secrets to a successful . . . breakfast?

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. And my favorite thing to do at breakfast is to share good conversation.

I'm on a workation in Phoenix and when I travel to any city I try to connect with at least one person over breakfast (this is great way to network with other consultants, meet prospective clients, or catch up with friends). Last week I sent an email to John Burns to meet for breakfast. I'd met John once before at the HOT Conference and was eager to learn how he got to where he is and hear his take on consulting in this economy.

For those of you who don't know John, Mr. John Burns is and has been one the most influential figures in hospitality technology and was honored in 2006 with an induction into the HFTP Hall of Fame (yes . . . there is a Hall of Fame for hospitality technology). He is arguably the expert in electronic distribution systems for hotels with a very impressive list of clients all around the world.I'm not sure if I can say it's a "goal" to be in the HFTP Hall of Fame but it would be an honor to be recognized among the names in this group.

John recommended we meet at Cafe ZuZu in Hotel Valley Ho. It was AMAZING and we were blessed with a summer storm. We enjoyed awesome food and great conversation on the outdoor patio (which is not generally done in Phoenix in May) as a light rain pattered on the tin umbrella over our table with casual 50's classics offering a chic atmosphere. I had Brioche french toast with lemon cream cheese and fresh berries . . . can I say "AWESOME!" Hotel Valley Ho is cool retro-modern hotel that was renovated a few years ago to highlight and capitalize on it's 1950's style. I'm in Phoenix often and I will now be frequenting Cafe ZuZu.

John lived up to his reputation of being amazingly knowledgeable, but beyond that he was amazingly open about projects he was working on and an wonderful breakfast companion. He left me with some gems of wisdom to take away as a consultant. I have been extremely blessed and always grateful for the guidance and direction other consultants have given me (mainly this amazing guy).

So thanks John for a wonderful breakfast!

An interesting thing I've noticed throughout my career is those with the most success are also the most willing to share about how they did it. So here's a question . . .

Are you working to keep your reasons for success a secret and why? Or, do you openly share your secrets for success and why?