The Texas heat is melting everything in sight, including me. Who needs a microwave for hot coffee — all I need to do is set my cup on the porch for a moment. It’s already that hot. This morning I’m taking one last moment on the old wicker couch on the long tin roof-covered porch.
A little over 11 years ago, my assistant, Jenny, decided it was time to move on. The job was too stressful, so she gave notice and began interviewing for her replacement. So I asked her to pick the top three she would hire, and then I would interview them.
Not Adding Up
I started with her top candidate, but in the in-person interview, I was concerned because there was something on the resume that did not add up.
No More Stress
Her answer was that she and her husband were both in big, high-stress jobs, and they had decided to move to America, had decided they liked Texas, and they wanted to live for quality of life, not money. Oh, and she picked Texas because it’s always sunny, the opposite of London, where it’s always gray and raining. Though I still wondered why anyone would do that, she persuaded me to hire her. And little did she know she was about to go from the frying pan into the fire.
Mind Like a Bouncy House
Those who have worked for me will tell you things about me that are not always evident to our readers or customers. I’m completely ADHD, and the only reason I’ve survived is because my brain shoots out ideas at the speed of a machine gun, and I tend to implement most of them. As a result we went from a single magazine 30-plus years ago to a media company with multiple magazines, newsletters, conferences, retreats, training courses, and more. And just about the time we get a moment of stability or rest, out comes another idea that tends to put everyone in a tizzy. When I first hired this person, I said, “I throw a lot of baseballs. Your job is to catch them all, put them in a basket, then ask what their priority is. And check in with me frequently, because a hot idea today might not be hot a week from now. So let’s not start working on something till we know it’s going to get launched.”
The Perfect Combination
What ended up happening was beyond remarkable. I did not end up with just an assistant, I ended up with a confidant with whom I could share ideas and thoughts and ask for opinions, knowing I’d get very well thought-out answers. I also ended up with a handler, who protected me from the arrows I did not need to see, and, when problems arose, instead of asking me how I wanted to handle them, just handled them with grace and class. On occasion she felt the need to get my opinion on a particular situation, and usually her suggested way was the best way.
When she phoned people, she spoke with authority, with her South African/British accent, and people who encountered her loved her because she always treated them with respect (which I never had to ask her to do) — everyone who ever dealt with her grew to love her.
Always Trustworthy
And she did something else I found to be truly remarkable. Though she was extremely loyal to me, she never ever violated a confidence if told something by someone else. She might say to me, “You might want to consider having a talk with this person,” but she would never tell me why. Co-workers could tell her anything I needed to know, and she would share it with me at their request, keeping their name out of it if that was important to them. There were times when I felt I should know, yet over 11 years, she never once violated anyone else’s confidence. I knew, as a result, she would never violate mine, especially since she knew as much about me as my family, and sometimes more. And if it was extremely delicate, she would nudge me in the right direction without ever revealing what she knew. Usually with some nudging or pressure, people will give in, because they really want to tell you. She never did.
In a line of work where she’s often in the public eye, where she receives thousands of e-mails some weeks, hundreds of calls at times, her role can be demanding, because part of her responsibility is to allow me to live a normal life — and yet I want to make sure everyone is treated with respect and given the proper amount of time. It’s not easy for either of us, but it’s the right thing to do. She walks this tightrope beautifully.
I’ve had some amazing assistants over my career, but this one is the most special and will be missed the most.
Before today, I’ve never devoted a Sunday Coffee to anyone other than family, but this feels like family for both my wife and myself. And though I was disappointed when Ali Cruickshank let me know that after 11 years, it was time to go and reduce the stress in her life once again, I remember one thing my dad taught me: “When you own a company, everyone eventually leaves. You’re the only one who never does … until you do.”
Ali not only handled my life and my business matters, and often produced my podcasts or shows, she handled all the faculty for all of our events like the Plein Air Convention and our virtual events. And she organized my retreats and trips, plus all my travel. And it is going to take three amazing people to replace her.
One of the things that happens when you work at Streamline is you become part of a family. We all become very close. You also get drawn into the art world. Ali got addicted early on with her first painting purchase, and now has a wall of paintings she has purchased at our events. I’ll be making sure she has something to take up a little more wall space.
Sunday Coffee is often about lessons I’ve learned, and I cannot begin to articulate what I’ve learned from this wonderful woman. She is gracious, discreet, encouraging, open to change and any challenge, and great with people. Life will never be the same without her. Everything will be fine, of course, but it will change, and she will be missed.
Last week I announced to the crowd at PACE that Ali would be leaving. Tears welled up in both of our eyes, and there was sadness among the crowd. Of course Ali has lifetime access to the event she has helped build through her diligence and special magic. We hope she will return to see the family (and we promise we won’t put her to work).
Please join me in a fond farewell to one of the greatest friends and family members I’ve worked with.
Eric Rhoads
PS: I’d like to welcome Skye Fallon to the Streamline team; she is our new event coordinator. And Amandine Tollitte and Christie Cole are taking on the roles of assisting and producing me. Please welcome them.
By the way….
Last week I was so exhausted from PACE (the Plein Air Convention & Expo) … it’s not every day I get to do acrobatics on stage, hanging from the ceiling 🙂 … I completely forgot to write Sunday Coffee. So sorry.
