President's Update - February

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From the President


Dear EO Melbourne,

As I reflected on what I would share with everyone this month, one thought that remained constant for me is that of challenge and hardship. We dedicate and spend so much of our lives to finding balance and building systems, processes, structures and relationships that make us feel safe and secure. But often, things happen outside of our control that quickly reminds us that perhaps there are too many unknowns that can destabilise us. Whether it be a personal or familial tragedy, such as the passing of someone we love or a global disaster like the recent Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak, perchance what we really seek is a feeling of safety. Whilst achieving it may be tenuous or temporary at best, we still have the innate desire to rebuild and strengthen each time a tragedy or disaster strikes.

Similarly, this month has a theme of strengthening our EO Melbourne. A strong Chapter is comprised of strong Forums, and strong Forums create strong Members. That’s why we invested in EO Forum Next Level training for our Chapter Members with Past President Carlo Santoro, an EO Melbourne original who is keeping it in the family. My Forum Moderator recently circulated our upcoming Forum agenda. Tabled in the agenda is time to discuss key learnings from EO Forum Next Level. If your Forum hasn’t included this in the agenda, I encourage you to flag this during housekeeping to make sure that you and your Forum benefit from best practices and keep alive your commitment to learning and growing.

As part of strengthening our Chapter, our Strategic Alliance Partnerships Chair Carolyn Wong has reworked our partnership agreements so that they provide significantly improved financial and in-kind support for our Members. It means enhanced resourcing to (1) increase our ability to provide more value back to Members; and (2) provide breathing space to the Board to make sure we identify and invite the best and brightest entrepreneurial minds into our Chapter. Carolyn Wong has also led the charge in revamping our entire partnership approach with our strategic alliance partners by creating a buddy system – pairing EO Members with each strategic alliance partner as a main point of contact so that there are greater understanding and opportunities for building deeper and more meaningful relationships inside the entire EO family. Finally, with our latest strategic alliance partner EOS coming on board imminently, we look forward to collaborating with them to deliver EOS workshops 4x per year.

A great deal of recognition is also due to our Key Executive Chair Shan Manickham. Ever passionate about the education of our 2iCs, Shan has driven this program’s growth. Under his leadership, our Key Executive Program welcomed 13 new Key Executives. If you’re tired of your team using your books as doorstops and would much rather prefer having a 2iC that can bounce your ideas back and forth with, reach out to Shan or Kirsten for more information about our Key Executive Program at administrator@eomelbourne.org.

By now, our first Melbourne Quantum Leap Forum would have started their first steps towards organising their first Forum meetup. Under the guidance of our accept-no-prisoners MyEO Chair James Murray, qualifying Members from Melbourne were connected and invited to craft their own Forum experience. One of the challenges of a growing Chapter with 140+ Members, where Membership diversity and needs also expand, is to provide better values for the Members. Hosting Melbourne Quantum Leap Forums will ensure the survival of legacy in the Chapter.

For a more lighthearted touch, fellow Chapter Member Jeremy Chen is championing a MyEO cycling group in the Chapter. If you’re a keen cyclist and want to cycle with likeminded individuals, reach out to Jeremy Chen or our Chapter Manager Kirsten Yokoyama for further details at administrator@eomelbourne.org.

Finally, as always, I invite you to join me in reflecting on how we can make this year ”Our Best Year Yet!” With four months remaining, think of that one thing that if you achieve it, will make you want to jump up on the table, pop open a bottle of champagne, and start dancing. And when the end of June comes, we can all toast and give ourselves a pat on the back with loud cheers because we have made this year “Our Best Year Yet!”

With Warmth,

Kym Huynh

President 2019/2020