If you’re like me, you cram your schedule chock full through December 23, trying to squeeze every last ounce of productivity out of the year before collapsing in a heap on the couch for a few days, or even a couple of weeks if you can swing it. That has been my go-to routine for as long as I can remember.

On a recent Friday afternoon, I made the hour-long drive from San Jose to downtown San Francisco to speak to a group of university students at a Fintech conference. Mind you, I have very little to say about Fintech. I do however have a few things to say about relationship building and leadership, which Menlo College’s Dr. Faten Ben Bouheni hoped I would share with these finance majors.

May 8 marked my last day as the CEO of American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley; and our biggest event of the year – ALF Silicon Valley’s annual Exemplary Leadership Celebration, a sold out gala that honors two exceptional Senior Fellows and an extraordinary network.

This contribution comes from Sean Fitzpatrick (Class 39), a Senior Fellow from the ALF Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter and Executive Director of the Jung Center. Sean also serves as a co-facilitator for ALF Class 62 Fellows alongside lead facilitator Judy Le. He brings a human-centered approach to his work as a bridge builder, storyteller, and psychotherapist.