Last week, we celebrated “International Talk Like a Pirate Day”. It was a great way for all of us to release a little stress and channel our “inner buccaneer”. But we took it a bit farther than most as we not only spoke like pirates, but dressed like them as well.
As part of the festivities, we collected donations (thanks everyone) for 826 Valencia. This is a non-profit organization in San Francisco that provides tutoring and workshops to help local students (ages 8-18) develop their reading and writing skills. And, it’s operated out of the back of a pirate supply shop!
The most enjoyable moment of the day was my first morning meeting. It was with an attorney from Singapore who joined Sun about six months ago. Prior to Sun, he had worked with two prestigious U.K. law firms and also held a number of other significant roles, including as general counsel. It was the first time I had the opportunity to speak with him and we met over a cup of coffee in the campus coffee shop. Toward the end of our conversation, I asked how Sun compared to other places he had worked. He paused, and then in a thoughtful and deliberate response (complete with British accent) replied: “I’ve observed that Sun has a culture that is very different from other places where I have worked”.
Now mind you, at the time he spoke these words, he was fully outfitted as a pirate and sitting in a booth in a busy cafeteria. Across the table from him, I was similarly attired (including wig, earing and sword).
I laughed about it the entire day.
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