November 6, 2010
Total Distance for today: 0
Total Distance for Trip: approx. 233 miles
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA
STATUS: On the way back to Baltimore to continue the skate!
Busy
We had to stop in Pittsburgh for a weekend summit for APV and APA. I’m pretty well entrenched in APV now, serving on the board of directors, and we’re in the middle of some major restructuring. Saturday was basically one long and intense masterminding session regarding the future development of the two companies.
It’s incredible to look back and see how much I’ve learned in the past two months in regard to business. I honestly feel as though I’ve been enrolled in a super accelerated business leadership course. I say business leadership, because business management is a completely different topic. Managers keep the ducks in a row as you go, but leaders set the direction, the pace, and the milestones. I’m more interested in trail-blazing as a leader than as a manager.
In all, the summit was a success, and we were able to pinpoint some major areas of improvement and increased focus. I must admit that all of this stuff on the side (including the academy) has made the skate seem somewhat like a side note in my life, and I’m sure you’ve been thinking the same thing. I want to get back to that as my primary focus. These things are very important, especially the Detroit Project, as the academy is a major piece of the overall vision, but I’ve got a skate to finish. I don’t want that mission to get diluted. I feel as though I’m experiencing an exaggerated case of the kind multi-focused lifestyle that entrepreneurs typically lead. With all of this distraction, part of me has to ask: Are you guys still there?