I used to work for Shannon Tipton. On Twitter I called her #BossLady. Although it was a brutal commute – over 50 miles each way – it was worth every hour spent on the Chicago roadways.

I wasn’t kidding about the commute, was I?

You’re probably wondering why I did it.

Shannon Tipton.

Shannon is the reason I did these Hell Drives.

She pushed me into being better than I ever thought I could be.

A couple of days ago, I blogged about some bad reviews I received for my facilitation skills, or lack thereof according to two people. I learned I’m not as perfect as I thought!

And this is where the brilliance of Shannon Tipton shines brightest.

Her response to me encourages and urges. She has full belief that everyone can always be better. Don’t take my word for it, read hers:

This is a great and brave reflective exercise! It’s hard to accept that we aren’t perfect. How dare the people tell us we aren’t wearing any clothes? Getting feedback is key, getting constructive feedback even better. Might I suggest you record the next webinar and listen back, not just to your voice/tone etc. but to the responses (or lack thereof) of the participants. Did you just tell a joke that you thought fit, but after listening back all you’re hearing is awkward silence? This is why video taping presentations is so valuable. But this kind of exercise is good for all things, like having a member of your #PLN read your posts before they go out… *wink*

And that is the essence of Shannon. I miss working for her, and I wonder what we could have accomplished. She’ll tell you that I abandoned her. It wasn’t her; I had to leave Chicago winters!

But thanks to Social Media, she’s always around to push me to be better than I ever thought I could be.