As I write this it is 4am on December 19 and I am awake in a hotel in Yilan, Taiwan. At home it is still December 18 which happens to be our 25th wedding anniversary.
Several of you challenged me, some friends and family rolled their eyes, others kept their thoughts for themselves: why would you accept to facilitate a workshop the week before Christmas which on top is during your 25th anniversary?

As I was suffering from jet lag and bad sleep I was reflecting on this question. And I felt like sharing some thoughts and impressions.

• Curious about Taiwan: it is my first time in Taiwan;  I have only read and heard about the country in our mainstream media, usually in relation to geo political tensions.  I was curious to experience the human side, meeting the real people living their lives with the joys and concerns and trying to make sense of it all.
• Not only is Taiwan a beautiful and fertile country (formerly called Formosa), it is also a highly developed economy, very strong in Tech, and a benchmark in growth, wealth, culture and creativity

• Hermès, may be like no other sum client, has a sense of spaces, beauty, harmony.  During our workshop we had the chance to experience chair yoga using Hermès silk scarves and we worked in small groups to ‘marry’ the Hermès leadership principles around transmission, craftsmanship, beauty, benevolence with the red/green/blue behaviours

• Last night’s dinner in a special Chinese restaurant with the turning tables and family style servings we did the appreciation exercise through toasts; some came in Chinese, some in rhymes, some as poetry, some inspired by AI;  they produced a magic connection with laughter, intimacy and humanity
• Our formats to create spaces can take a team to a different level and I am grateful for the opportunity to orchestrate these experiences by touching people’s hearts, helping them become stronger teams, and leave a mark in the (business) world.

Yes, I do miss Carolina, my beloved wife, and the best thing that has ever happened to me; and we will find ways to celebrate these 25 remarkable years in the coming weeks; in fact we have already started.

A senior director at McKinsey once told us: "90% of success is showing up”.  sum is a professional services firm; client service, client relations are paramount to build and sustain a services firm.  

I am not suggesting that we all need to go the extra mile all the time and everywhere; I also don’t want to use my own preferences as the one and only formula for success and happiness.  And yet, I can’t help but believing that the extra miles is what ultimately allows a services firm to grow and prosper.

I wanted to thank you for your contributions to our clients and to sum and in particular for the extra miles you have taken on the way.  I also salute you for the choices that you have taken to prime our family and personal life.

Wishing you all a peaceful year end, health and prosperity for 2025 and I hope that you find your perfect place and impact in our sum community of clients and partners.

Cheers