say that I am thrilled to be taking part in Leadership on the Edge, a yearlong leadership training and sustainability program through my employer, AkzoNobel. A large part of the program is an expedition to Antarctica led by Robert Swan. For more info on both the program and the expedition, check out the links posted to the left. Lucky for me, I got to meet the other 11 team members and Robert Swan in January in Deventer, The Netherlands. It was great to meet everyone, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone again in Argentina in mid-March. Check back soon for details on preparing for Antarctica!