Keynote - Arianna Huffington

It's already been a busy morning with the President's Breakfast and the keynote address. The President's Breakfast is really the NAIS Annual Meeting, but lukewarm eggs, three slices of bacon, and some pastries were included in the program. Pat Bassett gave a "state of the independent school world" talk that included lots of interesting stuff. I assume his PowerPoint slides will be available on the NAIS website. If I find the link, I'll include it later. The highlights included an acronym that he borrowed from the military, but one that is certainly apt for the realities facing most of our schools today. VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. In the end, Pat also shared another, more hopeful version - vision, understanding, courage, and agility - to inspire us going forward. I thought it worked.

Our keynote speaker was preceded by some hokey, yet effective, use of the conference theme - Adapt, Survive, Thrive: Unleashing the Superpowers Within - to set the tone for the next couple of days and for our work in our schools. Pat's talk here included the use of an animated character - Captain Independent, the head of Super Prep Academy - with whom he carried on a "conversation" about  schools and leadership. I told you it was hokey. Nevertheless, together they set a positive tone for the conference. By the way, there will be more than 4000 participants at the conference of the next couple of days! I believe that is the largest attendance ever.

Our keynote speaker was Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and author of On Becoming Fearless. She is also an independent school parent and board member at The Archer School for Girls in LA. But if you're a watcher of the Sunday morning round-table shows, The Daily Show, or Colbert Report, you may know her, as I do, for her iconic voice, as much for her ideas. Ms. Huffington didn't disappoint. Her message was delivered effectively, with just the right balance of substance and humor. The main thrust of the talk was the importance of engagement, empathy, and enthusiasm to effective leadership. Using her own story of a recent fainting spell that resulted from being overtired and overstressed, she told us, "our capacity to deal with problems is entirely dependent on how well we take care of ourselves," echoing a point Rob Evans makes in his book (referenced in an earlier post). In short, I thought Arianna Huffington was topical and entertaining - an almost perfect combination. And that instantly recognizable voice didn't disappoint either.