A special word to everyone who was at the Plein Air Convention…
I’ve never felt so grateful for the hundreds of you who approached me and told me what joy you are experiencing since you’ve discovered painting or attended the convention. I’m honored to serve you. I hope to see you again.
Next stop…
This week I’ll load the car, a couple of old dogs who can’t fly, part of my family, and a load of summer stuff and head off to the Adirondacks. My next event starts this Saturday (PaintAdirondacks.com). Then summer begins. Woohoo! Lots of paintings to create!
This world needs more like you Ali! – You make everything around you better – organizations and people.
Eric thank you for this heartfelt tribute.
Ali, you know how much I love you and that I will miss you. You have taken care of me, encouraged me, treated me like family, dried my tears, made me laugh, shown me comfort, kept me from jumping off the proverbial bridge, given me strength, shown me respect, been over-the-top patient with me, given me advice, and been my confidant. You are a lovely and kind soul, a true blessing in my life. I cherish knowing you and am certain that our paths will cross again somewhere out there. You have an open invitation to visit any time.
Thank you for everything! You so deserve this. Pop the champagne!
Oh Ali! Such an incredible woman who climbs the toughest hills! Will miss you so much!
All the things you’ve said, Eric. Ali is someone special, was always wonderful to work with. My wife and I have been blessed to know her. We wish her abundant blessings for this new adventure.
Eric, I have often wondered how you could do so much, achieve so much. I was always thinking how can you do that much, you seem to be everywhere at once, and how could you do that and stay sane. Sometimes in life we are sent angels.
Now we know how lucky you have been and I hope the future with your new people runs as smoothly and well too. Best wishes to Ali for her future and to the new staff too for theirs at Streamline.
Warm regards from New Zealand
A message keeps coming up saying I have already posted this and I havent so maybe with this on the bottom it will realise I hadnt
Eric, I have often wondered how you could do so much, achieve so much. I was always thinking how can you do that much, you seem to be everywhere at once, and how could you do that and stay sane. Sometimes in life we are sent angels.
Now we know how lucky you have been and I hope the future with your new people runs as smoothly and well too. Best wishes to Ali for her future and to the new staff too for theirs at Streamline.
Warm regards from New Zealand
Thank you Ali for making it easier for Eric & GREAT for us. We’ll miss you terribly & have a happy life!
What a terrific tribute to Ali, we all know she has been the backbone and you created just the very best acknowledgment of all she has done for everyone who has ever worked for streamline.
Thanks Ali for all you have done to make all the conferences and events so wonderful for all of the artists who have enjoyed them. And greetings and welcome to those that will be replacing you,
Thank you Ali, for welcoming me into the Streamline group and making me feel like family too. You always put me at ease and made everything go smoothly. It has been brilliant working with you and I also will miss you. You are always welcome to visit me here in Australia and I wish you well in your future journey
Best wishes
Vicki
Xxxxx
Maybe Ali will become one of your new artists? If she’s looking to reduce stress then making art is the way to go!
Congratulations to all the new folks. All will be well.
Eric—what a wonderful tribute to someone so important to not only Streamline but to you personally as well. How lucky we all are that she’s been there to keep you and your ideas organized, moving forward and balanced. Thank you Ali, from a grateful participant.
What beautiful words to say about an EMPLOYEE! I never hired anyone to that caliber. Such a blessing to have worked with someone like that.
Ali treated me as if I was the only person contacting her. When my brother was dying and my caregiver sister substituted another sister for Denver PACE. She was so kind and the change was made smoothly and with compassion. What a lovely person.
Thank you for sharing. A lesson to treasure.
Kind regards Keith
Best way to honor your right-hand man~ The working world needs more like Ali.
Everyone who is a boss should have 1 Ali in their life. You were a lucky man. I hope the 3 new ones are as good but be sure to cut them slack till they are. Welcome to them and goodbye to Ali and a great retirement or slower pace.
Thank you Ali for all that you are & all that you’ve done for Eric & us all , much love from your extended family which is worldwide. Enjoy your new adventures in life you’ve certainly earned a less stressful chapter or two & you’ll certainly be missed by us all 🩷
I met Ali at PACE24. And she positively impacted my life in a huge way. You see, on the last evening at the closing party, I lost my phone. Somewhere between our table at the back of the room and my hotel room. Still don’t know at what point we separated. I just know I woke up Saturday morning unable to find my phone. I tore my room apart. I called the front desk to see if someone had turned in a phone. No luck. I posted a cry for help on the Attendees Facebook page. Finally, I wrote out my directions home, fearing I would not have access to my GPS guidance to get there. Then, I resolved to calm myself and went down to get a coffee at the Starbucks. I ran into one of the Blue Shirt folks (a tall young man with a very stylish hair cut who had helped me a couple of times throughout the event and advised of my loss and asked him to find me if it appeared. He assured me that he would. So, I went on to stand in line and met a few other wonderful people including faculty I had not previously met. Then, suddenly, miraculously, a small woman was standing in front of me accompanied by the young man with the cute hair cut. In her hand was my phone. It was Ali and she had checked the PACE Lost & Found and discovered my phone. Somehow she located me standing in that line (I think that young man helped ;-). ) She graciously verified that it was my phone, said it helped that it was not locked, and handed it to me. I felt tears rising, asked if I might hug her and she agreed. Certainly, that was not enough reward; but I know in my heart I owe her a huge debt that should fates allow, I will find a way to repay. Thank you Ali!