After every major event we produce, there’s one thing we schedule:  a rest day.
 
I grew up hearing my grandmother call herself “lazy bones” while maintaining an immaculate house, baking cakes (yes, plural), preparing meals, caring for others, and leaving behind more in a day than the rest of the family could accomplish in a week.
 
She would say it almost casually, as if it were true.
 
I never believed her, but I did absorb something else: the idea that rest was suspect. That no matter how much had been done, it was never quite enough to justify stopping.
 
I still feel that tension.

Growing up on a farm, I learned to measure the severity of winter weather with one simple question: Can you see the big barn?
 
If the barn across the yard remained visible, we could confidently stick to our plans. When snow, wind, or fog prevented my family from seeing the barn’s massive outline, we knew our expectations for the day had to change.
 
My brother still lives on the farmstead with his family. A few weeks ago, I texted him: “Can you see the barn?” “Not really,” he replied and attached a photo. I couldn’t see the barn in the photo, but that is because the building has been gone for years. Still, it remains a visual cue for our family. When conditions are uncertain, our plans need to evolve.
 
This is true for projects too. Leaders and teams face their own versions of whiteout conditions. Plans are made, but something threatens to knock things off track. At Reach Partners we know how to navigate threats by paying attention to cues, those signals that something needs to change.

If you’ve ever had a project fall victim to shifting priorities, raise your hand.

Yep. Us, too.

We have all had projects that stall or “lose steam” along the way. Projects without hard deadlines seem particularly easy to set aside in favor of something that seems more pressing.

But non-urgent projects have value, and that’s what makes it hard. What should you do when something you are excited about has to slide to the back burner? Should you pause, continue, or abandon a project when other tasks demand attention from the team?

Some of us are wired to think – and we do so deeply, thoroughly, and in spirals.

We imagine the possibilities. We anticipate outcomes. We consider people, timing, risk, and reward. Thinking is how we prepare. Thinking is how we protect.

It’s good work.

But thinking is only part of it.
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As Eddie Rickenbacker, an American fighter pilot in World War I, said: “The key to success is to think things through and then follow through.”

At a recent networking event, somebody asked Anita what her favorite project management tools are.
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Anita’s answer: she doesn’t have any. As experienced project managers, we use the tools our clients are most comfortable with. Our clients’ favorite tools become ours.
 
The question, however, prompted us to think about our favorite things. What helps us find beauty in the world? In our work? In our lives?
 
At Reach Partners, we emphasize values and process. We celebrate the relationships we build through trust. So, you likely won’t be surprised to see that many of our favorite things are experiences and traditions, ways of connecting with others. Others are simply things that make us smile as we do our job.
 
It turns out we do have a list of favorites! Here they are:

You might know Reach Partners for one type of project—meeting facilitation or event strategy and execution. But did you know our work extends across a wide range of industries and needs?

At Reach Partners, we love helping organizations turn ideas into action. Our work varies, but our purpose remains the same: to extend the capacity of leaders and teams and guide projects from vision to completion.
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One way we showcase our work is through case studies. These real-world examples highlight how we become a trusted partner, helping clients navigate challenges, prioritize solutions, and bring their projects to life.

​Empathy is often seen as a soft skill but make no mistake—it is one of the most challenging and essential tools for effective leadership.
 
Jon Micheels Leiseth, Theatre B’s artistic director, offered a powerful reminder of this during his Creative Mornings session titled Threads. He shared a personal story of feeling miserable while navigating the diverse needs of his collaborators while adjusting to new directing challenges. A mentor’s advice helped him refocus: the project itself is the baby.
 
This advice shifted his perspective from managing people’s emotions to birthing the work. It allowed him to align his skills and energy with the purpose of the project.
 
In both creative and business settings, empathy must be used wisely to avoid frustration. Otherwise, compassion overload can lead to a resource drain.

​Trust is a strange, living thing, isn't it? It breathes in the spaces between promises and deliveries, between what’s said and what’s done. It’s nurtured through small actions and gestures, yet it can sometimes feel as elusive as smoke.
 
Why do some clients trust us immediately, while others seem to withhold it forever? What is the alchemy behind trust?
 
Let’s start with a simple ingredient: delivery.

I started running just before I turned 30. After realizing I had never completed a consecutive mile, I wanted to see if I could reduce the amount I sweat (my cooling system is a slick thing to be admired) and transform into a long-legged, running gazelle (nope).

Still, what I have discovered after years of trotting is there are similarities between running a race (like a half marathon, 13.1 miles) and the project management work I do at Reach Partners (everyday, baby).
 
For both, success starts by committing to do what I say I’ll do. 

My family and I recently enjoyed a vacation in North Carolina. We visited the beach, attended a professional hockey game, and cherished time spent together.

We also toured the Battleship North Carolina. This ship participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II. It’s now an authentically restored National Historic Landmark.

As we walked through the exhibits and learned more about the important role this ship played, I had an ah-hah moment.

At Reach Partners, we often use the analogy “we drive the boat” with our clients. It’s a way to describe the role we can play when an organization needs assistance.
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In North Carolina, I started to question what kind of boat we drive.