A Gen Xer, born in the 70’s who loves the 80’s and began her career journey in the 90’s at a gourmet fast food restaurant in Southern California. “I don’t know what I want to be,” was my response following a High School aptitude test in 1994. Unbeknownst to me, an opportunity was about to come knocking. Promoted to Store Manager at age 17, while preparing to graduate from HS, I was at the intersection of excitement and uncertainty. Equipped with the latest technology, a Motorola pager, and pure drive and ambition, I said yes! I was willing to do the work, but I wasn’t fully ready. I believe, like wine, people must be nurtured, cultivated and given time to mature. If we pick the “grape” too early, we jeopardize the quality of the wine. When we, as leaders, plant our people in positions when they are not fully ready, we too jeopardize the quality of their performance. Many years of experience providing leadership, managing performance, and training and coaching high-performance teams, many bosses and many mistakes later, I have come to realize that leadership is a multi-dimensional, often complex, role with a high degree of human responsibility and human relationships. Let’s inspire together!