Tony Gruen

Think of the last time someone asked you "what do you do?" How did you respond? Is this an easy question for you to answer?

I have always listened very closely to how others answer this simple, yet to me seemingly complex, question. I have occasionally found myself marveling at those I have met who have a dedicated and/or singular career or life focus that drives their identity. Eventually, I simply replaced this question with more direct and channeled questions driven by the topic or social event at hand. This seems the logical thing to do yet people still ask me what I do.

Lately, "I do many things" has become my standard answer when pressed on this question because I cannot focus on only one aspect of my varied interests. I am a published photographer, I am an entrepreneur who loves to brainstorm and attack new business ideas, I have managed four star hotels around the nation, been an Optician, an advanced web developer, database architect, and I am extremely good at building and empowering teams working toward a common goal. I love welding and am fairly competent assembling a combustion engine. I am a cyclist (prefer road) and a very skilled motorcycle rider (Ducati please).

A friend said to me one day "you're an Outlier!" - so I purchased the book and read it. I found the book interesting and I will admit some parallels to my obsession with perpetual learning.

The most important thing I can say about myself is that I like contributing to the success of others or a team.