I received some very sad news recently. One of my very special MBA colleagues had passed away suddenly – at age 42 – leaving behind a beautiful wife and two children under 4 years old.
It will be awhile before I come to terms with the reality that Dean is no longer with us and I can’t imagine what his family are going through. Dean’s passing has stimulated much reflection, particularly how he exemplified so perfectly that in business and in life, it is possible not only to be smart, successful and creative, but to be really nice too.
My first memory of Dean was during the obligatory introductions on the morning of our first workshop. Dean introduced himself as a financial services marketer, who lived in St Kilda (a cool part of
We all held fairly demanding jobs during our studies, so many Sunday mornings and late week nights were devoted to our syndicate group work. The intensity of our studies, deadlines and lives – facilitated the privilege of getting to know our colleagues quite deeply. Friendships were formed which continue today.
Daniel Goleman’s book ‘Emotional Intelligence’ had just been published and Dean had EI in spades. He was a brilliant chair to our meetings, innovator and mediator. Dean enriched our MBA experience and made it fun. Most of all, Dean inspired each of us to be better people.
They say God only takes the best – and he’s certainly done so in this case. God’s marketing department has a wonderful new angel.
The Australian Consulate is holding a special dinner tonight for Dean in
We will be thinking of them tonight. Dean – you will be in our hearts always.
RIP. We will miss you.
Dean was as Anne said one of the best.
What struck me about Dean was his passion for every thing that he did, you could see it in the way he packed so much into his life.
Balanced with that passion was always this calm, steady approach to everything - an outlook that kept us all grounded on those late nights trying to get an assignment in on time.
We all learned so much from each other about business and the academic musings of those we had to read during that MBA. But more importantly it was the lessons about life that resonated, many of which Dean gave us, which in hearing of his passing we have been prompted to remember once again.
My thoughts too are with his family.
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