Cup 16 - Dan

April 20, 2014

You may have seen him, over the years, in local TV commercials.  You may have heard him on CBC radio or seen him on Breakfast Television.  You may have seen him back in 2004 in Kevin Costner's movie, Open Range, or on the front of a June 2010 Calgary Herald being touted as "Calgary's Smartest Person".  You may have heard about him winning gold medals at three consecutive Olympics, but only if you follow London England's annual Mind Sports Olympiad. (It's a real thing!)  Me? I most recently recall seeing him causally sipping cappuccino and eating cinnamon buns on his back deck with Brier, by his side, sleeping in the sunshine.

Did I share one of my 52 Cups with a celebrity?!  Well, I looked him up on imdb.com and he's not there....yet... although there are 25 of "hims" on LinkedIn.  Google his name and you'll learn there is an NFL player with the same moniker, but that's not who made me my Tassimo or fed Brier bacon treats.

It was Dan.  Just Dan.  My friend and colleague and mentor.  The person who showed me that Principal's needn't take themselves too seriously (although there is a time and a place for that) and that you should find something about the job to laugh about every day.  (And, really, in a School that's not too tall of an order.) An administrator's job can be impactful and fun at the same time. In four years of sharing an office beside his, I watch Dan charm anxious parents and woo inquisitive executive.  He speaks with passion and writes with ease and excellence.  He maintains both a sense of humour and sense of confidence in everything he does.  He sets goals for himself and then immediately goes after the prize.

Many have heard me claim that I rode Dan's coattails during our years together at RJ as I received shared credit for many of his visions and ideas.  Time and place is everything and I was fortunate to be his partner during some formative leadership years and thus able to watch, and personally learn and grow.  I strive to emulate much of what Dan taught me (and what I watched him get away with!)  It will be a fun and rewarding ride if I'm able to pull it off.

He isn't a celebrity....in the "traditional" sense of the word....but he is easily one of the most talented, creative and influential people I have met.  If the paparazzi don't know to be watching what Dan will do next, well that's their loss!  I have enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, my view.