Thing #23

So here we are, at the last "thing." Learn & Play has been a wonderful experience. There were many things I was already using and many that were new to me. I think this was a very innovative way to incorporate learning into our busy work lives.

My favorite part of L&P was not actually participating in L&P but watching those around me participate. It was wonderful to see staff who are very uncomfortable with new technology jump in feet first. They were nervous but willing to try these new things. Setting up a culture and environment that reward learning and is not punitive when folks have questions has made all the difference. When you take away the fear, learning can occur with great ease.

I loved "eavesdropping" on staff as they worked together to achieve all 23 things. They were all so comfortable asking each other for help. It was great to hear people talk about their favorite "thing" and then expand upon how we might be able to use it in our daily work lives. It was amazing to see a few staff members who are generally very quiet and reserved, come out of their shells to share and help their peers. For me this was the most rewarding thing that has come from my L&P experience.

I am hopeful that this is the beginning of a new way of learning at CML. That we can take this model and use it on our other training modules. I will do my best to continue this feeling of excitement and energy that L&P has created at my branch. It has been an amazing team building experience.