I had a half-dozen topics picked out to blog on during my flight to NYC today.  Relevant items on the recent planning processes for next year, our three year goal, the year end panic by students compared to shoppers, the release of a good friend who was a Principal in a very tough school, etc etc etc.  But after leaving my house at 11:00 this morning following a snow storm, sitting a collective 4 hours in a plane on a tarmac, being in Chicago now at 11:00pm when I was to go through Philly on my way to NYC and enjoy a nice dinner with Author Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, and attend the Association of Educational Publishers meeting Monday, I decided to go with a different topic and to point out a positive.

This year Solution Tree has booked close to 3,500 days of professional development speaking engagements either in schools or at our events.  3,500!!!  Probably the most agnostic PD contracted by anyone in the country or the world.  And as I sit here in O’Hare whimpering about my woes, I began thinking about travel and those numbers. I do not believe we have missed more than 4 days all year long due to weather or sickness.

Now that is a WOW!!!!!

Remember, we market it, book it, schedule delivery, produce handouts, send out evaluations, do significant quality control, and our communication with both customers (host and speaker) are the best in the business. But we don’t drive our presenters to the airports.  We don’t offer limo service.  We don’t do wake-up calls or remind them to leave early for the school or the airport.  We tee it up, but they do the hard work.

Let me repeat myself…my kids hate that part..3,500 days and less than four days missed!  That is only a .001% failure rate.  That gets you into any Hall Of Fame.

These experts are committed to helping districts, schools, teachers and kids succeed.  They leave family and friends on a regular basis to travel to some not so pleasant places. They sleep in airports and ratty hotels. They prepare, and most important to remember, they are professionals. The best in the business.  They CARE.

I may have said it before but let me please repeat myself, travel is not glamorous. Travel the third time is not fun. Let’s be blunt shall we…travel sucks, but travel is a huge part of the work for these authors and consultants, who chose this profession to make a difference…and that is why THEY do it!