Lens on Leading: Notes from Antony

You’ve got to love Netflix for holiday couchsurfing. Unless of course you are a fan of Amazon Prime. Or Hulu. Or a movie channel.

Ellie is our performer. Honestly, both girls can put on a performance with the right motivation, but it’s Ellie who fancies the spotlight. A life on the stage. No hesitation to give it all she’s got. Ever.

I can honestly say I use a pink razor every morning. It doesn’t diminish my male pride at all to admit that. In fact, it’s great fun. To be completely honest, however, I have to admit that I only use the pink razor when nobody is watching except the squirrels.

I knew why we were moving from Memphis to Boston: I had accepted a new job—one I was excited about. Of course, the decision affected my wife and daughters as well.

A few weeks ago, I got let out on my first talk for the Rotary Club. These are busy people, and speakers have a prescribed amount of time. Of course I wanted to represent South Shore Mental Health well, so that morning I pulled my only pin-striped suit off its hanger.

It’s hard to believe I just had another birthday. My 40th! I might have one of those digits wrong. Or, em, both of them. But shall we just let that be?

It’s hard to leave a place where you’ve opened your heart. A coworker in Memphis was fond of saying that if you opened your heart to Memphis, it will open its heart to you, and that felt true during my years there. I was proud of the way Andrea and our girls opened their hearts and found their places in the first American city where we lived for more than an intentionally temporary stretch.

I am thrilled to be settling into my role as President and CEO of South Shore Mental Health. In the last few months, I’ve spent time with our Board of Directors; met with senior leadership and management teams; and learned a great deal about the work being accomplished by our organization.