2019 ISPA CONFERENCE & EXPO
Wednesday General Seion
THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE:
Learning to Evolve Quietly with Susan Cain
every person is unique. every voice has its own story to tell, and hearing that
story—or having one’s story be heard—is empowering.
“Every so often,
take those things
out and share them.
The world needs
you, and it needs
the things you carry.”
— SUSAN CAIN
dIgItal Pulse exClusIve!
click this box in the digital
issue to view WIlliams'
acceptance speech.
T
hat was the theme of the
opening General Session of
the 2019 iSPa conference &
expo, which formally kicked
off the three-day event on the morning
of September 11. after a moment of
silence in honor of lives affected by
tragedies worldwide, human nature
emphasized the strength of love and
friendship with a set that included
performances of “Stand by me” and
“reach out (i’ll Be there).”
With a strong air of excitement in
the room, iSPa chairman Garrett
mersberger took the stage to deliver
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PULSE
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novEmbEr/dEcEmbEr 2019
the iSPa chairman’s annual opening
address. mersberger emphasized the
theme of the 2019 iSPa conference &
expo—“eVoLVe”—and highlighted the
many ways in which iSPa members
can get more involved. “this is your
organization. it’s for you, by you,”
mersberger said.
next, mersberger presented this
year’s iSPa Dedicated contributor
award to iSPa educator Bryan
Williams. “iSPa embraced me from my
very first conference” in 2006, said
Williams in his acceptance remarks. he
thanked his family, as well as an early
career mentor, and stressed the impor-
tance of personal and professional
accountability. “We all need to be
challenged,” asserted Williams. “Lift
me higher. insist on excellence.”
Re-Evaluate Your Expectations
So: how does one insist on excellence?
how does one make every member of
their team a contributor? You
empower them to speak up and listen
when they do. With extroverts, this is
easy, but it can be a challenge with
introverts.
that’s where Susan cain comes