As we bring 40 Stories in 40 Days to a close, one message consistently rings true – we are a city of possibility and innovation. We attract creative thinkers and keen problem solvers who truly want to live in a special place and work each day to make a difference in our region. No matter the industry or issue, you can easily find a common thread of ingenuity running through our 40-year history – with so many more stories to tell.
Leadership Austin continues our work in fostering relationships between individuals in private businesses, the public sector, nonprofit organizations and community leaders who work together at many levels to bring out the best in our region. This has served us well for the last 40 years and we believe this part of Greater Austin’s identity needs to continue to be actively cultivated with renewed energy for collaboration. Sharing a value or an objective with others is a key contributor to our sense of belonging. Our own resilience is interwoven into the resilience of the communities to which we belong. It is from these connections with each other that we draw our strength. It is not enough to strengthen our businesses, encourage our government or support our nonprofits; we must be creating as many bridges between these sectors as possible and looking for every opportunity to capitalize on these relationships.
The results will continue to be a win for the entire region. We are in a society that has access to much more information and includes much more diversity of thought, and all of us need to be open to advancing the dialogue with an end result in mind. The pace of change has so accelerated, we need to act based on human engagement and respond with confident action. With a creative, collaborative mindset, it is up to us to protect our past and design our future. Every time we encourage cooperation, we are tapping into that strength and spirit. With every cross-sector relationship or exploration of an opposing view we are one step closer to that collective voice in becoming a place each of us calls home.
We at Leadership Austin thank so many for the last 40 years and look to the next 40 with continued enthusiasm for building relationships that act. At the end of the day, the real number that describes Greater Austin is one – one person and one moment.
We wish everyone the very best in 2020!
Christopher Kennedy (Essential 16 – 1995)
Chief Executive Officer