Raise Your Hand
Have you ever had a moment when you realized you are no longer who you thought you were? Not because you changed overnight, but because someone else reflected something back to you that you hadn’t fully seen. Last week, at the Acton network conference, I had one of those moments. It didn’t happen in a breakout session, it happened over breakfast.
On the final morning of the three-day gathering, I intentionally chose a table where I knew no one well. Plate in hand, I smiled and joined the conversation. My friend Tracey from Acton Curaçao introduced me to a first-year Acton leader in India. We shook hands and I shared that I lead Acton Academy Oshkosh in Wisconsin. Her face lit up, “Oh, Oshkosh!” I smiled, “Are you familiar with Wisconsin?” “No, but I know your school!” Tracey turned to me with wide, obvious eyes and said, “Everyone knows Oshkosh. You have one of the famous schools. You are on the list of schools that are amazing Actons that everyone looks to as models.” I was stunned, humbled, and then I wondered….where is this list?
For years, I have looked outward to leaders in year ten, twelve, fifteen. I studied campuses I quietly considered “famous” and I sought mentorship from leaders farther along in the journey. But somewhere along the way something shifted.
We are six years in, no longer navigating the unknown of how to “do Acton” and we are thriving. Without fully realizing it, we have become a school others look to.
After breakfast, 13 Launch Pad (high school) learners shared what every Acton leader needs to know. It’s always my favorite part of the conference––16 and 17 year olds standing on the stage, brilliant, articulate, creative, inspiring!
Afterward, I spoke with a few of them and I told them how important they are to the network and to our Oshkosh learners. I shared that we play their speeches in our studios. “You’re famous,” I told them. Last year, I shared Kiera’s story, a 16 year old from Kuala Lumpur who made a bold plan to travel around the world visiting Acton campuses. To Oshkosh learners, she is a celebrity––the brave girl who made a plan and convinced adults. She looked at me with disbelief!
What struck me was this: leaders who inspire others often don’t see it. They are simply living their story, paving the way. That realization prepared me for what came next.
At the close of the conference, all 350 represented school leaders gathered to share character callouts and lessons learned. I raised my hand, “Today I learned the importance and power of sharing. I have thought of myself as the newbie and when I was in a pickle I reached out to mentors. But today, I see myself in the middle of this network. While I am still learning I am ready to serve and share with early leaders, to pay it forward, to listen, and I invite others to do the same.”
There was a pause and then my friend popped up and asked to build on the idea. “Who is in year five or beyond and would be willing to also take a call or email from an early campus?” Hands rose quickly, table after table, like popcorn. The energy of the room shifted, a collective yes. This was civility on a grand scale––generosity without ego, mentorship without hierarchy, a community choosing to pave the way for one another.
We are no longer just learners of the model, we are stewards of it. Our small dot on the map in Oshkosh is part of something global and alive. The studio systems our learners built have been shared beyond our walls. The Quests I’ve designed are shaped by your children before reaching other campuses. Our Guides are remembered as strong contributors in global Guide Squads.
Oshkosh is paving the way. Maturity in a network, in a school, in a family means this: You pay forward what was once given to you. Now, I invite you…
If you are a first or second-year parent, know this: others have walked the path you are on and their hands are up. If you are a third-year parent or beyond, consider this your moment. Raise your hand, reach out, listen, share honestly, encourage without pretending perfection. You may not realize it yet, but you are paving the way for someone just beginning. Identity shifts everything. Will you join me? Will you raise your hand and model civility?