Accelerent Breakfast: The Power of Interdependence

The world’s best blind golfer let the audience see how important it is to support each other.

Jeremy Poincenot became legally blind suddenly at age 19, and with the help of friends and by imagining a new path for himself, he chose not to be limited by this change in his life.

Jeremy has a rare genetic disorder that left him with no central vision. Only about 100 people diagnosed with this disorder each year in the U.S.  There is no treatment, no cure.

He became a golf champion by working interdependently with his father for visual support on the golf course.

Jeremy’s mission is to help people suspend judgment, focus on the good, and see the power of interdependence.

Accelerent—Phoenix

The Phoenix division of Accelerent is the area’s leading business development organization, and Benefit Commerce Group is proud to be the Title Sponsor of this division. At breakfast events throughout the year, guests invited by members of Accelerent hear from nationally-recognized speakers and experts like Jeremy Poincenot.

Lessons Learned from Jeremy

Interdependence, both personally and professionally, means a group of people working together to leverage each other’s strengths.

Jeremy told a great story that should resonate with all of us:

A boy and his father were walking through a forest. They came to a large branch sitting in the road.  “Dad, do you think I can move the branch?” the boy asks.  Dad says, “Yes, if you use all your strength, I think you can do it.”  The young boy tries several times and can’t move the branch. He says to Dad, “You’re wrong. I can’t do it.”  Dad says, “I advised you to use ALL your strength. You didn’t. You didn’t ask for my help.”

The help that Jeremy needed came from his Dad and also his friends. That’s what brought him out of depression after he lost his sight; that’s what brought him back into the light.

--One friend, Josh, encouraged him to return to college after he had dropped out. Josh helped him walk to class, explained to the professors he was legally blind, and they studied together.  Jeremy graduated with a degree in business, and he couldn’t have done it without Josh.

Jeremy’s advice to us: take the time to look around and see if others are struggling and need help. Each of has the power to impact and change someone else’s life.  Be a Josh.

--Another of Jeremy’s friends, Mark, pushed him into fundraising. When Jeremy thought about his situation: no treatment and no cure, he decided he had a mission: to raise as much money as he can for research and help. Mark said, let’s create a fundraiser….How about a walk? Jeremy said, I can walk blind!  Let’s do a walk from San Diego to Seattle.  That’s 1,200 miles!  So, he said, let’s do a tandem bike ride.  Mark said, let’s go from San Diego to Seattle!  Together they created “Cycling Under Reduced Eyesight (CURE)”.  They raised $3K the first year, and they’ve held this fundraiser for 11 years in a row.

Mark created an opportunity to do something together.  When they started working on it, Mark gave him something to look forward during a time when he had nothing to look forward to.  Are you creating enough opportunities for yourself and others to not just survive, but thrive, like Mark did for Jeremy?

Jeremy recommends using the S.E.E method:

• Seek help.
• Embrace Help.
• Extend Help.

For more information about Jeremy, you can go to his website: https://www.jeremypoincenot.com/.

Interdependence is an important part of what BCG does

During opening remarks at the event, Chris Hogan, Executive Vice President and Principal of Benefit Commerce Group (BCG), told the audience that interdependence is a key ingredient of the Accelerent organization, BCG and our clients.

The HR and finance functions within an organization need to work together interdependently to attract and retain talent while controlling the budget and expenses. It’s a never-ending cycle to:

• Get the best talent
• Create efficiencies
• Control costs/increase margins
• Hire more talent to scale it even further

BCG helps its clients in this process through strategic planning, exploring alternative solutions and bringing together the insurance companies and other vendors that can provide the programs and services to meet each client’s specific needs.

Next Accelerent Phoenix/BCG Breakfast Event – September 28th   

2023 is an amazing year of quality speakers and motivating topics at the Accelerent/BCG Breakfast Events!! The next one will be Thursday, September 28th.  Our guest speaker will be Jason Redman, retired Navy Seal, Bronze Star Medal with Valor and Purple Heart recipient, and best-selling author. Attendance is by invitation only.