A couple of months ago I walked past Robert Whiddon's office and, with surprise, saw that Robert had rearranged his desk and chairs. Instead of the conventional arrangement, behind the computer and facing the door to meet visitors, Robert had done the opposite. His back was to the door as he sat at the desk, and visitors had a view of his computer screen.

Naturally, I asked why. "It keeps me honest," he explained. "The other way, it was too easy to goof off, to check sports scores or surf around instead of working."

Now I ask you: Who does that? Who among us is not guilty of ever surfing an entertainment Web site, making personal calls or doing other things that aren't work related? But that was Robert. Anywhere he found a weakness, an Achilles' heel, he would address it head on and do whatever he could to improve. Moreover, he felt that every wasted moment in the office was a missed opportunity to make a call to a benefit broker/consultant, to learn more about what was going on in the profession and the industry.

I've walked by his empty office many times since he died on July 17, and thought about those and other lessons Robert left us with. People who have worked for Robert, and with him, can tell you that one of his mantras was, "Don't plateau." That is, keep challenging yourself. Take pride in your accomplishments, but don't let them restrict your continued growth. Keep moving on.

Robert had a lot of virtues. Patience was not one of them. He and I had many long conversations about the realities of driving change, how it almost always takes longer and costs more than anyone would want. It was a source of great frustration to him, but it also helped fuel his determination. It funneled into the passion he had for making Employee Benefit Adviser the best publication it could be - a magazine that provided the greatest possible service to its readers.

So, with those recollections in mind, we keep moving on. In this issue, we share some other memories from industry members who came to know, respect and care for Robert. We are grateful for their contributions and thank them for writing.

And, yet, the best tribute we are able to give him is to carry on with the things that were important to him. At EBA, that means applying passion in the pursuit of excellence, engaging readers and challenging them to become more deeply involved in the community of benefits professionals.

We invite you to take part in these next steps forward with us. They won't be easy, they might not be even, but sharing the challenges is what we must do when there are losses to overcome, and important work yet remains. It will help us all live with and live up to Robert's legacy. It will keep him alive in the pages of EBA. It will keep us from resting on a plateau. And yes, it will keep us honest.