Who Do You Listen To?
Written by Laurie Flaherty, 911der Woman Board Member
Ask any busy person, and they’ll tell you that time is their most precious commodity. No matter how much time they have, it’s not enough. I’ve been thinking about that a lot during this year’s annual season of 911 conferences. When you attend 911 conferences, how do you decide how to spend your precious time? And who do you decide to listen to?
When I think back on the 911 portion of my career, the answer to that question evolved over time. At first, I had so much to learn! I was eager to attend sessions where I could listen to people who I perceived as 911 experts – as many as I could fit into my schedule. Over time, I became much more selective about what I attended, and spent more time in the hallways; networking with 911 professionals I came to know and trust. That’s what I decided to do with my time – and who to listen to.
These days, I ask myself a lot of questions before committing my precious time to listening to someone in particular. Questions like:
What’s this person’s frame of reference? What kind of experience does this person really have? Is most of their experience limited to one geographic area?
Has this person stayed in one position for any length of time? Or have they moved from one job to another every 2-3 years?
If they’re talking about a national issue, do they have any relevant national experience? What exactly? One term on a national advisory body? Or a demonstrated commitment over time? What kind of experience and tenure do they have with any federal agencies or national groups (e.g., NASNA, iCERT, NENA or APCO)?
Does their work history actually reflect any experience in the topic they’re presenting?
What’s their focus? Sharing the expertise of others? Self promotion? How many times do they use the word “I” or refer to themselves in posts on social media? Are their posted photos mostly “selfies”?
Don’t get me wrong – I believe it when I say that when 911der women find their voice, they find their power. And I believe in what 911der Women is doing to share the experience and expertise of women in 911. I think that everyone (well..OK..almost everyone) has something valuable to share. And I know that some social media apps are platforms designed specifically for self promotion. But I also use those apps to find the answers to my questions before I decide to invest my precious time in listening to anyone. There’s a lot of blogs and webinars and workshops and podcasts and meetings and conferences out there. Our time is limited and precious. SO – who do you listen to?
Thank you, Laurie for sharing your experience with us. If you are interested in writing a blog, please email amanda@911derwomen.com. Sign up for our newsletter on our homepage to stay up to date with 911der Women programming, exclusive content and blog updates. Click here and scroll to the bottom.
Thank you to Prepared for supporting Her Voice: The 911der Women Blog Spot.