Merry Christmas 2023

Woohoo! Is it possible to say that 2023 was a boring year? A fun year to be sure, but the early part of the decade and its drama continues to recede...and of course, we all move forward at the rate of one year per year. :)

For Nick and me, our 5th anniversary hit in February. He just moved to a new place in New Hampshire, with enough room to bring his massive vinyl collection out of storage. I'm thinking the beast is awakened LOL. I'm still in Las Vegas with AMH, and unfortunately we don't have markets up near Nick, so I think our relationship will stay long distance for a couple more years. Then...we'll see. I do get out east about four times a year and Nick gets out west about the same amount. Here's one of our hikes in western Massachusetts during one of the eastern trips...

AMH continues to be good. I submitted our Leadership Journey and its progressive approach to leadership training to CLO, a major learning organization, as part of their Learning in Practice awards for 2023. We got word that we were a finalist, any my boss immediately said "We're going to the awards ceremony in San Diego!" This group gives Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards out, and I would have been quite happy with the Bronze...but to my great surprise, we won Gold! It's yet another endorsement of how successful businesses can be with the right approach to the human skills side of the equation.

Nick has now met Jim, Joe...and Peg! My sister is now officially a nomad, wandering the country in a camper trailer. She wandered into LA right when Nick and I visited Jim and Joe for a combination Thanksgiving/Nick's birthday celebration. 

No upheavals, no drama, and yes, I'm in the same house going on three years now! LOL While I've learned it's impossible to see ahead with crystal clarity, I know that as long as I have great friends and family close at hand, life is indeed good.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2022

 A year of relative stability, after the "decade" of COVID!

In January, I came down with the first "cold" I'd had since 2019. Or...was it? Hard to know, because if you may remember, January was a month of no COVID tests available. My "cold" lasted about five days, and I continued to work from home; I'll never know if I actually had a mild case or not. But, with now five shots in me, I'm pretty confident in living life as we transition into the mid-decade.

My company, after an aborted "return to office" in '21, actually did have a return to office in the summer. It's very much hybrid and very much flexible - I'm at our offices 1-2 days a week, usually. It's almost like a second orientation, as I meet and interact with colleagues in person after months of interacting with them virtually.

Nick and I were able to spend more time together as well. Sometimes it was in his neck of the woods, like Acadia; sometimes it was my neck of the woods, like Zion and Bryce Canyon. Nick continues his vinyl record collecting, and there's a big market twice a year in Amsterdam. I'm making plans. :) 

There was traveling for both work and pleasure during the year - including for the wedding of Aaron and Rosie just after Labor Day. They have settled in nicely in Arlington, VA, walking distance to Georgetown, where Rosie is picking up her PhD. 

Jim & Joe are, of course, a short hop away in Redondo Beach. Nick got to meet them in November, and best friend Mark Cobb joined us in January while he was in town for the Super Bowl.

(Yes, Mark is quite possibly the most sports-disinterested person who gets to go to the Super Bowl free every year!)

Stability. It's been much needed after all the stress, crises, changes, and upheavals of the past few years. Will there be more change? Always. Just as one for instance, I'm thinking hard about how Nick and I could be at least a little closer of a long-distance relationship. In the immortal words of my Dad: We'll see.

But for now, it's Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may you all have a stable New Year!

Merry Christmas 2021!

 ...or, as many might think it, the continuation of 2020 and the COVID era. 

I don't think a one of us believed that COVID, after taking a quarter million Americans in 2020, would then take a half million Americans in 2021. We do now have vaccines, but the virus has responded with variants. I sadly believe that this era will remain with us until a good antiviral pill comes online so that those who get the bug can easily get cured of the bug. 

Meanwhile, it was a year of living with COVID - heavy emphasis on the living!

My company, American Homes 4 Rent, continues to grow tremendously, and I was proud to be a part of significant leadership, performance management, and succession planning initiatives throughout the year. After the debacle of 2020, I am deliciously grateful for being able to report that the entire calendar year was spent with the same company! LOL indeed.

A big change for me was actually a return of sorts. You might remember that I was in Las Vegas for a few years, at the Venetian/Palazzo, with great friend and mentor Bob Mruz. Now, five years after that stint, I'm back in Las Vegas (okay, Henderson actually) to be at the home office of AH4R. 

