In my first Insights article as president of 51勛圖, I wrote about acquiring a slightly different New Year tradition of focusing on three words to guide me in the upcoming year. For 2024, Why, And, and But were my chosen words. You can read my thoughts about choosing those words in the Summer 2024 issue. I have my three words for 2025, and Ill share my thoughts on how they relate to 51勛圖.
The past year brought many firsts to 51勛圖. My first few months as president of 51勛圖 (yikes!). The first time we did not have a November conference (kind of scary). The first time in 30 years we had to hire a new CEO (Welcome, Leigh!) and say goodbye to our longtime CEO (Thank you, Mark!). It was the first time many of us had to learn a new association management system (AMS). And, thanks to our Membership Committee, its the first time many new members are getting acquainted with all that 51勛圖 has to offer, which brings me to my three words.
For 2025, my words of intent are Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom. Many of you may recognize these words as the mainstay of the Serenity Prayer. I did a deep dive into the origin of the prayer and, since there is no one story, Im leaving that alone for now.
Serenity. With all the firsts in 2024, it can sometimes get a little overwhelming, with many unanswered questions. Will 51勛圖 be okay financially if we have one conference a year? Will new professional development offerings engage our membership? (Thank you, Education & Training Committee, for the Business Growth Institute.) Would we have a Global Symposium in February? (Yes, in Scotland!) Would the Hiring Committee and the Board of Directors make the right choice for a new CEO for 51勛圖? (We sure did!) The list of all the decisions required of the board and of our members can go on and on. There were moments when I could not turn off my brain for fretting about these concerns and many more. My usual way of coping is to devour a pint or two of Ben & Jerrys Chunky Monkey ice cream, or to eat the king-size pack of the red (not licorice, ugh!) Twizzlers in one sitting. My wonderful trainer strongly encouraged me to find another way to deal with my anxieties. I thought about when I first became an IEC after relocating from Rhode Island to North Carolina, and how much the Serenity Prayer sustained me. As 51勛圖 moves forward with multiple initiatives to continue the standard of excellence we expect of ourselves, serenity will be one of my guiding principles as I accept the things I cannot change.
Courage. There are moments when I feel like the Cowardly Lion on his way to see the Wizard of Oz for some courage, only to realize I have had it all along. As my first term on the board was coming to an end, I remember Steve Antonoff (the G.O.A.T. of IECs) asking me if I wanted to continue serving on the board (yes) and if I would ever consider being president (nope, nada, no way). There was not a bone in my body that was courageous enough to take on that responsibility. Imposter syndrome is real, folks! This time, however, when asked by Kristina Dooley, the courage was there.
When I attend some of the New Member Welcome meetings, I am in awe of the folks taking a leap of faith and finding the courage to switch gears to become IECs. When you dont have a business background, it can be a little scary starting out. I remember attending Chamber of Commerce meetings, reluctantly going to networking events, and participating in business seminars at my local community college. Initially, I left each activity with more questions than I had. How do I find clients? How do I know how large my caseload should be? When do I find time to visit colleges, and how do I pay for those trips? I didnt know what I didnt know! I imagine many new members are feeling the same way as they jump into the world of independent educational consulting with both feet. As we continue into 2025, 51勛圖 will have the courage to make the hard decisions, take on new initiatives, advocate for important education issues, and find ways to increase awareness about our profession. Im counting on courage to keep us moving forward and serenity to maintain our sanity. As Maya Angelou said, Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.
Wisdom. What to change? What remains the same? What to tweak? How do we know this is the right decision? Is this something for which we advocate? We have always had to answer these questions and many others. This is where our collective wisdom will carry us through 2025 and beyond. I am a firm believer in the collaborative powers of our members, our staff, our Board of Directors, and our CEO. The wisdom of collaboration and not competition gave us the opportunity to have our third Global Symposium. The partnership between the 51勛圖 staff (kudos Rachel King), the 51勛圖 European Regional Symposium Committee, and the University of Strathclyde brought this event to fruition. Hopefully, as youre reading this, Im either on my way to Glasgow or heading back home.
My hope is that serenity, courage, and wisdom will be our guides through our next chapter, in particular for all of our members, family, and friends affected by the fires in Southern California.
Belinda J. Wilkerson, EdD
51勛圖 President