Merry Christmas 2013

...or as my colleagues in Operational Excellence would say, Happy Festivus! (We just had our department party Friday but avoided the Airing of Grievances.)

I think I'm ready for a slow, steady 2014. This year started at 500 mph and, while it's settled down nicely, the past few years have shown that you never quite know what's around the next corner. At least I've got all the boxes unpacked from this latest adventure!

One year ago, last Christmas, I wrote about how great it was to be back in Colorado. And believe me, it was. What you didn't know at the time was that I had just gotten back from Las Vegas, where Bob Mruz had told me about an opportunity with The Venetian/Palazzo that seemed far, far too good to pass up.

With another year under the belt, how has the decision to come to Las Vegas panned out? In a word...fantabulously!

Most certainly I miss my friends in Denver, but these days air travel is practically as cheap as buses were in the 60s, and I'm never more than 2 hours away from reconnecting in person with Bill, Gary and the gang.

More importantly, my position as Director of Operational Excellence at the world's busiest hotel has been nothing short of phenomenal. Working again for Bob was like slipping into a favorite jacket - comfortable and welcoming. My new colleagues at The Venetian and The Palazzo have been universally friendly, helpful and eager to work on the grand leadership, performance excellence, service culture and training initiatives we have in progress. And of course it's hospitality - in my opinion, the absolute best industry to be invovled in.

One year ago, I honestly thought that I might work at Great-West for a few years before returning to hospitality. When the chance came to accelerate that, I really couldn't say no. And in retrospect, from a work point of view, it's been exactly the right choice. Not six months after I left Great-West, the person I was working for left. I strongly believe I would be in a chaotic and uncertain work situation had I stayed.

So, all in all, it's been a string of right decisions for 2013. I have a great townhome in Summerlin, very close to Red Rock, and very reminiscent of my homes in Denver - especially after I converted the first floor flooring to wood! I've taken advantage of my close proximity to LA to see Jim, Bill and Bob just last week, and have met many new friends along the way.

Tomorrow we begin an ambitious Leadership Summit at our hotel, involving 120 of our top leaders to introduce a Leadership Promise and some very strong training initiatives and online support to actualize our principles. The Promise was directly created by John Caparella, our president, and his executive team. I haven't felt this connected and integrated into the top levels of an organization since RockResorts. It truly is a wonderful time.

My wish for you is that you have found your connections, good times and great experiences this year as well! My journey over the past few years has proven that old proverb that my great friend and former boss Linda McGill is fond of saying... "In the end, everything will be fine. If it's not fine...it's not the end." Truer words can't be found to describe my life.

Happy Holidays to all!