The timing, as is true for so many events during COVID, was interesting but worked out in the end. I had a short lease in Castle Rock, Colorado, after the evil Seattle company's misbehavior, and I had joined AH4R knowing that I'd need to be locating to Las Vegas, where about 500 of our team is. When my lease was up in May, I eagerly packed and found a great home in Cadence, a new community in the Henderson part of the metro area. We set up a kind of "return to office tour" for July, visited many of our offices around the country...and then the Delta variant put yet another delay in plans. No return to office in 2021, as it turned out. We're currently scheduled to return on January 18, 2022. I'll let you know next year how THAT timing works out!

Nick continues to do well on the east coast, and I get to see him over Christmas. I'll also keep you up to date on how THAT works out!

Meanwhile, back to the new place in Henderson: A spacious ranch with a small yard, exactly what I want. A very nice secluded courtyard area for when COVID finally ends and I can invite peeps over. And...fake grass! Something that's very much a thing in the desert these days. All of Las Vegas' water comes from Lake Mead, and with its level as low as when it was first filling in the 1930s, there is very little support for real grass in this town. 

I am happy, doing good things, and looking forward to perhaps a smidgen of stability in 2022. But if you know how things have gone the past couple of years (and I know many of you have experienced very much what I've had to go through), you know that these days, projecting even a few months ahead is essentially TBD.

My best advice: Keep living. Even with COVID. Keep enjoying your friends, your families, the wonders and benefits of living. There's always so much to see and learn. 

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Merry Christmas - Decade of 2020

Frankly, this is the most difficult blog post I've ever done. Way, way too much compacted into this year, which I think we all would like to trash, bury, disintegrate, nuke, destroy, and move on from as much as possible. And yet...you know I'm optimistic! So, a quick review of the most notorious year in my life.

It sure started out well! In reading my post from last year, you may remember that life was going along fantastically. But I did also note that I can't predict the future. In retrospect, no one could have predicted the current year, not even Nostradamus. 

I was chugging along with a super job, a great relationship, and a new city, when some whispers of a new virus from Asia first started circulating. You may remember (or you may not - it seems, indeed, like a decade ago) that in January, these news reports were very much intermingled with other news.

As things began to heat up in February, things still went swimmingly. I was working on great strategic projects for the company in Seattle, getting to know the city, and working with one of the most outstanding teams I've ever had the pleasure of leading. We cautiously monitored the situation at a nursing home just three blocks away from the office - not knowing at the time that the deaths there were the first of what would become 270,000 Americans gone by the end of the year.

Our office decided to go virtual "for two weeks" in late February. That stretched to six weeks; and then, after seven months of non-stop "We're so glad you're here! You're taking us to the next level! You're doing exceptional work!"...on April 10, the message was suddenly "We've reconsidered our position, and your position is eliminated." Literally, like a light switch.

In April, I was suddenly jobless like 30 million other Americans in a sea of COVID and uncertainty. Everything I had assumed and intuited about the company I was with was flash-destroyed in about 15 seconds of a phone call.

My response: Immediate networking and ensuring that the team I left behind was OK. I was fortunate enough to be able to help place one of my team out of that company and into a higher-level position at a competitor, which I am quite proud of. And I made the decision to return to Denver ASAP, where my most reliable and strong network of contacts was. Of course, because of COVID, all meetings were virtual, but by mid-May, I was in Castle Rock in a rental, working on leads and helping others as the unemployment rate soared, especially in my foundational industries of travel and hospitality.

In tough times, you find out who your true allies are. Morag Barrett is one of those; so is Beth Harmon, the boss from Aimco whom I had left to pursue the siren song of the company in Seattle (I have very few regrets in my life, but that's one of 'em!). And Bill Brubaker, and Kimo Kippen, and Meredith Masse, and Brandon Carson, and Wendi Miles-Boykin, and so very many others who scoped out opportunities for me, gave me support and encouragement, and made some very appreciated recommendations.

Obviously, not much travel in 2020, though I did see Nick in late August. His journey is going on a different path for now; I love him, he loves me, we're still talking. I'm hopeful as always.

And health-wise, it's all good. I have now tested ten times for COVID, all negative. And the four O'Neill kids did come together for the first time in six years over Thanksgiving - with the strictest protocols and a great turkey dinner outdoors. Believe me, the needed connection after about nine months of near-isolation was worth it.

It's also all good job-wise. I'm now at American Homes 4 Rent, a single-family rental version of multi-family real estate. The company is growing like a weed and wants to incorporate all the latest thinking about leadership, vision, onboarding, and training even in the face of the pandemic. I'm with a caring boss and the bills are getting paid. That, in itself, is reason to be thankful as this year comes to an end - not soon enough for most of us, I'm sure.

