Don't lose the passion for your passion.

Do you ever start to feel stagnant in your professional pursuits? Losing momentum on something that was once a driving force in your career? It happens. We get so busy DOING our work, that we forget to feed our growth and development. Such was the case for me before last week.

I have been passionate about the WIAL (www.wial.org) method of action learning since being introduced to it during my masters program at George Washington University (www.gwu.edu).  So much so, that I sought out certification as an action learning coach. I was subsequently appointed to the Executive Board of the World Institute for Action Learning, teaming with action learning professionals around the world to promote the practice of this powerful change agent, leadership development tool, and team building methodology. But, I lost momentum along the way. Over the past year, I've had little contact with my colleagues and at one point wondered if maintaining my certification made sense.

This past week, WIAL-USA sponsored the 10th Annual World Institute for Action Learning conference in Washington, D.C. I almost opted not to attend. But in the end, decided to attend. And what a wonderful decision it was! Not only did I reconnect with action learning colleagues from across the globe; from Singapore, Thailand, England and China, but I reconnected with the art of action learning itself. I was reminded by Rich Walsh from the Center for Creative Leadership of the power of action learning as an organizational change agent. Cliff Kaysar, from Polarity Partnerships, shared his insight on how Polarity Thinking and Action Learning combine to make a powerful tool, A panel of senior government professionals attested to the power of action learning in their studies at American University and how it has made a difference in their work.

Yes, it was a powerful reminder of the impact action learning can have on individuals, teams and organizations. It reminded me of why I became passionate about action learning years ago and the seemingly magical impact it can have. I came away from the conference ready to bring action learning to the forefront of my work. Curious now? Is your organization struggling with the same old recurring problem? Want to impact a culture change that sticks? Having team performance issues, or problems with employee engagement?  Learn more about how action learning can have an impact on you, your team, your organization. I'll be happy to bring a free presentation and demonstration to your organization.  Contact me at andrea@colecoach.com.