Communication, information-sharing and connection are mainstays of any healthy relationship.  It might not be too much of a stretch to suggest that they are also vital to the health and well-being of both companies and the industries within which they live! 

I’ll never forget the first time I happened to stumble upon Ben Cross’s live LinkedIn show.  It was very early in the days of the pandemic…so, perhaps Spring of 2020.  In all honesty, I was more than a little taken aback by the show.  Never previously meeting, or, even hearing of Ben Cross, I had no context and no relational filter to use as I made my early perceptions of him and the way in which he conducted the show’s proceedings. 

Ben was and still is, entirely uninhibited and wholly transparent.  Which itself, isn’t all that ground-breaking.  However, he was also finding ways to extract those same behaviors from his guests.  I freely admit to being far more cynical than I am typically accustomed. 

I recall interpreting Ben’s mission as being a live, unscripted forum from which he would share rumors and unfounded industry speculation.  Thinking back to those early days of Covid, when the world had literally come to a complete halt and everyone, in every industry, was grasping for any bit of news, or trend, or prognostication in hopes of gaining even the slightest bit of insight into “what was next,” the sprouting of what is now known as Love & Relo, really isn’t all too surprising. 

What is surprising, at least for me, is that 2+ years later, Love & Relo is not only still being regularly produced, but that Ben (he also now has a team that supports the show), is more relevant and important than ever!  The show has often brought to light ideas and concepts that hold the potential to improve the mobility industry, its multitude of participants and the hundreds of thousands connected with and served by the industry.  I have come to know Ben and the huge heart that beats inside the man, and I am not ashamed to say that my first impression of him and his show were, well… “just a bit outside!”    

Having spent more than 36 years of my life as a mobility professional, I could be seen as a bit protective of our industry.  In this case, perhaps overly protective, as I initially saw Ben and his show as holding the potential to do more harm than good.  Boy was I wrong!  Today, with more than two years and hundreds of shows under his belt, I believe there might not be a single individual who has so tirelessly and objectively, worked to better the relocation universe.  Ben doesn’t shoot for perfection…he simply seeks to share information, often dispelling unfounded rumors and careless speculation, while connecting us all.  As someone who deeply values the power of connection, I am immensely grateful for the role Love & Relo plays within our industry.

And so…after 2 years of saying “no,” I finally agreed to appear on Ben’s show… and I’m so glad I did!  I truly appreciate Ben’s heart and his motives.  I wish him and his show great success in the days ahead.  As the world, yet again, lurches into more uncertainty, Ben Cross’s Love & Relo will likely become all the more vital to the health and well-being of both our industry and, perhaps those of us who call mobility our professional home. 

Communication, unrestricted sharing of information and Connection… As I think about the past three decades, I believe it’s fair to suggest that these three characteristics have always been at the heart and soul of our beloved industry.  And though - as first impressions usually are - my initial take was far off the mark, Ben Cross provides a vivid, real-time illustration of these industry traits!  Hats off to a fearless pioneer! 

Watch Joe's full Love & Relo interview with Ben Cross HERE: