Interaction isn’t about who speaks best.

“I almost didn’t. But I’m so glad I did.

I was invited as a safety specialist on bird strikes.

These events are always attended by office staff.
The people who “represent” the organisation.

This time I did something different.

I invited a bird controller.
Someone who works with bird behaviour every day, out in the field.

The reaction? Hesitation.

“Is that allowed? Is that usual?”

It wasn’t. That’s exactly why it mattered.

She had never done anything like this before.
Presenting internationally. In English. To a room full of experts.

In at the deep end.

We prepared together. But when we stood in that room, I made a deliberate choice.

I didn’t correct her.
I didn’t steer her.
I didn’t polish her.

I let her own it.

The room opened. Questions were curious, not critical.
She brought real-world depth. I added context where needed.
We became complementary.

On the flight home she told me she could barely sleep.

Not from stress.
From processing everything she had experienced.

Growth does that.

Back at work, something shifted.

Not only “what did you learn?” but “why did you get to go?”

That quiet, corrosive thing, resentment dressed up as curiosity.

I told her exactly what to say:

“I was invited because of my expertise. I am proud of that.”

I supported her. And I watched her grow.

We say we value expertise.
But we rank it by role, not reality.

We say we want connection between strategy and execution.
But we rarely build the spaces where they actually meet.

What happened in Madrid was simple.

We closed the gap between knowing and doing.

The people closest to the operation carry expertise no report can capture.

Bring them into the room.

Interaction isn’t about who speaks best. It’s about who brings truth into the room.”