“Start a blog” was my New Year’s Resolution for 2012. Almost 7 years and 740 posts later, I’m still here. (Full disclosure: my colleague, Heather Snyder, has written a good portion of those 740 posts since she joined Endurance Learning in mid-2017.)
And for the past seven years, I’ve shared a one-word resolution that I’ve chosen to guide me personally and professionally in the new year.
In 2013 it was momentum as I pondered the most critical element to successful learning programs.
In 2014 it was possibility as I pondered the idea of launching my own company.
In 2015 it was execution.
In 2016 it was risk.
In 2017 it was ruthless as I knew there were some tough decisions I needed to make.
In 2018, I chose joy, because what good is success if I couldn’t have more joy in my life?
For 2019, my head was wrapped around the word new. And we indeed began working with new customers this year, tried some new activities, wrote some new articles for major publications, spoke at some new conferences and launched a new product!
As we head into 2020, the word that keeps coming back to me is partnership. In my work with my clients, my work with my learners, my work with my colleagues, my work in my new role as the president of our local ATD chapter and in my personal life. I’d like to be a better partner, working alongside those I interact with to make sure we all leave each interaction better.
Perhaps at first glance, my 2020 word seems a little touchy feely, especially for someone who also used the word “ruthless” several years ago. The fact is that partnership is hard work, but when it comes to learning, development and growth, it’s essential. In the words of the inimitable Diamond Rio: “We’d gain a lot of ground, ‘Cause we’d both give a little, And their ain’t no road too long, When you meet in the middle.”
What are my Endurance Learning colleagues thinking about with their one-word resolutions?
Heather Snyder – Daring
In the last two years, I have chosen Growth and Push as my resolution as I have found my place as the Director of Instructional Design at Endurance Learning and co-writing this blog. With confidence and experience propelling me forward, this year, I plan to be daring. I want to be daring as I take on new projects, help others with new challenges, and use my skills to take calculated risks that will push us forward. This resolution will be a challenge; I am not an overly bold person. However, I have contributed to a lot of great projects, of which I am very proud, and I know that I have taken some risks that have turned out fantastic. This year I want to be more daring, push myself and others out of our comfort zone and see where it takes us.
Lauren Wescott – Evolve
My one-word resolution is evolve. This year I aspire to be more diligent about taking advantage of learning and growth opportunities in order to evolve professionally. A few of the learning opportunities I have on my list to pursue are: download free trials of Adobe Storyline and Camtasia to begin learning the basics, be more diligent to follow industry-leading blog posts and publications (and actually follow through to read them, not simply delete them from my inbox), and to weigh out pursuing a professional certification option or a doctorate degree.
Tim Waxenfelter – Quality
Quality has always been at the center of our work as a company and my work personally. Over the last few months, however, I’ve started to see the need across our customer projects and in Soapbox, our online presentation development tool, to take our quality to the next level. We have recently injected an additional person into our elearning QA process, have improved our use of editors and are documenting our processes and looking for ways to make quality a core part of our DNA.