As I've told friends and colleagues, in years to come, I think most of us will talk about the great things that happened in 2019; and the great things that will happen in 2021; but 2020 will become The Year That Time Forgot. I think we all can celebrate survival this year; and if COVID did impact your family, I wish you nothing but good memories of the time spent with your loved ones, and my deepest condolences.

That's enough about this year. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Onward!

Merry Christmas 2019

...or, the year that started "normal" and ended "spectacular!"

Over the years, you're probably aware that my choice of career means that I am normally 2-5 years in a job before circumstances change to put me on a new path. Often, those circumstances have involved layoffs. Occasionally, those circumstances have involved an invitation to try something different and new...and if there is one thing I know about myself, it's that I'm a sucker for things that are new.

2019 began much as 2018 ended. Nick and I are going strong, with a 2nd anniversary set for February. We had our second annual Memorial Day trip (rapidly becoming a tradition), this time to the Pacific Northwest, where we explored the Oregon and Washington coasts, the Hoh rainforest, the Olympic range, and Seattle proper.

Bonus points for going to Snoqualamie Falls and then dining in the "Twin Peaks" diner (Nick is a rabid fan of anything David Lynch, and that of course includes anything Twin Peaks).

It was a fun trip to a place I hadn't been to since the 90s. Back to Denver, and things continued swimmingly at Aimco. We won the ATD BEST Award for the second year in a row; I finalized the initial phase of Leading For Impact; and I was working on next phases.

And then, on July 3...an email from a recruiter.

Now, I get emails from recruiters all the time. Seriously. Most of them are fishing expeditions of a sort, and since I had been at Aimco a scant three years, had been in my house a scant two years, and was pretty comfy with a super boss and great recognition from my peers...suffice it to say I wasn't looking.

Yet, this particular email found ways to grab my curiosity. Not the least of which, the proposed job was set in the Seattle area...where Nick and I had just vacationed.

I remember literally shrugging at the email and thinking, well, these usually go to Deleted Items, but maybe this is worth talking to someone about. But only if it's super. I'm pretty settled.

The result, just 60 days later: A new job at Weidner Apartment Homes!

Weidner is a major owner/operator of apartment homes throughout the West and in Canada. It's a company that has been privately held since its inception in 1977 - lots of advantages to that. And in my interviews in the Seattle area, I marveled at the people I was being introduced to - people that truly believe in the value of learning and development, and who I wouldn't constantly have to "pitch" to in order to have "a seat at the table."

AND the comp more than made up for the higher cost of living in Seattle. AND the benefits were better. AND the title was VP. AND...

It really became a no-brainer for me. With Nick's blessing, and reassurance from the airlines that SEA-BOS-SEA ran every weekend LOL, I had a tearful goodbye from Beth, my incredible boss at Aimco, and a warm welcome from Marie, my incredible boss at Weidner.

It proves that one really never, never knows how life will pan out. After the layoff from Venetian/Palazzo in Las Vegas, I had thought I was back in Denver for good. For retirement. But in the course of 18 months, Nick happened, and then Weidner happened.

So, I end the year in another new city - with a great team that is eager to enhance and expand learning to 1,700 associates in twelve states and four provinces. After just three months on the job, I feel as comfortable as I have at any position since my Marriott days. It's a great company with great people.

I gave up predicting the future long ago, but it's a great one-two setup as I enter the 2020s...I have the best partner one could ever wish for, and a great new phase of my career among people who care. I'm grateful for every day. I hope you stop to think about the things you're grateful for as well, as we turn out of the tumultuous 2010s and into the Roaring Twenties.


Wishing you all a wonderful upcoming year!

Merry Christmas 2018

...or, the Year of Nick.

Nick and I met on February 7, and it has been an absolute dream from that moment on. Just one of the many complementary ways we intersect: He's an avid collector of jazz vinyl, especially Blue Note...and with my radio background, I'm able to give him lots of technical pointers about the right turntables, styli, etc. He's teaching me about Grant Green; I'm teaching him about Shibata needles.

Much, much more about Nick and me, but it'll wait until I talk to you in person. Suffice it to say...it's good, it's good, it's good.

And that helped make 2018 an excellent year in O'Neill world. At Aimco, we had a stable and prosperous year. I got an ATD Best Award as one of 45 companies around the world demonstrating an outstanding integrated approach to talent management (with great results to boot), and I got an invitation to speak at the 2019 ATD Conference. (ATD is the premiere organization for learning and development worldwide.)

