Austin, Texas

I'm in Austin, Texas...again.  This time, it's for a very unique reason.  It's related to work, of course.  I'm here for 5 straight days at an executive training session.  It started on Friday and goes every day until Wednesday.  Yes - that means working the entire weekend ; )

I'm not a big fan of corporate training.  I haven't attended many workshops, seminars or classes that I felt were a good use of my time.  This training, however, is very different.  The program is intended for folks that are at a certain "executive" level.  I don't mean to sound conceited - it's an accurate description of the level of material.  

There are 30 executives from my company gathered, from all over the world.  Over 50% of the attendees are from outside North America.  We're meeting with our company's top executives to discuss corporate strategy, leading global teams, corporate financial strategy, etc.  The dive into finance is probably at the same level as an MBA - it was intense.  I wish I had my father's accounting background to accurately calculate the "return on net assets", or the "weighted average cost of capital" - sounds like fun, doesn't it? ; )

The most interesting experience is working on a simulation of running a $6 billion company.  It's as real a simulation that I could imagine.  Every single decision is included - sales, production capacity, inventory, headcount, investment, research and development allocation...I know, I'm boring you.  The bottom line is that 5 people are running this company for 5 years, with employees, sales and factories all over the world.  We compete against 6 other teams.  Just so you know, my simulated company made a net profit of almost $500 million the first year ; )  Fun stuff...

The event is being held just outside of Austin, at the Lakeway Resort:  

The location is pretty - it's just that I don't ever get to see it.  We go for about 14 hours each day, with quick stops for lunch and dinner.  Do you feel sorry for me yet? ; )  It's Sunday night and I had about 30 min. before I fall asleep.  See how dedicated I am to my blog? ; )  

The resort sits on Lake Travis:

The view from my hotel room

The lake is apparently 20 miles long - but quite narrow.  Perfect for some water sports.  I don't think I'll have any time to test that theory out ; )

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here - even though I really, really, really miss my family.  Some of the attendees live in Austin, and their families have stopped by to see them.  I'm more than jealous...