Toast Note - 31 August 2017

I am unexpectedly blessed with ridiculously clever kids. Let me be the proud mama for a second and share that #1 is tearing it up in a big as retailer taking on ever increasing responsibility in the training and public speaking space. The second is at uni busy studying international business and planning a half year exchange in Columbia. The third Can. Not. Stop. Talking. about politics, sustainability, environmental management – complete with waving hands, eye rolls, and <shades of her mother> full body, lean in passion and energy and factsfactsfacts. What a trio. God help the people in their lives who try to get in their way.

A tertiary benefit of having such smart spawn is that I’m basically able to revisit my own academic life and early career trajectory. They keep snapping and texting quotes, challenges, problems, bitches and moans. So familiar. Le plus ce change, right? But the fields have changed and as much as I try, I haven’t fully kept up. As much as I tried, I haven’t read it all, heard it all, learned it all. I can’t help but be a little bit jealous as Jaime gets a work message with an epic Charles Darwin quote about change, or Mera learns all about the Goldratts 5 focusing steps (huh? that took me nearly a week to sort… only now admitting to her publicly that when she first tweeted about it I had a big WTF moment and scrambled to learn up).

One of our own young bright-sters here at IAG told me after a Toast Note a few weeks ago: “The thing I’ve noticed about younger employees and engaging/vocalizing even in a safe environment, is that they aren’t generally encouraged to be vocal, so they become quite used to not being vocal (even if they are naturally vocal).” We CAN NOT let this stand. Young people, you need to step it up and TALK. We need you. I learn from you every day. You know things I don’t even know I need to know. Experienced people, make it safe. Encourage them to speak up. These kids… my god they are annoying, but they are also living and thinking and breathing the future state already. We need to listen, we need to learn and we need to keep on listening and learning until they take over.

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. ~ Charles Darwin