leading the way - Commercial Law League Of America

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viewpoint A Salute to A President D av i d R . W a t s o n is the Executive Vice President of the Commercial Law League of America. He can be reached at 312-781-2000 and via e-mail at dwatson@clla.org. “Sid, you have been a great president, a great leader and have left a lasting legacy of which you can be proud. Those you have positively affected and encouraged along the way will forever be grateful.” Sidney Friedman will be ending his CLLA presidency in Chicago this Spring. I have had the pleasure of working with Sid as a member of the Board of Governors since my first day here as Executive Vice President. As I reflected upon Sid’s presidency, I wanted to highlight what will be just a portion of the legacy he leaves behind. his business partners and is dedicated to ensuring that he upholds his end of the partnership. He loves the CLLA as well, and would not take on the role of president were he not able to perform the required duties as president with the same level of skill and commitment that he shows daily towards his family, his partners and his businesses. Debt 3 March/April 2007 42 Sidney has incredibly sound business acumen. It is no accident that he has been a successful lawyer and businessman. He understands that you are only as good as your last bank deposit and strives to continue to improve his business and instill that same pursuit of excellence in all of his employees. I remember asking Sid several years ago whether, at the end of his three-year term as an attorney board member, he would be running for President of the League. His answer should have foreshadowed the type of leader he would be. Before he answered, he thought about the question carefully, and responded as follows. “I want to make sure I am ready to assume that responsibility before I choose to run for President of the League’, he said. “I also want to be sure my business partners and my family are both committed to my taking on this incredible responsibility.” That response truly represents Sid’s leadership style and personality. Sid is a steadfast family man. He loves his family and focuses first and foremost on providing for the needs of his wife, Fran, and their children. Sid also loves It has been said that great leaders make others great. Sid fits that description to a “T”. He encourages others to perform at their best and motivates them to push themselves beyond what may be comfortable. Yet, if they fail, he is there to again encourage that lessons be learned and that we must move onward. As president, he has encouraged his fellow board members to look at running the League more as a business. He has taken many of the lessons learned as a Prepaid Legal Services provider and applied them to the League. He has asked us to focus on customer/member satisfaction and expand our thinking to what markets we can and should be serving. As EVP, and with each new president, I get a new “boss”. Each president with whom I have had the pleasure of working, I have begun the year with an “incoming president,” but I have ended the year with a true friend. Such was indeed the case with Sidney Friedman. I have learned a great deal from Sid. His quiet confidence and no nonsense approach to management has been refreshing. Further, his enthusiasm for the CLLA has been infectious. He does not shy away from new ideas and is open to suggestions of how
we might provide better service to our members. He is an amazing salesman from whom his passion for the CLLA boils over as he discusses the benefits of the League with potential members at various trade shows. Perhaps, the ultimate compliment paid to Sid came recently when a number of his fellow Board members called Sid a “father-like” figure for them. They continued by saying that Sid had mentored them and encouraged them on the road to becoming leaders themselves in the League. He had provided for them a role model they hoped to emulate. Sid, you have been a great president, a great leader and have left a lasting legacy of which you can be proud. Those you have positively affected and encouraged along the way will forever be grateful. We will remain inspired by your gentle, but firm guidance and your unwavering ability to push us to think beyond what has always been and what might be if only we are to dream. Commercial Law League of America LEADING THE WAY ADVERTISERS INDEX CCC, Inc. 20 CLS-Commercial Legal Software 28 Commercial Collection Agency Assoc. 29 & 45 Greenberg, Grant & Richards 39 Jonathan Neil & Associates Back Cover Good luck and thank you. We are all better for your having served this League as our President. Welcome to (as they say) the best job in the CLLA – Immediate Past President!! The Notte Agency 31 Todd Associates, Inc. 12 Unifund 7 Windham Professionals 18 Debt 3 March/April 2007 43
Page 1 and 2: THE RESOURCE FOR BANKRUPTCY, COLLEC
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Page 23 and 24: MEETINGNEW YORK 87th SAVE THE DATE
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