I'm pleased to announce that Fran Gosnell has joined our CEBI staff as Manager of Member Services.  Fran's responsibilities include helping members get the most out of their CEBI experience, as well as expanding CEBI's membership.  

Fran is a delightful person that I'm sure you'll want to get to know.  Her career experience includes a variety of positions and industries, including health care, municipal government and hospitality.  

Fran has also had her own business, which gives her a great insight into the lives and times of CEBI members.  Her catering business in Laurens, SC grew to five employees, and she recently exited that business to relocate to Greenville, SC.  

When you call the CEBI office ( 864 527-5917), Fran is the person most likely to answer.  You can also email her at:  
frangosnell@ChiefExecutiveBoards.com               

Please join me in welcoming Fran to CEBI!    

Do you find yourself spending time working on problems that should belong to someone else in your organization?  

At the Spring Summit, a member reminded me that problems are like a monkey on your back -- they keep their furry little monkey arms clasped around your neck until you can get them unclenched and returned to the floor, where monkeys belong.  

And monkeys are upwardly mobile!   They can jump from one of your managers' or employees' backs to yours!   

Ever had a project that wildly exceeded your estimates of either cost, time, or both? There are lots of reasons that happens. In my experience, however, one of the most prevalent is failure to define the scope of the project before starting, and then finding that you're too far down the road to either reduce the scope or get the project done on budget. Otherwise known as "biting off more than we can chew."

Here's a metaphor, or word picture, you might use with your own management team as a memorable parable. It's about something familiar to almost everyone -- building a house.

Several members described the Spring Summit in Columbus as "the best Summit ever."  We appreciate the contributions of our members who presented Executive Briefings, facilitated Board meetings and hosted Roundtables.  Briefing presentations are posted for member access on the Summit Library page (member user name and password required).  

If you missed this Summit, you missed a great event.   Mark your calendar for the Fall Summit, November 13-14.