Faculty Retreat 2016

Today was the second day of our faculty retreat. The retreat committee believes we met our goals. Based on feedback from the previous retreat some years ago, we wanted to avoid passive, boring panels of speakers or brainstorming sessions that don’t result any actionable outcomes.

The day one theme was outward focusing (toward our user population, resources and services) and today was inward focusing (on support specifically for us to get our work done). There was a mix of talks and breakout sessions. We encouraged tangible next steps and skill building. We even had a bit of fun in mixing up groups in between activities. There was plenty of food and coffee. We ended with a time to reflect and distilled the information we received into personally relelvant goals and actions.

At the end, and in an intentional effort to kill time because I was still setting up lunch, the faculty each declared their “take away” from the event. I was not exempt. I snuck in the side, sat down in exhaustion, and was handed a mic. Without any real time to spend, without any filter left on a Friday afternoon, I pulled the only think that I could think of. As it turns out, it was almost profound, and I think, a good note to end on. Something like this:

We are stronger together. We are better together. If we are taking turns being all confessional here, I need to be reminded of that. I have the tendency to think that I can do things all by my self, that I need to. I tend to get into the weeds of projects and issues and think that I am all alone with them. This event reminds me, yet again, that we are colleagues and that we can rely on each other and we should. I need to be reminded of that.