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Cross the line and get involved

Michael NortonVail, CO, Colorado

Little Johnny was 12 years old. He had been a little smaller than his classmates most of his young life. Because of this, Johnny was often picked on and spent most of his lunch and recess times being chased by bullies. One day, as he was running for his life, Johnny decided he had had enough. He stopped in his tracks, turned to his pursuers, drew a line in the dirt with his foot, pointed at the biggest of the boys chasing him and boldly said, I dare you to step over that line! Without hesitation, the big bully stepped over the line. Little Johnny looked him square in the eyes and said, Good, now you are on my side. What are we going to do about this? When people come together, amazing things can happen. As an example, two weeks ago, the Vail Chamber & Business Association organized the one-day Disney Customer Service and Leadership program. The chamber could not have done this alone. It took the collaborative effort and cooperation of the chamber, Vail Resorts, the town of Vail and all the businesses who participated. Although acknowledgements were made at the event, it is really important for those who did not attend to truly understand that when people and organizations come together, amazing things can and do happen. The feedback we received about the Disney program was terrific. Some folks wish they would have brought more people, some are hoping we bring the same event back again next year, and others, although they had a great experience, would like to see us bring in a similar event that is more relevant to the small business. It is easy to find the bad if you go looking for it. It is more productive to find the good. It is easy to constantly be in opposition, and even though it may be harder, it also is far more productive and effective to cross the line and get on the same side for the greater good. So again, thank you, Vail Resorts; thank you, town of Vail; and thanks to each of you who attended the Disney program, as you all contributed to making it a tremendous success. I dare you to cross this line: Is there an issue or an opportunity you are facing where if you crossed the line in the spirit of cooperation, you could achieve more than you ever imagined or hoped for? The easy way out would be to expect or wait for the other person or entity to cross the line and come to your side. I challenge you, instead, to be the one who crosses the line first because amazing things do happen when people come together!Consistent with this, the Vail Chamber & Business Association is working with merchants throughout all of Vail, including Lionshead, West Vail, East Vail and Vail Village. Some have challenged our organization as being only Vail Village-focused, but people make new decisions and form new opinions based on new information. The chamber is stepping across all lines and desires a productive working relationship with all Vail merchants, Vail Resorts and the town of Vail.We encourage you to cross the line and join us in the collaboration. You can e-mail us at info@vailchamber.org or call us at 970-477-0075. Thank you in advance for the opportunity to serve you in the future!Michael Norton is executive director of the Vail Chamber & Business Association.


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