Businessman/Sherpa

At 26 I have been blessed to be around many stature figures in business. I don't mean in a business sense but more in a "yessir hit your 6-iron toward the left bunker and let the wind blow it back toward the hole" kinda sense.

As a caddy you learn how to show up, shut up, keep up. I loved it, caddying was like a reverse nation and my "Acirema" was the pristine Roaring Fork Valley in Aspen Colorado.

You are probably wondering "really a caddy?".

Where else do CEO's, fortune 500 presidents, and other giants of industry rely on the decision of a self proclaimed punk kid for advice. After a couple holes of proving my worth I would often ask questions, as few caddies do, and the dialogue is as follows.

Me: "What do you do?".
President: "President of ABC company."
Me: "Is that fun?"
President: "Fun?"
Me: "Yeah fun."
President: "Not usually."
Me: "Then why do you do it?"
President: "I dunno."

To this day I wonder how many CEO's have resigned or changed their approach because of me. I would ask these questions to hopefully get in their head and realize today is about FUN. And I mean the kind of fun where your smile looks like somebody put a hangar in your mouth. To top it off there isn't a better way to bond with a CEO than telling him opposite of what he thinks on a 12 foot putt and have him curl it in your way.

I have tried to carry this over to my professional career. I make it a point to have fun everyday at work, everyday! Not all the time but 5 minutes one day and 8 hours the next. I work a new business system, and while I still have the passion to speak with CEO's and President's like a friend and trusted advisor, finding my groove has been a challenge.

I have had some successes and definate failures but my goal is to improve every call, every conversation, everyday. To the people who have hung up on me, it's okay I am not that good yet. Hopefully you realize I am just a person trying to talk to another person. It is not my job to sell, it is my job to build relationships "people with people", like a good caddy. So next time you pick up the phone and hear "Hi, this is Kyle Freund your caddy." Give a listen. Thanks.