Four Memorable Moments from Kolbe’s Conation Nation Symposium 2019

Preparing for my first Kolbe Corp’s Conation Nation Symposium (CNS) was a thrill.

I had to be confident. The rest of my team had each been there at least twice before and knew what they were doing, so I had to channel their comfort with CNS over my curiosity and uncertainty about what it would be like.

I had to be sharp. I am not yet Kolbe-certified and almost everyone else there would be, so I had to be ready to tap into what I know about Kolbe and ensure I understood the methodology behind my results.

I had to be energetic. We were launching a brand new company, after all. This was our first chance to show a crowd what humanworks is all about.

Now that I’m back and reflecting on those three days in Phoenix, some highlights come to mind. These highlights also challenge my thinking about humanworks as a business. How can we help other organizations foster memorable moments with their people?

Seeing my team in action

For much of the time, my primary role at the humanworks booth was tapping Kolbe results into our iPad and operating the photo frame’s digital display board. Attendees kept us busy, but I remember this: There I was, standing in our booth, in between programming attendee MOs. I looked at the rest of my team: Rebecca was re-connecting with someone she’d met at a previous Kolbe event. Shawn was getting kudos after his 5 Rules talk onstage and AJ was sharing a humanworks brochure with an interested attendee. These people were impressing me, and these people were my team. What would it feel like if everyone at work impressed you? With their integrity. Their teamwork. Their contributions.

Being part of the Kolbe experience

Seeing Kathy Kolbe on stage. Meeting the “purple suit guys.” Watching Shannon Waller of Strategic Coach present in my first breakout session. Finally! I first took the Kolbe A™ seven years ago, and started using Strategic Coach tools very soon after. Being at CNS was like my last seven years come to life. It was all…real. The people, the practices and the foundational beliefs were all there right before my eyes. I was living and breathing Kolbe, and I felt like I belonged. What would it feel like if everyone felt like they belonged? Belonged at your company. Belonged on their team.

Standing on-stage for Spirit Day

On the last day of the event, I left the last general session to break down our booth. After sending our booth boxes off with FedEx, I happened to walk past the ballroom where the conference was taking place just as the crowd was clapping. I saw the rest of my team on stage and realized the spirit day judging was underway. Wait, wait, wait! I dropped my things and briskly walked up onto the stage where my team was standing. And the crowd went wild! Our team was on stage. Winning spirit day. While people told me that my appearance sealed the deal onstage, it all came down to Rebecca. A week earlier she said, “What should we do for spirit day? I’m a joiner!” The next day, she brought it up again, “I bought red pants for spirit day.” At first, it was a bit stressful. Our spouses even got involved in helping us all figure out what to wear…and it wasn’t as if we were wearing costumes, just the right combination of colors. This all got me thinking…What would it feel like if everyone was a joiner? Not a joiner in dressing up, but rather a joiner in your company’s culture.

Celebrating the success

One of the core values of humanworks is “breathe,” so it was only appropriate that we paused throughout our three-day trip to breathe, laugh and toast. After arriving to Phoenix and getting situated, we launched humanworks to our personal networks on social media. Where next? True Food Kitchen, where we toasted kale aids and pomegranate lemonades. I remember that moment – We made it. We arrived. No, not just to Phoenix. But as humanworks. What would it feel like if everyone at your company took a moment to breathe? To recognize successes. To pat each other on the back. To celebrate the journey.

These memories from CNS are invaluable. They are among the first of many that I’ll have as part of the humanworks team.

But all these “what-if” questions are invaluable too. They are among the first of many questions that we’ll use to challenge how we work with organizations to put people first.