Today I got the chance to really join in.  "Iain - it's the Annual Shareholder meeting this afternoon, you should come along and meet the Board."

Not every day you get to meet first hand the Board of Directors and the Company Directors of a $5billion organization.  What a great bunch, especially as I got chatting to them in the elevator riding down to the meeting.  Even these guys exhibit a few nerves in these situations. Hey their only human too.

Meeting went through the  formalities.  Motion is put forward, "so made" is shouted quickly followed by "second" and motion is made.  Usual stuff at these types of things - Ratify election of the Directors, CEO discusses the three main issues investors are concerned about, and the CFO discusses the numbers. 

But what was great this time around was that for probably the first time ever I listened in - intently.  I actually knew what the CEO was on about...Big changes taking place, creating new opportunities for growth.  Yes there are big risks but they were all balanced with real sense of optimism.  The CFO talked ROI, ROA, ROIC, Cashflow, Balance Sheet and Income Statement.  And folks - he even mentioned "Sources" and "Uses" of cash - had a we laugh to myself on that one...Prof Charm at Babson will be pleased.

But the best bit, was meeting the Shareholders.  People who have invested their own money in this business.  They were great - really passionate about the products, really passionate about the difference they were making to the lives of Customers, and really passionate about the people in the organization (leaders and employees) all contributing to take this place to the next level.

Passion - that's what it's all about.   Grab it, grow it and never let it go...