No Trust Falls Required: Purpose, Direction, and a Board Retreat in Bahia
After many years in education, I have attended more workshops and retreats than I could possibly count. Some challenged how I thought, a few changed how I led, and most simply left me with a new pen and a greater appreciation for the coffee break. To be fair, Brazil has made the coffee break substantially better: a cafezinho arrives in a cup small enough to make a third serving feel like restraint. A workshop or retreat is only as strong as its participants. Of course, the agenda, setting, and facilitator matter, but the people in the room ultimately decide whether the day becomes meaningful or simply a long day away from their inboxes. Earlier this week, the Board of Trustees of the Pan American School of Bahia (PASB) set aside its regular meeting format for a full-day retreat facilitated by Carolina Queiroz. The photograph we shared afterward shows ten smiling people standing in a row. It is a great picture, but it does not quite capture the day. The people in the photograph ...