Sandy Adams

I first fell in love with Memphis in 1986.

Forty years later, this city continues to teach me something about leadership.

Memphis has never needed to be polished to have influence. Its impact comes from knowing exactly what it is.

The music.
The history.
The grit.
The creativity.
The contradictions.
The people who keep showing up, building things, solving problems and pushing the city forward.

It reminds me a little of something Dolly Parton has demonstrated throughout her life: you can evolve, grow and reach far beyond where you started without losing the things that make you unmistakably you.

There’s a leadership lesson in that.

You don’t have to become a more polished version of someone else to have impact.
But, you have to understand what you bring to the table, own it and use it well.

On this 901 Day, I’m celebrating a city that has influenced far more of who I am and how I lead than I probably realized back in 1986.

Happy 901 Day, Memphis.