The ”Why” Matters

I probably should have a better answer for why I started Modern Public Fleet. I’m getting asked that a lot lately. 

A market gap. A strategic opportunity. Those things matter, but they’re not the main reason.

I just missed this.

Over the last 25 years, my most memorable and fulfilling professional moments have revolved around relationships with public fleet people. Sitting around at an event or in their shops talking about what was broken, what was getting better and what somebody wanted to try next. Talking about real life, family, hobbies, losses and dreams. 

That goes back a long way for me. When I launched GFX in 2008, it was not something I dreamed up alone. A lot of fleet professionals came alongside me. They shared the gaps, told me what they needed, challenged ideas and helped shape what that event became. The goal was to make it warm and communal. Like an annual reunion or a camp everyone looked forward to attending. That warmth extended to my family as my wife worked the first event as a volunteer (and many years after) and my kids were each pushed around the show floor in strollers while I proudly showed them off to my extended family of fleet managers.

That meant a lot to me then, and it still does. Some of those same people became close mentors and friends and helped show me what leadership looked like when I was still finding my footing.

And I noticed something about the people who really loved this work. You could see it.

They had budget fights, staffing problems, internal politics, bad days and plenty of reasons to be irritated. But they cared. They tried things. Took some risks. Invested in people. They wanted to leave the operation, their communities and the people around them better than they’d found it.

That passion was contagious.

Lately, I’ve felt some of that again in a few different ways. I spent a day at FleetCon reconnecting with public fleet managers and having the kinds of conversations I had missed more than I realized.

A few weeks ago, Shae Davies gave me a tour of the City of Aurora fleet operation, not far from where I live. It’s an impressive operation; but honestly, I enjoyed walking around and talking with Shae as much as anything. She is a go-getter. And has plans. And is motivated.

A lot has changed. But the fire in the eyes of a motivated and passionate fleet manager still inspires me as much as it did two decades ago.

Then there have been podcast conversations with Sam Lamerato and Mike Brennan, two guys who have been mentors and friends for a long time. Different format, different conversations, but the same feeling kept showing up.

This community is different.

I’ve worked across a lot of different business segments in trade media over the years. There are great people in all of them, but public fleet has always felt different to me. The relationships run deeper. People remember each other. They help each other, share ideas and come alongside one another.

That’s the part that drives the passion for me. And passion matters because motivation comes and goes.

There have been times over the last decade when I took role I was supposed to take and wound up farther away from the things I actually enjoyed and was passionate about. More time in an office or a board room or an Excel sheet. Less time in the face-to-face with people and further away from public fleet. I lost the passion and eventually needed to leave three years ago to rediscover it. 

But over the past 24 months, I kept getting pulled back toward more involvement with public fleet. A conversation here. And then another. Seeing gaps or areas where the community could be better served. One idea that led to another. Eventually, Modern Public Fleet started taking shape. And my passion is back. I’m motivated to build again. And I want to build what this community tells me they want and need.

If you’ve lost some of your own passion or motivation, figure out what’s actually draining it. Internal or external. We all have to fight the battles worth fighting. Defend the people worth defending. But find people who will come alongside you, and be that person for somebody else. Focus on the things you can actually change.

And pay attention to what you keep getting pulled back toward. For me, it was this community. That’s the ’why’ behind Modern Public Fleet. I love this industry. I care about the people in it.

And, honestly, I wanted back in.