Everything is a learning experience

Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter, which will be a fun romp through the various rabbit holes I go down. Basically, this is going to be an ongoing ADHD-riddled, post-hyperfocus infodump on things I think are interesting and that everyone around me must know.

If you hate this...blame my dad.

When I was a kid, weekends with my dad were always an adventure. A college professor who taught Latin, Greek, philosophy, and comparative religions, he believed that knowledge was everywhere, woven into stories, experiences, and even the smallest moments of everyday life.

Before each adventure, he would lay out the plan, and without fail, my sister and I would ask, “Does it have to be a learning experience?” The answer was always the same: “Yes. Everything is a learning experience.” There were groans. We weren’t happy about it... at the time. But as I get older, I realize how grateful I am for it.  

It taught me that lessons don’t just live in classrooms or training manuals. They’re everywhere. In the messy, painful stuff. In the joyful surprises. Even in the awkward, unexpected moments.

Which brings me to my current learning experience...

My company is a teenager!

Trillium turned 13 years old this week. And like any 13-year-old, the awkward growth spurts are real. When kids hit 13, they do things like grow three inches overnight, trip over their own feet, start to create some unique smells, and oh, the drama. Companies aren’t much different.

At 13, Trillium has stretched and stumbled, taken risks and failed, tried new things and succeeded. As the founder, I have learned so much. I was so risk-averse when we started, but now I am not burdened with that anymore...for better or worse, I am not sure. Growth hasn’t always been graceful (or linear), but it has always been a learning experience.

So here are some do's and don'ts that I learned from my company's preteen years:

1. Don't hide from the failures. The single best thing I think I have done as the owner of the company is make it ok to make mistakes. Failure is the best teacher and if we stigmatize failure, then we cut ourselves and our teams off from that learning opportunity.
2. Don't give up on people. In 13 years as a people manager, I’ve seen it all. The good, the messy, and the downright baffling. It’s true what they say: no one will ever care about your company as much as you do. And yes, I’ve been taken advantage of more times than I’d like to admit. But here’s the thing...I’ll take that risk every time because this company is its people. If one person misuses a benefit but someone else thrives because of it, that’s still a net win in my mind. I’d rather lead with trust and generosity than fear and control.
3. Do touch grass, for crying out loud. Running a business is important work, but it’s not open-heart surgery. I always remind my team that we are saving files, not lives. Stress and pressure are inevitable, but we get to decide how we let it impact us. No email or deadline is worth losing our sanity or health over.
4. Do be (do be doooo) silly. I’ve learned that silliness is often the secret ingredient to connection, creativity, and resilience. Whether it’s a bad pun in a meeting, a goofy metaphor in a workshop, or just giving people permission to bring their quirks to the Teams meeting, a little silliness goes a long way (see Exhibit A).

And now...Gratitude

At 13 years (and counting), I am grateful. Grateful for the chance to work with such a wide variety of companies and an even wider variety of people. Grateful for every person who has been part of Trillium’s past, present, and future. Grateful that I get to do meaningful work that helps people. In the world we live in right now, nothing is guaranteed, but I am proud of what we’ve built, and optimistic about where we’re going.

**Shameless plug for new projects**

I want Trillium to be around for another 13 years (and then some). That means I want to keep partnering with organizations that believe, like we do, that everything is a learning experience. If that’s you, let’s talk! We especially love working with organizations that are navigating change with courage and creativity. We have bandwidth, and we love to come up with creative solutions that support learning and change.

What to expect in my next issue

Rabbit holes galore...

• How to make role plays more LARPy
• Neato AI agents I am creating because I am lazy (aka efficient), and I want the machines to do all the work
• Case studies from our latest client adventures
• And so much more

So, subscribe. All the weirdos are doing it.

Picking up the lessons the universe keeps throwing at me.

~Tory

Visit us at trilliumcs.com | Book time with us at trillium.solutions/calendar