Duffie Boats, Dives, and a Mining Town: Workplace Insights from an Arizona Adventure

A boat ride, a networking meet-up, a conversation with a stranger, and a ghost tour through a historic mining town may not all sound like obvious places for workplace insights, but that is the thing about learning: it rarely happens only in formal settings.

Some of our most meaningful insights and reflections come through experiences, conversations, and the people we encounter along the way. During a recent trip to Arizona to celebrate a milestone birthday, I found myself reflecting on a question I spend a great deal of time helping organizations answer:

What helps people thrive?

The answer is often more human than we realize. We talk about organizational success through the lens of strategy, technology, performance, and processes. Those things matter. But underneath every successful organization are the same foundational elements that help individuals grow connection, trust, learning, purpose, and the ability to see how we contribute to something bigger than ourselves.

People are at the center of every organization. When organizations prioritize the humanness of work, everything else becomes stronger.

Here are a few lessons I learned during my birthday week in Arizona.

Connection Is More Than Networking

One of the highlights of my time in Arizona was attending two networking events, including the opportunity to spend time with the fabulous Linda Michaels, Founder of AZ HR Hub. Linda has an inspiring story of building a successful business, surrounded by a talented team that provides much-needed guidance and support to organizations in Arizona and across the country.

As someone who has spent my career building relationships across human resources, workforce development, education, and business communities, I continue to believe the most valuable part of networking is not the exchange of business cards or LinkedIn connections. It is the exchange of ideas. It is the willingness to share experiences, offer perspective, and learn from people who are on paths we are traveling toward ourselves.

The strongest professional relationships are not built through transactions. They are built through curiosity, consistency, and genuine interest in one another’s journeys.

The same is true within organizations. A connected workplace is not created through a single initiative or a values statement framed on a wall. It is built through everyday interactions where people feel seen, respected, and valued. It is created when managers take the time to understand their teams, when colleagues collaborate, and when those in leadership roles recognize that relationships are not separate from performance. They are part of it.

Learning Happens Everywhere

One of my favorite conversations from the trip happened in a place where I least expected it to be.

While enjoying a cocktail at one of my favorite local dives, I met a recent Arizona State University MBA graduate and his father. What started as casual conversation quickly turned into a thoughtful discussion about careers, education, and the different paths people take to build meaningful futures.

By the end of the conversation, I had gained a new LinkedIn connection. More importantly, I gained a new perspective. It was a reminder that learning opportunities do not always arrive through a scheduled meeting, a conference session, or a formal training program.

Adults learn through experiences, reflection, relevance, and connection. This is one of the reasons adult learning strategies are so powerful in the workplace. Learning is not simply something delivered to people. It happens when individuals can connect new ideas to their own experiences and see how that learning applies to real situations.

Leadership Requires Navigation

Another memorable moment from the trip happened on the morning of my birthday.

A good friend and colleague traveled from North Carolina to Arizona to spend a few days celebrating with me. Before the Arizona heat fully settled in for the day, we headed out onto Tempe Town Lake where I had the opportunity to captain my own ship (aka: a Duffie boat).

There was something symbolic about that experience. Stepping into leadership, whether it is a leading role within an organization or captaining the ship of our own career, is often less about having a perfectly smooth ride and more about knowing how to navigate the waves, adjust when the winds shift (thank goodness there was a breeze), and determine how close is too close to the shore.

Careers evolve. Organizations change. Priorities shift. Unexpected challenges appear. Navigating those moments requires adaptability, self-awareness, and the ability to recognize that no one successfully moves forward alone.

In my book, Leave It at the Door?, I talk about the importance of building a Crowd Surf Tribe: the people who encourage us, challenge us, support us, and help us move forward.

Organizations need their own version of a Crowd Surf Tribe. They need managers who develop people instead of simply managing tasks. They need colleagues who share knowledge and support one another. They need those in leadership roles who create environments where people feel comfortable bringing ideas beyond the status quo, asking questions, and continuing to grow.

Workplace Experiences Mined in History

The connection between people and work showed up again as my trip started to wind down during a weekend visit to Jerome, Arizona, where I spent time with another wonderful, longtime friend who helped me celebrate birthday week.

Jerome is a historic mining town with a rich and complex past. During a ghost tour through the town, I listened to stories about the copper miners who flocked to the area in the early twentieth century.

As I heard stories about working conditions, labor challenges, and the realities of employment during that time, I found myself thinking about the evolution of the workplace.

Many of the employment laws, workplace protections, and people practices we rely on today were shaped by lessons learned through difficult circumstances. Progress in the workplace has always required reflection, adaptation, and a willingness to improve the experience of work.

That evolution continues today. Technology changes. Skills change. Generations entering the workforce change. Expectations around work continue to change.

But the importance of people does not.

Growth Happens Through Connection

As I reflected on the experiences, conversations, and connections from my time in Arizona, I realized the biggest lessons were not really about the destination.

They were about the people. The friend who travels across the country to celebrate a milestone birthday. The professional who offers advice and opens a door to a new community. The stranger who shares a conversation that creates a new perspective. The stories from history that remind us why workplace practices matter.

Growth happens through connection. Whether we are developing careers, building organizations, managing teams, or navigating our own personal journeys, we are shaped by the people and experiences we allow into our lives. The best organizations understand this. They know that success is not built by processes alone. It is built by people who are engaged, supported, challenged, and connected to something meaningful. Because at the end of the day, no one builds anything meaningful or thrives alone.

“You made it, but not without your Crowd Surf Tribe.”

~Terri Cummings, Leave It at the Door?