I never attended a ribbon cutting before. It sounds so nice, so official, so decorative… but I wasn’t concerned about a grand opening, or the pomp and fanfare. I was more concerned with the success of the project. Did we meet and hopefully exceed the goals? Is everyone beyond satisfied?
You see, about 3 years ago I volunteered to quarterback creating a sensory room for children with special needs. It would be created within one of the schools in our school district. Such a room would create a peaceful, relaxing environment where these kids could “reboot” and truly “open up” and in turn be better reached by their teachers and therapists.
I learned the hard way that doing a project within a school district is not a simple task - but I persevered. It was I and my other right hand, Rachael who developed a team of various experts, trades, and programmers, and started what would be a 2 year curation of an amazing room.
When it was time to cut the ribbon and start thanking everyone I was concerned that the focus would be shifted to me, the company, and what we did rather than the goal of the endeavor – creating a room that could improve the learning and communication potential of the children. It was then that I remembered a line that would get the crowds attention and resonate.
My grandmother used to say, “Once the tree grows you can’t bend it” and that was the impetus for this room. The district is so student focused, I wanted them to have this incredible tool in their special needs tool box. Just like the other therapies associated with children with special needs, there is a window of time that when opened, can yield significant results. I wanted the educators, therapists, and students to have this resource while their window was open. The younger they are, the longer their window is open wide. This was the message everyone needed to take away.
It was a great event, and my speech remained on my mind because my “bent tree” analogy really speaks to what all of us deal with, as individuals, professionals, and entire companies. The reason people hire my firm to advise and consult is usually because they are astute enough to realize they need to do something soon (while the tree is young) yet they may not know how, or many not have the time. They need help.
So I couldn’t think of a better topic for this inaugural blog. I hope we all recognize that getting to things before our tree is grown is a key ingredient to success on many platforms and when help is needed, Camber Strategies, is only a phone call/email/click away.
Camber Strategies, LLC is a business and construction advisory firm with offices in New York City and Melville, Long Island. For more information, please visit CamberStrategies.com
