Over the next 8 weeks, I’ll be travelling 21,000 miles to make sure of it.
Let me explain…
I had a different newsletter planned for today. But over Easter, I stopped and reflected…
In 4 days’ time, I will get on a plane to host my next Treasury Career Corner Podcast LIVE panel at TEXPO, in Dallas, Texas.
A week later, I’m back.
8 days after that, I’ll head to the West coast of the US.
In May it’s Dublin. Then Amsterdam. Then London.
That’s a lot of air miles. But it’s worth it.
When I was thinking about this it reminded me of a discussion I had with Jim, a senior treasury professional and a great friend to the business, who I caught up with when I was last speaking at the Windy City Summit Conference in Chicago.
Jim came up to me and said: “Mike, you seem to be everywhere at the moment!”
I said, “I’m not everywhere… I’m just where you are. I want to be here in the room with you.”
He smiled and said: “That makes sense. You do all this travel so you’re here with us. You’re not just talking the talk, you’re walking the walk.”
Early in my career, I used to think getting on planes all the time would be brilliant. Then you hit your third trip of the year… your third airline meal… and you realise it’s not quite as glamorous as you imagined.
So, what makes it worth it?
Being in the room with treasury professionals.
Here’s the reality…
I see people talking about how important it is to network with treasury professionals.
Recently, one of my competitors said exactly that.
But then in the next breath they told me they hadn’t met a single treasury professional face-to-face in the past 4 months.
That’s not networking. That’s talking about networking.
But credibility comes from showing up, not from sitting in your home office!
I did get asked recently whether I thought I was spreading myself too thin?
No, I replied. I’m backed by a great team.
My job is to be where you are.
Meeting you. Talking to you. Understanding what’s going on.
Right now, that means:
- I’m working on roles in Texas, so I need to be in Texas.
- I’ve just started recruiting a new role position in Atlanta. So, when I head to KYRIBA LIVE on the West Coast in 3 weeks’ time I will be meeting candidates who are based in Atlanta.
- Plus, the treasury professionals who I’m meeting over the next 3 weeks are often open to relocating for the right role.
This is a link to the position I’m recruiting in Atlanta, GA – CLICK HERE
These aren’t LinkedIn conversations. They’re real conversations, face-to-face.
Here’s what the next 8 weeks looks like
- TEXPO, Dallas, Texas: 750+ treasury professionals
- KyribaLive, West Coast, USA: 900+ treasury and finance leaders
- NeuGroup West Coast, USA: 100+ treasury professionals
- Dublin: 70+
- Amsterdam: 80+
- London: 100+
That’s over 2,000 treasury professionals. In 8 weeks. In the room.
And yes, there’s a cost to that…
- UK ↔ Dallas return: ~9,500 miles
- UK ↔ West Coast (US) return: ~10,800 miles
- UK ↔ Dublin return: ~900 miles
- UK ↔ Amsterdam return: ~650 miles
That’s over 21,000 miles travelled. Back and forth. Then back again.
But I’m happy to do it.
Because it let’s me see what’s happening in treasury. I hear what’s really going on, what’s keeping you up at night, where your team is stretched, the challenges you’re facing when hiring or looking for your next role.
And rather than just listen, it let’s me help and advise. I can connect you to opportunities, and to the people you need in your team.
Plus, that’s how I hear about roles as well. Because I’m there. In the conversation.
We talk about your treasury career, where you are now, what’s missing, and where you want to get to.
And I don’t only meet with candidates; if you’re someone who’s hiring, I can find out what challenges you’re seeing, who you’re really looking for, and what you need to do to attract the right talent.
I can find out ALL of this because I’m sitting with treasury professionals all day, every day, in the same room, having the conversations others aren’t part of.
So when people ask why I keep getting on planes – why I’m spending time in rooms with 50, 80, 100 treasury professionals at a time…
It’s simple.
This is where I do my best work. This is where I understand you.
And honestly, it’s my happy place.
Best regards,
Mike
P.S. If you’re coming to one of the upcoming events, come to my sessions. Come and find me. Let’s grab a coffee or a beer. Let’s have a proper chat about your treasury career and how I can help you or your team.
