2:15 a.m. PDT, Wednesday morning, it started. Sharp, searing pain on the lower right side of my abdomen…flipped on like a switch. This was not a foreign pain to me. I had been dragged through this field of broken glass twice before over the past 5 years. I knew what had just started and knew what I was in for.
“Susie, wake up, time to get me to the hospital. I’m passing a kidney stone.”
We called ahead to the emergency room to get them ready. “No fussing around. Have the good stuff ready when I get there.”
I was scheduled to fly to Orange County at 8:00 a.m. to speak to 70 of our sales partners and to run another hugely impactful Intelisys Mindshare event. As they began pumping narcotics into my arm, I knew I was not going to make it…someone was going to have stand in that gap.
It’s at times of crisis when the true character and talent of extraordinary people really shines. This was one of those times. Jay Bradley, Mike McKenney, Dana Topping, Chuck Mache. It’s amazing what a deep bench of gifted leaders we have at Intelisys. They all stepped in and ran a world-class event. Sure, I’m guessing they made lots of jokes about me being stoned, but truth is always funny… I was completely wasted while they were helping our partners build their businesses. 
This experience reminds me of a really important business lesson.
- Is there something you do in your company that you’ve felt only you can do?
- Are you sure there aren’t others that could step up if asked?
- How deep is your bench?
- How often do you test the capabilities of that bench?
Today I am grateful for so many things. I’m grateful to be surrounded by extraordinary people who collectively make up the absolute best leadership team in the channel…truly awe-inspiring to be a part of this. I’m grateful that when my body said “no”, our team said “yes” and they hit it out of the park. And lastly, I’m grateful this little fella passed on through and I can get back to doing my part. And drugs… I’m grateful for those, too. 
Good selling.
