How do you dim the lights?

What happened to the NEW year? It was almost the end of the year, and then just moments later it became 2017 and now it’s the end of January! The busy year-end, the holidays and then “snowpocalypse 2017” all conspired to make the start of this year a bit rocky and a bit discombobulated.
Three quarters through the month I finally think I have returned to a normal schedule, and I am determined to keep wishing everyone I see a happy new year for at least the next week.

We were so happy to kick off our new year at the Foundation by bringing all of our staff together for a three-day training session. This year we are focused on learning at NCCF. We are challenging ourselves to share our knowledge, learn from each other and to keep looking for ways to improve as a vibrant on-going learning organization. Our first lessons were around advancing our training on the software we use to manage records and data at NCCF. It was great to learn some new tricks and to share some shortcuts and efficiencies with others.

Some of the things I have already been learning so far include how to use our new technology to virtually connect with other staff located across the state; how to more effectively find information in our database; and how to dim the lights in our new, beautiful office space. The latter lesson is a bit embarrassing but it is not as easy as it sounds!

I am trying to learn something new each day by asking questions, by keeping my mouth shut more than I open it and by remembering that making mistakes is a part of learning.

I said that we have kicked off a year of learning at NCCF, but more truthfully, I don’t envision this ending. We actually are building a culture devoted to ongoing education. We want our team to never stop learning.

I read this quote somewhere, and I think it sums up well the culture we’re seeking to build here: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

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