In The Room Where It Happens

I’m writing this as I fly home from presenting at the Minnesota Educational Association conference, a professional first for me since I started my business two and a half years ago.

One of the challenges of starting a business in the middle of a pandemic was conferences had all gone virtual, which was one of the many things we learned just wasn’t the same as being in-person. As I watched participants gather apple-shaped stress balls and collect brochures in the exhibitor fairs in their little bags, I found myself broadly smiling: it’s good to be back.

Every experience leaves an impact on us, and I’m coming home from this conference with an abundance of a-ha’s. Some are on the lighter side: for example, the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport has some fantastic stores including a store dedicated to Prince—I mean… how amazing is that. Some are personal: I got to have breakfast with a friend from many years ago who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic, and it was so meaningful to have a delicious, quiet breakfast where we caught up on the ups and downs of mid-life, decades removed from our initial meeting physically and light-years away spiritually yet still able to click and connect in a way that filled our souls. 

What I’ve been reflecting on the most since I left MSP, though, is professional.

I facilitated a session on “Measuring the Squishy Stuff: How to Quantify Culture”, and like any Ms. Napleton learning experience, there was a lot of energy, pacing around the room and engagement. It felt really good to be back with my teaching hat on in-person; most of my masterclasses have been virtual and while I’m getting more used to teaching effectively that way, it’s just so much more fun to teach in person. 

Making it more fun was this: most of my audience today were teachers, averaging about 8-12 years of experience, teaching everything from kindergarten in a Montessori school to high school history. Usually, when I’m talking about culture it’s to leaders—so it was a neat experience today to talk about it with a slightly different audience, coming at this from a different angle, and in a venue where I could listen to their turn-and-talks, hear their concerns and consider how critically important, messy and human all this mission-driven work is.

I often talk to leaders because, well, they are the ones who decide whether to invest in my services, or they are the ones who are acutely feeling the effects that a culture can prevent reaching the goals they want. Today I was reminded that culture affects us all, and there are a variety of people in all positions and from all perspectives who are looking around, not happy with what they see and are eager to roll up their sleeves and do something about it. I spotlighted three tools today to share, and as folks scanned the QR code and eagerly opened the documents, I was reminded of so many teacher leaders I have worked with over the years, who have been invaluable in helping me in whatever I was trying to achieve—whether it was leading a professional development group at a cluster of high-performing charter schools or trying to bring more joy to the halls of middle school. 

Conferences are a new strategy I’m working on in my business: I have another one lined up next month and more applications pending. While I’ll be glad to get home and see my munchkins, I’m already looking forward to the next conference and the next in-person room-where-it-happens.

There’s a certain spirit that comes with being in person together, no?!

Let me know if there are any conferences you think I should present at—I’m definitely eager to get more of these on the books!