Showing Up For Me

By Gracie Branch, Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning, NAESP

Every year, I feel extremely fortunate to be able to attend the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting. This year’s conference in Cleveland, Ohio, was no exception. As NAESP’s Associate Executive Director of Professional Learning, I find it so nice to attend a conference that I do not plan and where I am able to embrace my own professional learning.

ASAE never disappoints! Beginning with a compelling overarching theme, In Unity We Strive, ASAE provides outstanding featured speakers, a robust exhibit hall, and engaging concurrent sessions. I would like to share takeaways from four remarkable speakers I had the privilege of listening to at ASAE.

Amanda Gorman

Day 1 began with opening keynote Amanda Gorman—the youngest presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University.

She is not only an extremely talented writer but an amazing speaker as well. Gorman is one of those people that you can listen to all day because of their richness in language and expression. It is hard to believe that she began writing at the age of five and was largely motivated by her experiences as a Black girl with a disability. She shares that she was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder as a kindergarten student.

Here are my top takeaways and some quotes from Gorman’s speech that apply to school leaders:

1. Be open and authentic. “Try not to manicure the aspects of yourself that make you you.”
2. Listen carefully, and think through your responses.
3. Fight the urge to speak over others’ struggles and “the faith, the humanity, and the love show up with more space.”
4. Be conscious of burnout. “There’s a tiredness that is biting at our bones; we’re constantly in this culture of busyness.”
5. It is essential to give yourself the occasional break. “Sometimes the best thing that we can do for our leadership is not leading.”
6. Remember to fill your cup so that you can continue to fill other people’s cups.
7. Look for common ground as you respect differences. “Find the people who are different and see if there’s something that connects you.”

I was definitely fangirling on Amanda Gorman. And just in case you did not know, she has also published a pair of children’s books, Change Sings and Something Someday.

Adam Kinzinger

Day 2 finds former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger on the main stage. A former Air Force service member, Kinzinger served in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He continues to serve his country as a pilot in the Air National Guard, with the current rank of lieutenant colonel.

On a personal note, he shared that his dad ran a homeless shelter and his mom was a public school teacher. Kinzinger began his remarks by asking us to consider a question: “What is our purpose?” He reminds us that when good is the goal, great things will happen for us.

Here are my top takeaways and quotes for leaders from Adam Kinzinger’s remarks:

1. One of the greatest leadership characteristics you can have is to always tell the truth. “If you can’t stand in front of them as leaders and tell them the truth, then how do they get to the right spot.”
2. You have to find your intrinsic value.
3. Leadership is not about being in charge but rather taking care of those in your charge.
4. Live for something bigger than yourself.
5. Fear is reality, but hope is a choice.
6. Remember that “we are the white horse people; we are the ones that we have been waiting for.”

I typically do not have the opportunity to meet the main keynote speakers, but I did have the opportunity to pose for a photo with Kinzinger as I was walking through the exhibit hall. It was my conference photo op moment.

Andre Norman

Catalyst speaker Andre Norman’s presentation was titled “From Prison to Harvard,” and he definitely has been to both of those places. He is the epitome of someone who turns his life around in a tremendous way after spending 18 years in a maximum security prison.

Norman’s story is compelling and simultaneously inspiring. He talked about how he was given a vision of what his life could be and that he could be whole again. He also reminded us that “you can’t take your old life into your new life.”  

Norman wanted school leaders to realize that prison reform begins in kindergarten. He dreamed of going to Harvard, and in 2016, his goal was realized when Charles Overstreet gave him a job at Harvard Law School.

Since 1991, Norman’s personal experiences have helped him empower people to have authentic, unvarnished conversations that drive change effectively and advance social justice. He left his audience with two parting thoughts.

1. Don’t jump over our own to save someone else.
2. Don’t judge me; just call me.

Marli Williams

Transformational leadership speaker, mentor, and guide describe Marli Williams perfectly. She strives to help people go from stuck to stoked and focus on transformational presentations over transactional.

She also asks what you do for fun? And now I’m asking you to do this: Stop, and take a minute to write down everything that you do for fun. How long is your list?

Williams tells us to make play a priority. Ask yourself, “What am I doing for fun this weekend?” That is an example of you showing up for you. Here are some others:

1. Play on purpose, and create a playlist. Draw an activity out each weekend.
2. Think positively. For example, “ ‘I get to do this’ as opposed to ‘I have to do this.’ ” Remember that our language helps to shape our world.
3. What are the loops that are on repeat in your brain? You have control over this. Connections need to be a priority in your life so create a plan.
4. Be purposeful, be authentic, be brave, and be curious.
5. Ask yourself what is your 1-degree shift? What is the smallest change you can make today to create the biggest difference?

Wow! Four powerful, extremely different speakers, each with their own words of wisdom and advice. This is just a snapshot of their remarks, but hopefully gives you something to think about as you begin the new school year. A lot of people are counting on you every day, but make sure that you make it a priority to show up for you!    

Gracie Branch is associate executive director, Professional Learning, at NAESP.