A Message from Xan Pearson, CEO
As 2022 draws to a close, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on all that’s happened this past year at CTLF. The proverbial turn the calendar will be here before we know it. And while most of the world subscribes to the good old Gregorian calendar (code named “Outlook” for many of us in business), it’s interesting that this past year—a year very much defined by change at CTLF—that the Chinese zodiac calendar regards 2022 as a “year of the tiger.” Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the tiger is often interpreted as embodying courage, bravery, resilience, and strength—often in the face of challenges.
Change is not always easy, but things that are worthwhile seldom are. In my experience, change can reveal opportunities for growth and cultivate new ideas in a way that status quo never can. The CTLF team and I are so grateful for all the support, input, and energy extended to us by this amazing community during this season of transition. To each and every one of you, we say “Thank you!”
Of course, nothing happens without the support of our amazing community. Even as we are positioning CTLF for the next chapter of our organization’s growth, leadership success stories continue to abound. Over the past 12 months:
- CTLF membership has increased 47%
- We added a new PDF for entrepreneurs called Thrive
- Membership in our Strategic Connections program increased by 18%
- Membership in our WiseWomen program increased by 20%
- At our Signature Spring Event, Teatulia’s Linda Appel Lipsius discussed the notion of being courageous in an era of unlimited possibilities
- We had 65 members join us for our Summer Social
- At the suggestion of CTLF members, we hosted a seminar on how companies can prepare for, and mitigate, the impact of a potential recession
- This year’s CEO Forum was a huge success with over 300 registrations. John Wood gave a timely and inspiring talk about building purpose into your brand to the largest CEO Forum audience in five years.
- We brought back our HEART-Level Leadership Award at our Holiday event. Over 92 members registered to honor our 13 nominees who exemplify our HEART values. Congratulations to Ann Sparks, Brian Connor, Candice Kingston, Daniel Kraig, Dave Johnson, Hillary Biskner, Kathy Lawless, Max Gerson, Meredith Gershberg, Mike Mulhern, Nate Mendel, Rick Goodmay, and winner, Michael Maynes!
When I joined CTLF in March, we dedicated ourselves to listening to our members and increasing the value of our memberships. We committed to focusing on our members’ “why” and the sense of community we have built in service to others. Improving the quality of our events, adding business resource workshops and programming to meet the needs of our members have been priorities. We are really just getting started, and we are excited to continue building on these activities in 2023.
And speaking of growth, we have set some lofty goals for the next 12 months to not only grow the membership in all of our programs, but to add new programs to better serve our members. We will we be adding a new mentorship program for emerging leaders, a corporate leadership development training program, and new PDF programs for CEOs and growth companies.
2023 promises to be an amazing and exciting year, and not just in the number and quality of our programs. CTLF members can also look for more quality events and workshops in the months ahead.
As we head into the new year, I want to leave you with this fun exercise you can do with friends over the holidays. It’s a great way to discover the impact you have on others. Simon Sinek’s Find Your WHY
By the way, 2023 is the Chinese horoscope year of the rabbit, which is often associated with hope, patience, peace, and prosperity. If you ask me, those sound like pretty good ingredients for nurturing healthy growth in the year ahead.
How are you going to challenge yourself to grow in 2023?
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