I made it to Hawaii twice this year. First, a fantastic Memorial week with Nick on the Big Island, even as the volcano erupted. We got the best of all worlds - we actually saw the eruption, but as we were staying on the opposite side of the island, we also got to swim in pristine waters. With dolphins. Really fun, and a special thanks to Ed Mace for making the vacation super special at his Waikoloa hotel.

Second, I barged in on Jim and Joe's Hawaii Thanksgiving by jetting over to Honolulu for a fun four days at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. From that great base of operations, we checked out all sorts of shopping and North Shore attractions. Always great to hang with the little brother.

All sorts of intersections made for fun experiences in 2018. For example, our partners for our leadership program at Aimco, Blanchard, just happened to have tickets to a Broncos game against the Rams... and nephew Aaron just happened to have that one single weekend in the fall semester available for him to fly up to Denver for a bucket-list time of our lives.
Yep, we lost. Yep, it doesn't really matter. We actually got to go on the field and Aaron got to see some of his favorite players extremely close up.

So, the Year of Nick; the Year of Intersections; the Year of Good Stuff. I hope your year was fun and fulfilling for you...and if not...there is always 2019. Moving forward!

Merry Christmas 2017

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time with friends and family this holiday season!

It's been a year of growth and (thankfully) stability for me in 2017. I've been busy in my role as Director of Learning & Organizational Development for Aimco, a nationwide apartment management company. It wasn't without its drama - there were layoffs that impacted my team early in the year - but as we continue to stabilize and leave the Great Recession behind (finally, after waaaaaay too long), I feel very good about last year's decision to join up with this culturally-aware company.

A big part of the year for me was to rekindle my years-long relationship with the Ken Blanchard Companies. Ken is one of a very few true leadership gurus in the world, and his philosophies about how leaders can serve others from anywhere in a company structure resonate with me nearly perfectly. At Aimco, I've partnered with KBC to create a company-wide leadership development program called Leading For Impact.

The previous progam, Leading Edge, brought about 35 of the 500+ leaders in Aimco together for several live, classic experiences throughout a year. Yep, that meant bringing in people from all around the US to a focus city for 3-4 days...away from their roles and homes...in a hotel...with all the expensive meeting room, lodging, and F&B expenses associated with it.

My great colleagues at Aimco agreed with me that this was terribly inefficient in 2017. As you may know from my career, I am always looking at ways to leverage technology to better allow leaders to self-actualize and take personal responsibility for their own growth. In this case, I wanted us to stop offering leadership skills to only 35 or so leaders a year, and offer them to everyone who took positive action to acquire them.

So our test of Leading For Impact is more like a college course setup. There is an opening webinar to introduce participants to the concepts of great leadership, followed by 4-6 weeks of each individual performing their own self-study tasks using Blanchard Exchange, an organizing site with videos, activities, and assignments. Participants report on how they are using skills on the job via our internal Yammer site, and then they come together at the end for a best practices sharing webinar.   Our initial "climbs" in Leading For Impact are based on Aimco's five cultural pillars, and all of the key critical leadership skills will be offered over the course of 12-18 months.

So far, so good. Reaction has been positive and we'll be launching the full suite in 2018. It's keeping me busy and fulfilled!

With the stability, I again found myself in need of a house, so I grabbed one in the summer of 2017! It's very similar to homes I've owned in Denver and Las Vegas, and getting back into the inevitable projects around the house has been fun.

In June, I jetted over to New Orleans to see nephew Aaron graduate from Tulane. Aaron has his own blog now - mapamericana.com - check it out! He's far better at blog content than me; I haven't penned anything except the annual Christmas letter for years. :)

Nephew Dewey was in town just last week, and we were able to catch up with a great dinner at Yia Yias (try the lasagne). I realized as we were chatting that it was the first time ever that Dewey and I had ever had a one-on-one conversation as adults. Dewey's family is remarkable and I hope to see them in 2018.

All the other O'Neills are doing well, scattered as we are across the country. It's heartening to know that as another year passes, we are all leveraging our strengths and showing our resiliency and virtues in a way that I think Dad and Mom would be very proud of.

I've always got about 1% of my sight reserved for surprises. My life and career have had enough sharp turns and odd situations for me to know that absolutely nothing in this world is guaranteed. Still, it's been a good year, and I feel very good about the next. Despite what I think is some of the greatest political turmoil of the last 150 years, I think we will all weather the storms and come out the other side.

My best wishes to all of you - friends, colleagues, supporting members of my business world, bosses, partners, and neighbors. May you have a happy and peaceful holiday season and come out raring to go in 2018!