Holding On, Letting Go, Moving On: Resilience and Relevance Required
FRIENDSHIP, COLLEAGUESHIP AND MENTORSHIP COMBINED!
At ATD this year I had the opportunity to present on a panel with three other women who have all been friends, colleagues, and mentors to me in my professional life: Elaine Biech, Margie Blanchard, and Ann Hermann-Nehdi. I think I never would have lasted in this work for four decades without this kind of support. Thought I would share the description of our session, and, more importantly, the questions we posed to the audience.
Following the program description, I’ve shared the questions that were asked of the audience. Gather a group of your own colleagues and try these out. I’d love to know how your conversations went and which question drew the most conversation!
Program Description
“Nothing endures but change”. This quote from Plato has never been truer as it is today! New knowledge and technologies, fluctuating economic conditions, shifting political realities, growing international interdependencies, global pandemics, the pressures of competition and the evolution of new cultural values and perspectives all impinge constantly on leaders and managers, learners, and organizations.
As a result, our ways of working and the expectations business leaders have of learning and development have dramatically evolved, requiring practitioners in our field to constantly adapt and innovate.
As such, learning professionals consistently face an ongoing dilemma: what do they hold on to that still holds true, what do they let go of and where do they move on to in order to meet todays and tomorrow’s learning needs? How do they ensure their work is as relevant as ever and maintain resilience in the process?
The four thought leaders on this panel bring decades of expertise in a variety of learning domains-all which have evolved significantly-- to provide some answers.
The Learning and Publishing Industry
Career Development and Engagement
Brain Science and Assessment
Leadership and Development
They will share critical questions and strategies they have used to remain resilient and relevant and ask provocative questions and provide activities to help the audience explore how best adapt in their organizations.
Here are the questions we posed, which ones resonate the most with you?
HOLDING ON
What continues to be true for you personally and professionally in how you see the world?
What are you glad you learned…the hard way?
What did you learn the hard way?
What values do you hold onto…no matter what?
Did you have an early inkling of the work you are doing today? How so?
What enables you to “hold on” professionally when the going gets tough?
What ideas did you develop early in your career that still ring true today?
LETTING GO
What has been the hardest thing to “let go” of in your professional or personal life?
There is a saying that goes…It’s OK to fall apart for a while REALLY!
What rings true about that?
What have you been trying to let go of for a long time even though you are still not “there!
What (in hindsight) do you wish you never would let go of?
What did you once think was important that, in hindsight, really wasn’t?
What has been the hardest thing to unlearn?
What did the Coronavirus teach you to let go of?
Which of your core beliefs doesn’t hold up anymore?
MOVING ON
What is the biggest mountain you will need to climb in order to really move on?
How do you recharge?
How long do you think you’ll work?
How do you stay ahead of the curve in your profession?
What has always stopped you from moving on?
Which of your core beliefs is the hardest to leave behind?
If you could move on into any other job (for which you’d be qualified) in your own org or in another…what would that be?
What are three of the “weights” that keep you from moving on?
Which questions stand out to you? Did you discuss any with your colleagues? Would love to hear your thoughts! Send us a note and let us know.
