Showcase Spaces | Community Connections with Ryan

By Ryan Gray

So I’m going to start with a confession.  I’ve been meeting with a counselor for a few months now… and I’m willing to give it my full endorsement.  It may take a few tries to find the right person, but if you do, it can make a huge difference.  And… it doesn’t mean that something is wrong, it just means you’re interested in becoming a better version of your self.  I am interested in that and getting help doing it has been amazing.

One of the exercises I’m working through with my counselor is the development of 12 personal qualities that I want to exhibit.  These are things that I think are important and that I want to prioritize in my decision making.  This is an ongoing process, I’m working through revisions, but one that has been there from the beginning is that I choose to be celebratory.

I want to celebrate others

My current statement is: “I will seek to acknowledge and amplify the accomplishments of others.  I will go out of my way to find reasons to provide positive feedback.  I will use attention given to me to create opportunities to shine attention on others.” It’s a work in progress.

Building Showcase Spaces

I bring it up because the theme this month is “Showcase Spaces”.  We can all talk about physical spaces we’ve built as showcase pieces in terms of technology.  But I’ll bet we can all also think of spaces we’ve made to showcase the amazing people around us.  So for July’s entry into the Community Connections column I’d like to ask us each to consider how we build “spaces” to showcase the accomplishments of those around us?

I’ve been the beneficiary of so many people who have celebrated me, and what I’ve been able to do in my career. Institutions like HETMA, built by Joe Way and BC Hatchett create a space to recognize and celebrate people and accomplishments in my profession. 

This year's inaugural Higher Ed AV Awards created a huge showcase to celebrate the people, projects and products that made a difference in our vertical.

At my institution we have several levels of programs to recognize the work of colleagues and celebrate accomplishments.  I’m proud of the members of my IT team that have been honored with the Roughrider Salute and Roughrider High Five awards. I also remember how proud I was to hear what I wrote on behalf of a colleague in Facilities be read when he was awarded Employee of the Year.  

How can we build more?

So the call it action is this, how can we all go out of our way to celebrate others?  How can we create spaces to showcase the accomplishments of those around us?

And, doesn’t that showcase our own good works better than we could showcase them for ourselves?

Higher Ed AV Media has been acquired by HETMA, that may seem like just inside baseball but the role of this website as the voice of the Higher Ed vertical in the AV industry has been clarified. Every month you'll see articles and podcasts that seek to celebrate the people and the work of our community. This is also the mission of my podcast, The AV/IT Amplifier. As the opening says "each week we'll feature voices and ideas that need to be amplified".

Do you have something to share, something to brag about, something to say, this is a place you can do it. Want to write an article?  Share a case study? Start a column?  Start a podcast?  Now is the time to do it.  I can help you… I did it and I love doing it.

At our institutions, at our companies, in our communities, in our families, wherever we are, let's create showcase spaces.  Let's go out of our way to shine a light on the good works of our colleges, friends and neighbors.  I am at my best when I’m quick to recognize the greatness around me.  I choose to work towards making celebrating others a quality that I live by.