It was the shortest, weirdest, most energizing business meeting I think I have ever participated in.

Months earlier, in the Twitter feed of Tara J. Frank, this gem had caught my eye:

“Don’t wait for positional authority.
If you lead from where you are, with everything you’ve got,
the authority will come… position or no position.”

Inspiring stuff!

Tara started her career writing greeting cards for Hallmark, rising through the ranks to become Vice President for multicultural strategy. She believes passionately in helping other women recognize their own professional power and take a seat at the leadership table.

This is why, late last Wednesday night at a hotel in Atlanta, when I should have been tucked in bed, I found myself riding the elevator down to the check-in desk. Tara’s flight had been delayed and I needed to leave early the next morning, and I would not get a chance to see her conference session. But I was not going to miss the chance to meet her in person.

It would be the the shortest, weirdest, most exciting and energizing business meeting of all time, but “What the hell,” I thought, “I can sleep on the plane tomorrow, because I can’t pass up an opportunity to meet someone this inspiring and fun.” So although we only got to  connected and hang out for five minutes, I can’t wait to speak with her again. I suspect Tara has that effect on a lot of people.