A Year of Intentional Impact

At the Roll-Over dinner, what did you most want the room to feel?

Rob: Two things, really. First, gratitude. I shared that we stand on the shoulders of the people who came before us, and I meant it. Brent and the presidents before him have handed us a chapter in a really good spot, and I wanted everyone to feel that. When we go to the trainings, we hear about chapters fighting fires, and we are fortunate we are not. So this year is not about fixing what is broken. It is about building on a solid foundation.

And second, I wanted members to walk out believing EO can add to their whole life this year, not just the forum and the learning events, but their life and the lives of their families. I am hopeful that next year at this time, they and their families can look back and feel how meaningful it has been.

You led with family. Why start there?

Rob: Here is something I have felt myself. EO takes us away. Away for forum, away for events, away for retreats. And our families feel it. So this year we are being deliberate about the opposite. We will put on events curated for both the member and their life partner, things your spouse and family actually want to be part of.

The moment that drove it home for me was our board training in Dublin, where most of us brought our spouses. It was the most rewarding week I have had in a long time. I do not want families to resent EO for always taking someone away. I want them to look forward to it.

Tell us about EO NextGen.

Rob: EO NextGen is for our kids, ages 14 to 19. The idea is simple. Tess, my wife, and I want our kids to have real entrepreneurial experience, and I know a lot of you feel the same about yours. So, a key aspect of our EO Utah NextGen program, the kids will have real business experiences. They will actually run a business and earn real money.

Our first event is a Family Carnival in October. The NextGen kids plan it and sell the tickets, and any kid can rent a booth to sell a product, run a game, or a ride, and keep what they make. They learn great business lessons, and they get the reward. They have already started, they have toured a few local businesses, with more on the way.

Where does this conviction come from?

Rob: I grew up poor, at least by US standards. Single mom who never made more than $14 an hour. New shoes about twice a year, and you grow out of them faster than that. Dinner out only about twice a month, never anywhere pricier than McDonald's. But my mom had a heart of gold.

One Christmas a family two doors down with six kids was not going to have anything, so she and I bought them a tree and some presents, we placed them by the front door, knocked, and ran. That set the tone for me. The only problem is, for years my giving stayed exactly like that. Chipping in when an opportunity arose, but generally not planned.

And then you met Tess.

Rob: Tess grew up with a lot less than I did. She grew up in a rural part of the Philippines in a home with concrete block walls, by Philippines standard, this was pretty nice, but it had a dirt kitchen floor, where they would stretch the rice with water when food was short.

She tells a story about her dad giving rice away from a nearly empty bucket to a relative who had nothing, because he could not in good conscience, let a relative go hungry even if he did not have enough for his family. Tess has that same heart, but here is the difference. She is deliberate about it. She designs it into our life. We do a Yes Day with our kids every week. We have had a date night nearly every week of our marriage.

That instinct, building the impact into your life instead of waiting for it to show up, is exactly what I want to bring to EO. It is the same thing that changed my company. We started ClearSource to deliver a great customer experience, but the deepest joy came from what a good wage does in a place without much opportunity. Now our whole vision is just to make lives better.

You called the theme Intentional Impact. In your own words, what does it mean?

Rob: The thing is, most of us already make an impact. Something comes up, somebody needs help, and we step in. That is amazing, and I know our members will keep doing it. But I will be honest, for most of my life mine was opportunistic. I wanted to help, I just was not intentional about it, so it did not happen as often as I would have liked.

Intentional impact is the flip of that. You decide ahead of time where you want to make a difference, and you build a little rhythm around it so it actually happens. One is an accident you are grateful for. The other is a choice you keep making.

You named six areas: family, health, business, employees, community, and government. How should members think about these areas?

Rob: Those are the places you all tell me you want to make a difference. And I want to be clear, they are six invitations, not six assignments. Nobody is expected to take on all of them. Pick the one that is personal to you right now.

For me, this season, it is family and community. The chapter is healthy, so this year is not about adding volume, it is about making EO more worth your time. That is really all Intentional Impact is. EO's promise to make your whole life better, made deliberate.

What should members expect for their businesses this year?

Rob: Practical, usable value. We are rebuilding the website into a real destination for learning, and the newsletter to be content forward. The test I keep coming back to is the difference between inspiration that is gone by the time you reach the parking lot and an insight you can use that week.

A big part of that is our Strategic Alliance Partners. I have been in EO about 12 years, and even I had a narrow picture of what they do. A firm like Cooper Norman is far more than taxes. Sandler is a sales engine. Rick Krebs has a whole library on buying and selling companies.

So instead of a sixty-second pitch at the front of the room, this year they will teach. We will publish their expertise so you get it on your own time. Less pitching, more teaching, more trust. And the same lens applies to the rest of it, the employees who show up for us every day, the communities we live in, even our own health and the energy it takes to lead well. You cannot make the impact you want if you are running on empty.

If this year works, what will members notice, and what are you deliberately not doing?

Rob: You will notice things are more useful and more intentional. Events on the calendar far enough ahead that you can plan around them. Communication worth opening. Partner content that teaches. Events your family can be part of.

And what I am not doing is piling on programming just because we can. When you are in a strong spot, the temptation is to add more for the sake of more. I would rather protect your time. It is all voluntary. The point is the things genuinely worth showing up for, not a fuller calendar. And none of this is mine alone. The board built it with me, so bring your ideas straight to your board chairs.

What is the one question you want every member thinking about this year?

Rob: Where do I most want to make an intentional impact this year, and what is one deliberate thing I will do about it? Do not try to do all six areas. Pick the one that is personal, then do one thing. Talk to the board chair who owns it, bring it to your forum, or make a commitment at home this month.

Going back to our company motto, making lives better, I really believe that as you increase your impact, you do not just make other people's lives better. You make your own better too. If next June members and their families can look back and feel that, the year was a success.