Monday, June 29, 2009

Ed Correia Update

A friend of mine, and one of the truly nicest people you'll ever meet is Ed Correia, CEO of Sagacent Technologies.

I met Ed several years ago when we both served on the board of the NorCal IAMCP Board. Ed has been active in the local technology community and as a speaker nationwide.

Well, a couple of months ago Ed had a stroke. At first I knew "something happened." Then I found out it was a stroke.

Finally, today, Ed sent an email to his clients with some thoughts on the experience.

This is worth reading whether you personally know Ed or not.


    I'm Baaaaaaack!
    And With Some New Ideas Too!

    by Ed Correia, CEO, Sagacent Technologies

    As you may have heard by now, I suffered a stroke on the evening of May 1st and have been away at the hospital and then a stroke rehabilitation for about a month. The stroke left me (hopefully temporarily) without the use of my left leg, left arm, and left ear - but luckily didn't affect my speech or cognition. My energy level is greatly diminished and with the physical impairments any physical work has proven quite challenging (even writing as I was left-handed!). As a result, I am only working two half-days a week while I devote most of my time to physical rehabilitation classes and rest.

    During this ordeal I have had the opportunity to ponder business and life from a perspective not normally available. It is my hope that some of these thoughts may be helpful to you in your business and your personal life.

    Some Observations And Things You Should Think About *NOW*:

    • What Really Matters To You? When you are facing death - all the 'stuff' just melts away. Our normal lives and days are so filled with worry and stress about the stuff. Honestly, when it came right down to the wire and we weren't sure if I was going to pull through I really only cared about a few things:

      • First - my family - had I done everything and left them prepared and funded for the future?

      • Second - my business, clients and employees - mostly had I done everything to ensure that the business would operate and run as I designed and take care of clients and employees alike?

      • And truly that was about it.


    • Identify All Key Players. Life-threatening things (heart attack, stroke, cancer, accidents) can happen to anyone at any time. This can affect you, your business partners and key employees. Your business can also be significantly impacted should the spouses or significant others of these people have a problem. My wife's business was majorly impacted by my sickness and hospitalization.

    • Document, Delegate & Train

      • Document all processes and procedures used in your business.
      • Delegate as much as possible to employees
      • Have at least two people trained to perform every task
      • Have a clear exit plan for your business, and a backup plan of how your spouse or partners might liquidate the business should the worst happen.

    • Get Good Insurance

      • Health Insurance
      • Life Insurance
      • Long-term Care
      • Key-Man Insurance


    So, what should you change or do now to protect you, your family and your business?


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In case you might know the face, here's a VarVid video from last year's Microsoft Intergallactic Partner Conference:



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Our community is large on one hand (thousands of consultants all over the world), and small on the other hand. We tune in to births, deaths, surgeries, accidents, and victories. We're human beings interacting with each other and bumping into each other.

And there's one thing Ed forgot to mention that's important: Human beings are important.

We're all important and since we've dedicated a big piece of our lives to this profession, it makes sense to jump in with both feet and CARE about the people in this community.

I've got a few dramatic stories about how individual health affairs have affected our company. We've received clients when someone died or had a stroke. My key programmer had a stroke several years ago. His replacement was just getting over a heart attack at a young age.

You can ignore this side of life as long as you wish. But the health of those around affects us.


I'm grateful that Ed is doing better, and I pray that he and his family will thrive for many years to come in good health.


:-)

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this with us. Food for thought.

    Ed - wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also am glad that Ed is doing better. He is the one guy that has inpired me to start speaking at group events, both client and industry.

    Ed, glas you are looking clearly. Get better.

    ReplyDelete

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