A Little Desert Story
- Posted by: Joe Williams
As a result of the Dialogue story by Wendy Cherwinski (see “Looking for Learning in all the Right Places”), several alums have sent in their stories as well. I thought Dialogue alums might be interested in how others are using the tools and in how the desert is still part of their lives, so look for more stories in the days to come. The value of sharing lives on.–Joe
From Denise Crossen, Dialogue alum 9/99; 3/2000; 3/2001:
Hi, Joe! I have a little desert story for you.
Last summer I had the pleasure of being promoted at the agency and being moved to a team that focuses on healthcare. We do research, strategy and marketing campaigns for hospitals across the country. It’s a great fit with my many years of healthcare experience from Cerner. I love the job! And I love agency life. It’s a much better fit for me than corporate was.
So I was on one of my first business trips with my boss Jerry back in December. We went out to visit a client in Phoenix. We presented our three campaign concepts to their executive group, got great feedback and then had time to spend before going to the airport. We decided to drive to Scottsdale, since I’d never been there.
As we’re driving through the desert, I’m noticing all these things the naturalist taught us during my three Dialogue experiences, so I’m educating Jerry about all kinds of desert facts, to the point that he’s giving me grief about it. I was surprised by how much I remembered! I think he was surprised, too, and not quite as happy about it as I was.
A couple months later, we were both totally under water due to huge project deadlines. Nerves were frayed. We were exhausted from the long hours, day after day. We didn’t know how we were going to get it all done.
So I went home, picked out a small piece of cholla skeleton and brought it in with a card. I told him that even though I bugged him with desert details, it’s really a place of peace and quiet — and I hoped seeing a piece of the desert in his office would bring him some of that peace, even if momentarily.
He teased me about THAT, too! But I noticed a few days later that the cholla piece was sitting on his desk, right by his computer, where he can see it while he works.
I have yet to figure out how to get back out there for another week with you, but haven’t given up on the idea! I’m aggressive but I’m not very determined. I’m Queen Anne.
Oh, man. Wait’ll I’ll play Queen Anne with Jerry on our next trip! 
Congratulations on your IABC honor!
Denise Crossen
Prairie Dog | TCG
Visit our Web site: http://www.pdog.com
