Vistage ChairWorld 2025, Orlando

First one in the books. It did not disappoint.

Vistage ChairWorld 2025 brought Chairs from across the country to Walt Disney World in Orlando for what turned out to be one of the more energizing professional experiences of the year. For a first-timer, the scale of it is hard to fully prepare for. Hundreds of Chairs in the same place, all doing the same work in different markets, all with something worth learning from.

The keynote came from Angela Duckworth, the psychologist and bestselling author who has spent her career studying one thing: why some people succeed, and others do not. Her answer, backed by years of research, is grit. Not talent. Not intelligence. Not timing. The combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals is the single best predictor of high achievement, and it is something that can be developed, coached, and built into the cultures we create around us. For a room full of people whose entire job is developing other leaders, the message landed exactly where it was supposed to.

The social side of ChairWorld matched the professional side. A full buyout of the dance hall and Planet Hollywood gave Chairs the chance to do what we spend our careers helping others do: step out of the day-to-day, connect with peers who understand the work, and remember why the work matters.

The return flight home had one carry-on and about a million new ideas. That is a good ratio.

Already looking forward to the next one.