I had a group of leaders at the recent Ferocious Warmth Women in Education Leaders Day as what I call the top-shelf learning level – as co-creators. 

Through storytelling, curiosity, sharing, partner coaching and the wisdom of their lived experience, this group of phenomenal women contributed to make the day so much richer because of how they showed up.

Taking the frames and concepts of Ferocious Warmth, each person applied the lenses to their own unique personal and professional contexts, and together we co-created a deeper exploration in the room. 

As collective learning is a keystone skill in any professional culture, how do the people in your culture show up?

Here are some that I encounter:

Co-creators
Lean in with both head and heart. They build on ideas, share their own stories, ask generous questions and help shape the learning in real time. They take responsibility for the energy of the room.

Contributors
Engaged and thoughtful. They participate, reflect, offer insights when invited and apply learning to their context. They add value — even if they’re quieter about it.

Consumers
Attentive but transactional. They are there to “get something”. They listen and take notes, but the learning stays largely individual rather than collective. ‘I’ve done that PL’ rather than ‘How does that apply to what we are doing on the ground in our context?’

Cynics
They scan for what won’t work. Their past experiences speak loudly. Safety may be low. Trust may be thin. Purpose is often missing for them.

Critics
Evaluate from the sidelines. They look for flaws, inconsistencies or what’s missing. Sometimes this comes from expertise that is closed to growth. Sometimes from defensiveness. Without connection, it can drain the room.

None of these is a fixed identity.

They are choices. They also reflect the quality of the learning culture set up in the room. If you are a facilitator of learning in your school, how do you also show up and create the environment so that those in the room can step up the learning ladder?

And culture, in teams, organisations and systems, is shaped by which posture becomes the norm.

Those in the leadership session last week chose co-creation. And the learning soared and deepened.

So I’m curious…

How do you show up to professional learning? How do you create a learning environment that supports others to show up?