This week I have spent a lot of time on trains. Monday: Cardiff – Sheffield. Tuesday: Sheffield – Edinburgh. Wednesday: Edinburgh. Thursday: Edinburgh – Glasgow. Friday: Glasgow – Cardiff.
It’s been a joy to connect with colleagues and friends around the edges of a rewarding work trip and I made extra time to see more and connect with some of my favourite people who I haven’t seen in person for a long time. Work travel, when it’s not a weekly chore, turns out to be a lot more enjoyable when you can combine these different elements into one trip.
I used to travel a lot and was very used to working on the train, and this week reminded me of all the skills I don’t practice as frequently these days. Typing on my lap, tuning out the busy train, and getting things done before arriving at my destination for the day (although I must admit I am getting distracted as I am typing this, as outside the sun has come out momentarily and the beautiful and dramatic landscape of the Lake District is passing by my train window). It was good to be able to keep in touch with my work at Reclaim and complete some assessments whilst on the road.
Like the travel, in person meetings and facilitation was a really rewarding experience. It was a welcome contrast to much of my work online to connect, coach and communicate in person. The venues for work this week couldn’t have been more different: I visited the Edinburgh Futures Institute, and enjoyed use of a quiet study space to catch up on emails. It’s all tall ceilings, beautiful materials and unexpected views. It’s a lovely juxtaposition to the historic elements of the building and although it cost A LOT to build, it is clearly loved by the buzzing student population that has made a home here.
My main work day, a day of leadership coaching and facilitation, took place in the spectacular St Leonard’s Hall, situation just at the foot of Arthur’s Seat. I always relish the opportunity to facilitate strategy or away days and designing these is a lot of fun, as well as challenging. Working with the team here combines my interest in coaching and educational technology, so it is one of my favourite engagements of the year already.
Thank you to Melissa Highton and her team for having me back again 🙂
It was lucky indeed that many of my former colleagues from my ALT days found time for a coffee or even dinner, and it was fabulous to see my long-time co-blogger Martin Hawksey and Simon Horrocks complete with the rather famous Bailey (he is even cuter in “pawson”) in Edinburgh, as well as Joe Wilson, Sheila MacNeill and Lorna Campbell in Glasgow.
It’s invigorating and feels important to swap tales of what it’s like to work in education and technology in 2026, and have a chance to talk about all the things that Zoom meetings just don’t seem to be suited for.
My trip began with a long-overdue visit to my first mentor, Margaret Bennett, with whom I worked for many years when I first became a CEO. We met in a cafe in Sheffield, in exactly the same spot as we first met in 2012. Margaret has been an enormous inspiration to me throughout my career, and her incredible support for me as a leader has certainly had a lot to do with me stepping into coaching and mentoring EdTech leaders and leadership teams on a professional basis.
Ending January on a high inspired by such varied professional and social interaction has encouraged me to plan more such trips for the coming year, and reminded me powerfully just how much I sometimes miss the energy of in person interaction. More blogging to come on that topic in the coming months, I am sure.
I hope your January has had some bright spots, too.