Have you been there? A wonderful place in New Hampshire, not far from Boston, not too far from New York City and a four-seasons kind of place that makes me yearn for my home state Wisconsin. There is a difference, though, and am important one: Sunapee is surrounded by mountains, the Green Mountains famous in all those Dartmouth songs. Which makes sense, since it is close by.
I spent the weekend there with good friends and the conversation at dinner was that kind of multi-subject, multiple opinions, broad range of background discussion that makes you want to hang around the table even after all the wine is gone.
Seems there was a small group among us who had military service and impressive stuff. Like Navy Seals kind of experience. And then there was a faction that had big corporate America kind of experience, from GE to Procter & Gamble to JP Morgan. And still others who had academic experience, one the former President of Dartmouth. It was like a Venn diagram brought to life, circles that intersected each other and enriched the whole evening by all that cross pollination of smart discourse.
What occurred to me is that this particular dinner conversation was as erudite, challenging and warm as any I've experienced in Manhattan. And here I thought New Yorkers had an edge in smart talk.
Not so. Lake Sunapee discourse was good. Very good. And funny, too.
Author of I is for Intercourse: The ABC's of Conversation, Susan Bird is the visionary behind Wf360, and a sought-after speaker around the world for her views on leadership, the strategic importance of conversation, entrepreneurship, and the role of women business leaders.
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