I turned sixty this month. Wow – I just wrote that. I remember when I understood that my grandparents were in their 60s and it felt ‘so old’. Then, my parents got there and it seemed not so old. Now I am there and it feels not old at all!
At ISTS, we are about to mark our 40th anniversary. That seems like a long time for many businesses but young for humans. In 1985, my former business partner, Nyles, had the idea to start this company. He was in his early 50s at the time. Ah, numbers. They can help explain things and ground us or show us the precious, limited amount of time we have left. When Nyles retired, he was in his late 60s and spent the next decade reading books and enjoying life without work obligations and responsibilities. He had time on his hands and filled it with what he loved: learning.
I love and get a lot of positive energy out of moving in nature and with being with family and friends that make me laugh. I love to help people’s dreams come true and to see people become the best versions of themselves. I am very motivated to keep learning and improving.
Reflecting on what it’s been like to be around for six decades, I am overwhelmed that somehow my work and my personal life are so aligned. The work we do helps our clients support the educational dreams of all sorts of people. We get to share in the generosity of so many organizations and see the joy on the faces of students when they send in video messages of appreciation. My team not only accommodates my love of moving and nature but joins in both as we have walking meetings. They also play along when I get a kick out a joke and laugh with me instead of at me.
So, as I think about the next forty years for ISTS (and what I hope and plan will be many decades for me), I think about how I can support our people so that they do what the business is great at:
- We are really good at hearing what our clients want and need and making those things happen.
- We are really good at delivering on time and owning it if we make a mistake.
- We try very hard to meet the needs of all co-workers, respecting them as individuals with complicated lives and unique experiences.
Nyles would be so proud of how ISTS has grown since 1987…and I can imagine him asking each of us what we were reading.
– Becky Sharpe, CEO
