How an open mind can have far reaching effects

I am a parent governor of a local secondary school, and have been for the past 4 years. During this time ive done my 'duty' by sitting through the most dull of committee meetings on premises, policy reviews, pay structures etc etc. I have to admit that I haven't really enjoyed a good 75% of my time as a governor. I just not a 'committee' person. Don't get me wrong - I love working and collaborating with other people to create a future something, I just don't enjoy doing historical reviews of whats just happened. For this reason I didn't think I'd given my best to the school..... until Friday that is.
The Head-mistress (they call them 'principles' these days) is a smart lady; she is a driver of change and at the same time a great leader of people, and so her visions and changes (tough as they may be sometimes) are, in the majority, 'followed' by her team of teachers and support staff.
I like our Principle, and enjoy sitting and chatting with her about the future of education. Often we chat in her office while we wait to interview a new teacher, or chat in the school lobby while we wait for a Governor meeting to start, and sometimes we chat by email. But it wasn't until last Friday that I learned those were more than just interesting 'chats' to her.
I was attending a 'teacher development' day. The school was shut and 100 teachers and support staff took the day to revisit the school mission - there are a lot of changes going on in our school and the education sector in general, and so thinking about our mission statement seemed like a good thing to do. It was a very productive day.
As we came to the end of the day, the principle came to close the event and made reference to me and our 'chats' - "everyone needs a Tim in their lives" she said - I was a bit taken aback
"I love the way he helps me to explore things" - I was getting embarassed
"He doesnt know it, but it was Tim who helped me decide on the application for our second school specialism of 'applied learning'" - I was shocked......... and absolutely delighted!
As I sat on the bus on my way home after the event I wondered what Id done to really help her. I am not an expert in education, I am not an expert in futures...... so what had I done?
My conclusion is that through our chats, I had helped her to 'explore', I had asked questions, and listened to her responses. I had provoked her thoughts, and built on her responses. I didnt need to know great detail about the topic because by simply keeping an open mind, I had enabled her to explore areas of her own work that she might not have been able to do had she been talking with an 'expert' in the subject.
And so thanks to a simple open mind, a generation of school girls will go through their education with a focus on their 'applied learning' - Now that really makes up for all those dull committee meetings! :-D