I've been a part of the
Global Leadership Organization since early 2014. I served in numerous positions in the nonprofit, and I finally earned my certification as a GLO Counselor in December 2014. This past summer, I had the privilege of flying over to Taiwan to teach at two leadership conferences in Taipei.
It went from the Charleston International Airport to the Houston Airport. From there, I flew on the Boeing 777 (woo, go Boeing!) on the Hello Kitty aircraft with Eva airlines. This place was an amusement park. There were Hello Kitty utensils, blankets, pillows, videos, aprons, barf bags, toilet paper, board passes, and so much more. It gave such a great start to the journey.
The first venue of the conference was at Kang Chiao International School. It is this gorgeous high school located right outside of Taipei in the mountain area. Although WiFi was pretty much nonexistent at this school, the view looking out was breathtaking.
Teaching is something I've come to deeply respected. I strongly believe that teaching is the noblest thing one could commit to in this world. I'm glad to have it part of my life.
This is what small group sessions look like. The attendees are placed tight-knit small groups and sit in a U-shaped seating arrangement to immerse themselves in deep discussions about certain topics in leadership.
The above is what general sessions look like. Essentially, Teddy goes on stage to give some of the most well-delivered speeches I've ever had the chance of hearing. Although I've heard his stories over and over again, his speeches never fail to send shivers down my spine. At some points in the general sessions, I was able to go on stage to lead energizers, present on GLO recruiting, and to perform spoken word poetry.
The above shows a collage of testimonials. As counselors and staff members, we're so busy working through the logistics of the day that it's difficult to gauge how our attendees are feeling. From our perspective, we see attendees falling asleep during small group sessions, people on the phone during general sessions, and people staring blankly at us when we ask tough questions. It is really during these testimonials that we get to see the fruits of our labor. This is where attendees get to come up to the stage and openly share how GLO has impacted their lives. Usually these testimonial sessions get quite emotional. This is my favorite part of general sessions, and I've definitely cried before.
This was my adorable small group! They called themselves the C-squad to represent Team Chloe! I had a huge range of kids. There were people who would refuse to speak, those who constantly played Devil's advocate, and those who were just so talkative that I had to switch up seating arrangement throughout the day. On the last day of the conference, there was a sudden click when going through the Public Speaking portion of the curriculum. This was where even the quietest kids had to go up in front of everyone and shout their hearts out about things they're passionate about. I wouldn't let anyone sit back down unless they sent chills down our spines. These kids kept trying and trying, and then when they finally go to the point where they could speak with conviction, the whole team cheered like no other. That kind of team spirit and positive dynamic made such memorable moments in C-squad. I was incredibly proud.
This was the small group team at our second conference - Fu Hsing Private School. I switched to become a Counselor Assistant on Team Robin to gain a different perspective in teaching. Although there were only four attendees in Team Robin, this group was incredibly talkative. I was glad everyone got so close in only two days.
The above are pictures of the outstanding staff team in Taiwan, which was mainly comprised of high school students. I've never met a more mature, spirited, and supportive team before. There were several times throughout the conference planning process where administrators were chewing them out for logistical concerns. These students faced each problem with a nod, a smile, and a plan of action. When there were logistical hiccups, no one would blame each other or talk behind each other's backs. Their attitude was: "Okay. So how can I help?" This is what teamwork should look like. It was incredibly refreshing to work with these high school students.
Of course every large project comes with some sort of huge food celebration. Our team had several celebration dinners getting AYCE hotpot, KBBQ, and AYCE ramen. There was one funny story about the ramen. At this restaurant, I was eating my noodles like a normal person at my table. Suddenly, the GLO President, Teddy, started a dialogue with me from the other table:
Teddy: "Hey Chloe!"
Chloe: "Yeah?"
Teddy: "What
bowl are you on?"
Chloe: "My first."
Teddy: "Well, I'm on my
second."
And so, he challenged me to a ramen eating competition. He finished with 3 bowls of ramen and I finished with 6 bowls. This was one of my proudest moments in GLO. :)
The above two photos just show the dynamic personalities that our attendees had. We definitely had incredibly strong groups at both conferences.
I was able to go through the entire cycle of learning to teach and teaching to learn. I learned so much about the kids, about the kids, and about this world. That constant cycle of improvement is one of the most fulfilling things I can do.
Through this process, I discovered what I really want to do in the future. I call it being a conductor of a team. This is kind of like a conductor of an orchestra. A conductor's job is not to play the music. The conductor may know how to play every single instrument but does not play it. In fact, the conductor's job is to empower the musicians on the floor, to get them to understand each other, to learn to fill in when in need, and to create something they can't do by themselves - orchestral music. Bringing this concept into a team management and coaching setting, I realize I wanted to take that kind of role in people's lives to get them to push their potentials and to accomplish things they never knew they could accomplish.
My journey in GLO has only just begun. I know there's plenty of more I want to do, and I can't wait to see how I grow at each step of the way.
