Thursday, September 13, 2012

So Soon? R2 Comes to an End: Telluride, Day 4

The previous few days of crystal blue skies and pleasant temperatures were replaced by hillsides snuggled by low clouds and and the smell of fresh rain on Tuesday morning.


But I am not complaining! It was just as beautiful as it had been the day before. Riding the shuttle and chatting with a local woman and her two bundled up boys, I was feeling good about what the day would bring. It was hard to believe this adventure was almost over...I certainly wanted to squeeze every bit of what I could out of it. So a clouded sky heavy with valuable moisture was a completely appropriate setting.

The day started off with us getting back together with our respective "Experience" groups, which meant sitting together again with my UpROARious team. We were tasked with creating a company and built it with core values, developed a company motto, discussed a creative hiring process, marketing strategy and come up with a marketing tagline.This is what we presented to the rest of the Culture group:


We also heard Donavan Roberson speak about the culture and how you could develop it in your organization. Funny, Donavan also participated in the Culture Experience and somewhat overcame his fear of snakes... ish. If you have never heard about him, look him up. His story is amazing.

Alas, this was the last time UpROARious would be together as a team. I can't believe how much I loved these people! We sat around and chatted about our adventure the previous day and what parts of our bodies hurt the most and who was the rock star and who wanted to do it again...and we LAAAAAUGHED. So fun. I hope someday we will meet again. It is hard to get away from the fact that we shared something so profound. And maybe I am just making a bigger deal of it than it really was...but at least that is how I feel.

The second part of the day was a IdeaJam with Tamara Kleinberg, "Chief Imaginator" of Imaginibbles. She was amazing. Her session was filled with a flash mob (awesome!) and several hands on activities that got you out of your seats to meet, brainstorm, and collaborate with complete strangers. We joined together to develop new and innovative libraries, out of the box services, and build weird little tennis ball holder thingies, like this one:

It was a blast.

(SIDE NOTE: Tamara was sneaky, because she was actually in my UpROARious team and I did not even know she was "the" Tamara who was speaking at the conference until after our adventure. I can attest to her down to earth quality and her genuine friendliness. She is one of the nicest and funniest ladies I have ever met. I had a blast hanging out with her.)

The day ended with a Happy Hour. Everyone was buzzing with excitement and new ideas, busily chatting to anyone who was close enough to listen. It was a really exciting way to finish up the conference. And even though I was exhausted and ready to head home, I was equally excited to get back to work to share what I had learn with others. I am bubbling over with information and ideas that I want to initiate, cultivate...MOTIVATE. 

Stay tuned.... 


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