Greetings.  I'm back in the office after four weeks on the road and, as our buddy Dorothy noted in The Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home."  Because "home" is the place where we are most comfortable and confident.  A place where we are anchored, grounded, and able to be at our best as long as we are open to believing that even our best can always be better.  So even after a long and exciting journey filled with new discoveries, fascinating ideas, remarkable learning, and limitless possibilities, it's always fun to return to the office and look at our businesses with a fresh and optimistic eye.  An eye that appreciates all the things we do really well, but also imagines–based on new insights–how we might raise the bar.  

The real challenge for each of our companies and organizations is to skillfully combine these new insights with an even clearer understanding of the things we already know.  And, in the process, to figure out how to deliver even greater value to the customers we have the privilege to serve.  To create a culture of travel and openness that enhances the passion we already have for the important work we do.  Not that we need to be traveling far away to gain essential knowledge.  But we do need to create corporate cultures that ask us, with some regularity, to get off of our collective butts and engage the world around with a willingness to stretch, grow, and be more remarkable at the things that matter most.

So as you return to your workplace after a summer that hopefully included some time off and a bit of travel, try to take the time to figure out what you learned while you were away.  What genius you noticed when you turned a new corner.  What insight finally became clearer.  And then commit to use this new learning in your efforts at innovation.

Cheers and have a great week ahead!