Micks Corner

Weatherman in San Diego.  Referee in a professional wrestling match. 

It's fun to try to out-do your friends in coming up with superfluous or ridiculous occupations.  I think I may have been the punch line myself a few times last week when I found myself serving as host and facilitator of three dinners for small groups of chamber executives.

Take a dozen or so chamber leaders, add a few courses at a good restaurant and a bottle or two of decent red wine.  Stir lightly.  From that point on, all you have to do is sit back, laugh, learn and take a few notes.  Good food. Good company.  A meeting with no agenda.  That's a recipe for bubbling chemistry and priceless insights.  Public policy, economics, business trends, national politics, international trade, demographics, travel tips and movie trivia . . . all fair game during such a gathering.  And all I have to do is get out of the way. 

Thanks to all those in St. Pete and Atlanta for letting me pretend to orchestrate!