Last week, I attended the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) annual international conference in Atlanta (USA) along with 9,000 other participants. Really. You cannot imagine how well they organize this event, which runs on-time and without obvious logistical glitches.
The great of this week:
- Immersing myself with others who engage in corporate learning. Four days exploring international talent management, communications and leadership development. Professional heaven!
- The Expo of key learning vendors alone was worth my visit to see what is trendy (hot topic: leadership development) and how others like myself market their services. Seeing hundreds of suppliers (from language translation to meeting venues to consultants like Ken Blanchard) required nearly four hour to walk the halls.
- At least a dozen genuinely interesting new contacts gained.
- New, thought-provoking and potentially useful ideas explored during seminars and keynote speeches. More on those to follow in next posts. My journal is full!
- Had a beer with my ex-husband Jeff, who lives in Atlanta, and confirmed we are both happy with our new lives. I count it as one of the more important tests of our characters that we stay in contact after the pain of divorce now eight years ago.
The not-so-great:
- Darned cold and cough followed me around again all week.
- Trying to stay awake while I write this now back in Zurich. Can you say "Jet lag!?"
What I learned:
A lot this week! I'll pick just one thing for now. While I believe a person can make new, deep friendships at any stage in life, I realized this week visiting friends and family that some relationships -- even if they evolve with time, distance and life changes -- are irreplacable. They are to be cherished for what they have brought us and for the special qualities that make them always evoke a feeling of understanding and being understood in our lives.
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