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Six pens. That’s what I had left when I packed up my booth at the end of Cannexus this year.
Cannexus has become a yearly tradition for me; this year marked my 17th time connecting with colleagues from across the country and celebrating all things career development. Most of those years I’ve been behind a booth for CLSR Inc. in the exhibitor showcase, so I’ve learned a lot about setup, staffing and most importantly, swag.
In all my years of doing this, I never expected to give away more than a hundred handmade pens, especially ones that weren’t branded, weren’t ordered in bulk and weren’t even my idea. That unexpected count of six pens is what reminded me how creativity, when given space and ownership, can build confidence—and why that matters in career development.
A few days before I left, my daughter told me she was making something for my booth: a bunch of funky pens, because “everyone loves a fun pen,” she said, with a confidence I couldn’t argue with. At the time, I wasn’t so sure and started running through a mental list of people I knew would appreciate one… or four.
When I talk about my daughter, it’s always through the lens of a proud father. I start with her strengths. Tiff is deeply caring, wildly creative and legitimately one of the funniest people I know. She has an incredible sense for people and a natural way with animals. Tiff is 23 and joined our family not long after turning nine. She’s faced challenges since day one, but they don’t define her. Creativity is one of the ways she connects with the world and people around her. When she makes something, I think beyond the physical objects she creates and consider the impacts that might result for her, between us and for others.
Tiff’s project was fully her own. She chose the colours, designs and quantity she wanted to make. She did it on her own timeline, set goals and paid attention to details. This wasn’t a cute activity or mindless busywork; it was legitimate meaningful work. It mattered and it belonged to her. She was proud of the final result.
This is what the Guiding Principles of Career Development look like in real life. None of it was planned or imposed; it all happened naturally because she was given space, trust and the freedom to contribute in her own way.
While she wasn’t with me in person at Cannexus, she was very much part of the experience. Throughout Cannexus, I shared updates with Tiff from my exhibitor booth. People didn’t just take a pen and move on. They commented on how creative they were. They asked where they came from. More than a few legitimately asked if she had a business selling them. These weren’t polite or patronizing responses – they were curious, respectful and genuine. I could tell each message and call was giving her confidence a boost. Her work was being seen and valued for what it was. Those pens quickly became the highlight of our exhibit.
Tiff’s impact made me reflect on how, when people are given space to use their strengths authentically, creativity builds confidence. Creativity invites ownership, which shapes identity and ultimately fuels motivation; A reminder that career development work is as much about support as it is about strategy. It’s not complicated, but it’s deeply impactful on a personal level.
That moment stuck with me because confidence doesn’t grow in isolation. Confidence grows when authentic contributions are acknowledged. Tiff’s confidence wasn’t built because someone told her she did a good job. Her confidence grew because she could see that her creativity mattered to others: her work sparked curiosity, invited conversation and fostered new connections.
Confidence grows when authentic contributions are acknowledged.
This is what the Guiding Principles of Career Development look like in real life. None of it was planned or imposed; it all happened naturally because she was given space, trust and the freedom to contribute in her own way. What this ultimately means for Tiff is the confidence to keep going; try new things and explore how she can use her creativity to make contributions in new ways… and a promise of even more pens for next year!
Looking back on it, this experience challenged some common ideas about productivity and success. If success is only measured by output or efficiency, moments like this can be overlooked. For my daughter, success meant pride in her work, growing confidence and a sense of contribution. It didn’t mean monetizing her creativity or formalizing it into something bigger. It was about being valued. Redefining success in this way doesn’t lower expectations. It reframes how interests, skills and competencies connect to real-world contribution.
I never would have thought something as simple as a pen could create a ripple effect. It’s a small thing, but it made people smile, sparked conversations and built connections. It sent a message that contribution doesn’t have to be big to matter. For those of us working in career development, this matters.
What if programming focused on how people naturally contribute, not just how they perform against others? If we defined career success less by outcomes and more by connection, meaning and fit? Maybe the better question for practitioners isn’t how do we help people do more, but how do we create space for what’s already there to matter?
Impact can take many forms; after all, the pen is mightier than the sword.
