In my message last month, I used the word "recover".  I believe I said that I hadn't fully recovered from a very emotional and impactful Leadership Convention.  Usually that word isn't predominant in my vocabulary, nor yours, I expect.  Maybe I use it occasionally when speaking about a friend who's had surgery, or if I refer to money stolen from a business I oversee.  In the last few weeks, I've used the term thousands of times.  More times than I ever want to again.

Recover is defined as returning to a normal state of health, mind or strength.  It also means to find or regain something lost.  As I sift through the stories of homes and schools damaged beyond simple repair, as I hear of friends and family who still have no power or air conditioning, as I see pictures of devastating loss in the Keys and Puerto Rico, I realize that recovery has a different path and speed for so many.  Those who had minimal visible damage may be suffering from unseen mental stress.  Recovery means something different to each of us.  There are times that trying to wrap my head around how and where I can help the most is overwhelming and almost inconceivable. I have found myself frustrated that the momentum we had following convention, the plans we had to do amazing grassroot community work, all of that seemed to have been replaced by the need to just recover.  All of us had plans, programs, projects, trainings, meetings, etc. that had to be cancelled or rescheduled.  Does this mean that our mission is cancelled?  Does this mean that our grassroots work is now on the backburner?  Absolutely not!

What I now see is that our communities ARE working together.  I see that our boundaries have been blown away, like the walls that separated so many of us.  I see that regardless of which neighborhood we live in, we are reaching out to those in need and offering to help however we can.  I see that we have not been derailed from our mission, but that we are finding opportunities to live out that mission.  We will not only return to our normal state of mind and strength, but we will be stronger than we ever imagined.  We will not only regain something lost, but we will discover new relationships, new opportunities and gain a new momentum.

Warriors never run from a fight.  It's what we are born to do.

The revolution continues.............

Cindy Gerhardt President [email protected]

This month was going to be a completely different topic, but considering recent events I was compelled to share something different.  The devastation Hurricane Irma brought to our state still seems unreal.  As we are still recovering we are reminded of how strong our communities are.  We saw them come together in times of need and when we didn't think we could handle anymore, we did.  This reminds me of our PTA Family.  We are Florida Strong and will always be there for each other.  Please know we are here for you just like you are there for your schools and communities.  Throughout the recovery process there will be good times and bad, just like everyday life.  It could seem like a step forward feels like two steps backwards.  Remember, we are resilient and have warrior strength.  Support does not always come in the monetary form, support can be an ear or a helping hand.  Please reach out to us for support, we are here and ready. Please share your stories as you help your communities get back to their normalcy with us. Together we will persevere!   #FloridaStrong

This month's Leadership topic will be " Leaders can't stand alone."

Leaders can't stand alone.  "The out-and-out leader in today's volatile and uncertain business environment had better not distance him or herself from the heat of the action. Demonstrating the competence to assess, decide and execute in a growing business drives confidence in the leader. Similarly, a great leader of an enterprise stands on the shoulders not of 'managerial Muppets' who obediently do as they are directed, but of other leadership giants who have different and complementary leadership skills. A business with only one leader will remain forever a small business." - Richard Hytner, deputy chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide and author of "Consiglieri: Leading from the Shadows" (Profile Books, 2014)

Learning and growing,

Jen Martinez

VP of Leadership