Right of Way - May/June2017

best in class

Memories are amazing little thoughts that have the power to bring you right back to a moment in time—in an instant—and simply out of the blue. It is an unexpected experience that has such powerful impact. When I remember something, whether good or bad, I immediately transcend the present to visit the past, if only for that moment.

Finger on the Pulse

My priority has always been to keep IRWA on the leading edge of educational practice while creating innovative new programming. So I keep my finger on the pulse of the current research and thinking being done in the executive learning and development space to enhance and underpin our enterprise.

Recently, I was reading an article
entitled “Your Brain on Learning” in
Chief Learning Officer Magazine. It was
on the importance of understanding
how the brain works in order to
successfully design and deliver
programming that optimizes the
learning experience—to fit how the
brain learns best. While reading the
article, I was immediately whisked back
to an elementary school memory. I
remember sitting at a circular table with
my teacher as she taught me how to
read. She explained to me why I should
not read with my finger underlining each
sentence, and how I must be very careful
not to do that even though it made
reading easier. I remember her being
kind but firm and not letting me slip. She
insisted on only the best out of me. As I
read this article, I remembered thinking
how grateful I was to her for teaching
me this skill. How reading allows me to
understand and navigate the world, while
experiencing the thoughts and feelings of
others. It provides practical information
for living everyday life and enables me
to connect with and make sense of the
world around me. With eyes to see and
a brain to decipher and imagine, it is a
source of wonder. I often think had I
not been taught this precious skill, what
would I do? Who would I be?

A Source of Wonder

I bet you never thought that reading infrastructure standards and documentation like an Environmental Site Assessment or the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice could be a source of wonder or amazement.

But I encourage you to revisit your life
and work with new eyes. Having the
ability to read, and all that enabled that
to happen, including the special people
that helped you to learn to read along
the way, is nothing short of a miracle.
They helped you to be able to read
those documents and those people are
a part of you as you read them. Their
purpose was to improve your quality of
life by teaching you how to read so that
you in turn could improve the quality
of people’s lives in the work you do
through infrastructure development. It
is quite extraordinary when you think
of your work and our industry from
this unique perspective.

So, the next time you find yourself in the middle of bylaws or property descriptions or another type of infrastructure related document, remember the wonder that might never have existed if not for the patience and heart of a teacher, the courage to receive the gift—and the memory that keeps it alive. J