This week felt like a whirlwind. Stepping into the days after a winter holiday break, my time was filled with important things – observations, professional learning days, community events, and the countless day-to-day interactions that bring both celebrations and some challenges. On top of that, my family obligations had me racing from one place to another, watching my kids play sports and juggling responsibilities.

Have you ever moved through your days so quickly, jumping from one thing to the next that you barely process what just happened until it’s over? Suddenly, you find yourself somewhere else, wondering how you got there. There are always important things to do, and you try your very best to be fully present in them.

By the time Friday arrived, I knew I had even more important things ahead, an opportunity to collaborate on curriculum with a dedicated group of teachers and administrators. But honestly, I wasn’t sure how I’d ground myself in the work. I felt tired, a bit drained from the week, and struggling to shift my focus.

Then I reminded myself of something Mel Robbins once said:

“There are people who think about what they want to do, and others take action.”

I knew I wanted to be in the second group. So, I did what I knew would help. I made my second cup of coffee (since my first is always on the way in), gathered a few resources I might use throughout the day, and had a quick conversation with a good friend about the week. As we waited to step into the professional learning space, I took a moment to pause.

And then I thought about something I wrote in my book The Leader Inside:

“Regardless of our roles, we must show up and realize that perfection is unattainable. It’s our imperfections that shape us as leaders.”

I didn’t need to have everything perfectly figured out. I just needed to show up for the teachers, for the work, and for myself. Despite the rush of the week, I knew this…being here, engaging in this work was one of the important things.

As we step into our work, how can we stay grounded in the important things that truly matter?

At the end of the day, three important things stood out to me after collaborating with teachers and administrators in a shared space.

1. Proximity Matters

When I entered the room, I made a decision to sit with colleagues I don’t usually get to see. I wanted to get to know them, and being closer allowed us to share personal stories, laugh a little more, ask one another questions, and learn something new about each other. In just a short time, we found ourselves talking about how we got our first teaching jobs, sharing stories about our children, and reflecting on both the celebrations and challenges of the week.

And what happened as a result? The work became more meaningful because we became more human to each other. As Karen Eber writes in The Perfect Story, “Stories can establish leaders in unexpected places.”

2. Listening and Learning

That proximity also allowed me to lean into conversations with teachers and truly listen to their experiences on the front lines. Since I’m not the one living inside those spaces, I made sure to ground myself in their voices because they are the ones closest to the work.

I listened as teachers shared what was helping them the most—having materials across the curriculum in one space, accessing meaningful resources, and finding ways to streamline the work. These important things might seem small, but they have a major impact on teaching and learning.

3. Relationships Matter

Because we took the time to connect at the start of the day, the conversations throughout the work session felt more natural. Teachers felt comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and engaging in the process together.

At one point, I heard:

“Hey Lauren, what do you think about organizing the scope and sequence like this?”

“What do you think about shifting the language in this document to make it more accessible to our kids?”

The work became more collaborative because the relationships were there.

Moving Forward

At the beginning of the session, the facilitator asked what we hoped to get out of the day. Looking back, while many of my colleagues focused on the actual work like creating interdisciplinary learning experiences for kids (all important things). Since I shared near the end, I added on to the those important things and realized that my answer reflected the three key ideas.

“I hope that today we can continue to collaborate, connect, and create professional learning communities that keep kids at the center in this ever-evolving world of education. We need each other to continue to adapt and meet kids where they are.”

As Mel Robbins reminds us, “How you move through life is an example to other people.” The way we show up, engage, and work together sets the tone for the learning communities we build. Success isn’t just about individual effort, it’s about collective growth, as Shawn Achor captures in Big Potential:

“In other words, success is not just about how creative or smart or driven you are, but how well you were able to connect with, contribute to, and benefit from the ecosystem of people around you.”

At the start of the week, I felt overwhelmed by all the important things on my plate. But by the end of it, I realized that what truly mattered wasn’t just the tasks themselves, it was the people, the conversations, and the connections that made the work meaningful.

Because when we take the time to be present, to listen, and to build relationships, we don’t just do important things…

We create them.