Are you the A/V guy?

A couple weeks back, I attended a workshop in Palo Alto. The workshop was a great learning experience for us all, and the entire week was full of oodles of knowledge, game-changing ideas, practical insights and invaluable takeaways. As we were winding down the workshop post-lunch on the last day, we are all busy sharing gratitude with the facilitators and the support staff, and bidding goodbyes, I couldn't help but wonder that most of us hadn't acknowledged the guy in the back of the room. It wasn't as if any of us thought he added nothing much to the workshop experience and hence he was not worthy of our appreciation or gratitude, most likely we didn't even acknowledge his very presence in the room because he seemed like the unlikely “participant” in a room full of wise facilitators, veteran CEO guest speakers and the intellectual students (i.e. us!). He is someone who is present in all such conferences and workshops all over the world, and perhaps gets treated the same way every time. Yes, I am talking about the Audio/Video guy.

He was there all days of the week, reaching invariably before most of us making sure everything was neatly lined before the day started, and I am sure he left much after all of us had left for the day after making sure all those equipment and cables were neatly secured. He did not seem to do much during the day...except making sure that the A/V experience was simply awesome the whole day. And sadly, when someone does an awesome job where there are no crises, we don't seem to appreciate the hard work or even the presence of those who have worked so tirelessly behind the scene! After all, what did he do? He just did his job and didn't particularly add to the intellectual capital of the room! Right? So, it wasn't unusual that most of us, me included, didn't even register his presence through the week. Perhaps he was sitting alone just wondering when will these guys leave so he could start packing things up. Like most, I was also about to “ignore” him….however something in my introverted mind still guided me to take a moment to express my gratitude for his efforts and say hello. And am I glad I did that?

He was so happy to see someone come down to his desk, say hello, shake hands and share the appreciation for all his efforts...the loud grin on his face was definitely telling it all. But then...that wasn't all, for he had something more to share. We were just chit-chatting how lucky he must be to sit through so much of learning when he shared something that totally blew away my mind. Apparently he was doing the same usual stuff a couple weeks earlier in some other event where Bill Gates was a speaker, and after the event was over, Bill walked down all the way to where he was and spent a good twenty minutes chatting with him. Bill told him that he considers the A/V guys to be the smartest in the room because they have this great opportunity to learn and absorb from all the speakers. I could see from the look of his face that the experience was worth more than any paycheck he ever got – he is probably going to cherish it forever. He also told that among other things, thanks to all the sessions he has attended on crypto-currencies, he has made some nice fortune investing in them!

I complemented him on his good fortune (both literally and figuratively) and bade goodbye.

This small interaction got me thinking...we all get so many opportunists everyday to learn by just being a fly on the wall. However, most of us tend to dismiss them because they don't appear sexy enough to qualify as true or legitimate learning opportunities...perhaps we want an Ivy League distinguished faculty to come and teach us, but in reality, we are not only surrounded by them but actually drowning in such interesting opportunities to learn from! It’s not about who is teaching us, it’s all about what kind of a learner we are? If only we are willing to learn like the A/V guy…

Are you the A/V guy?