Reflections on Reflection

I got me a posse!

Last week I spent three days immersed with a project team dedicated to enhancing the community leadership that will result in active, creative, and engaged communities.

As one of the group pointed out, it was like running with a pack of horses who took great joy in running fast and hard. Generally, we headed in the same direction but there were also a lot of diversions as the lead often changed, we slowed down to make sure others were running with us, or, interesting and sometimes prickly or insightful detours were taken.

In the… More Posted on 03-01-09

Connecting Online and On the Ground

When I called my dad this week he was a little distracted. It seemed he was trying to look up the phone number of his eye doctor.

Since I was at my computer, I simply googled the name and within ten seconds was able to give him the phone number. No big deal except that I was on the other side of the country and since he’s a technophobe he was freaked out because he couldn’t figure out how the heck I had managed to do it so quickly. He had to admit he was impressed even though he’s… More Posted on 02-22-09

The Importance of Fun

Thank goodness for birthdays.

This week my friend Carol’s birthday provided the impetus for an informal, on-the-job get together. Rose, definitely the most culinary-gifted member of our team, made a to-die-for chocolate mousse cake piled high with fresh berries and shaved white chocolate. Martha would have been proud to put her name on it!

To make it even better, Rose also brought her gourmet whipped cream charger -  a steel cylinder-shaped container filled with nitrous oxide. Apparently nitrous oxide is used because it migrates easily into the cream so that when the cream dispenser’s valve is opened, the… More Posted on 02-15-09

We have Rights AND Responsibilities

Two totally unrelated news stories set me off on a tangent this week.

One of them involved the eight babies born last month to California single mother Nadya Suleman. The octuplets join her existing six children, bringing her total offspring to fourteen. 

Unemployed and living with her mother and father, she understandably has been subjected to a significant and largely unfavourable public outcry.

Yet for her it is simple. Yes she admits, she has made unconventional choices in how she’s chosen to bring children into the world, but as she put it in a recent interview, “Being a… More Posted on 02-08-09

Five Minds for the Future

My good friend and colleague, Dianne Renton, is one of the hardest working, and most intelligent women I know.

She’s been working head down and flat out to integrate a number of technologies that will facilitate learning and communications for the work we’re doing to strengthen community leaders. 

She has researched, installed, tested, and pushed the limits of six different kinds of software to make them work together in a way that not only empowers us but will ultimately be sustainable.

As a result of her work, our website runs on a user-friendly, open source platform that… More Posted on 02-01-09

Obama’s Making Community Service Hip and Sexy

Two words have suddenly become hip and sexy.

I didn’t think I would ever see it but thanks to President Barack Obama, within the space of a few months, there’s been more talk and excitement about community and service than I can ever recall.

Obama has plans to expand AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, engage retiring Americans, and send Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages to expand public diplomacy.

He’s encouraging all middle and high school students to do 50 hours of community service a year, and will establish a new tax credit that is worth $4,000 a… More Posted on 01-25-09

Conflict is Inevitable

I always knew that conflict was inevitable but no one ever told me how painful it could be. 

Our work team is based in locations across the province. While we connect regularly using different technologies, face to face meetings aren’t very common due to the costs in terms of time and money needed to get us all at the same location at the same time. Despite the challenges, we’ve somehow managed to become a community that values and enjoys our face time.

This week we participated in a meeting that finally put us all in the same room… More Posted on 01-10-09

Lessons for the New Year

I always feel pressure to write an inspiring column in celebration of the new year. But the truth is I’ve got nothing.

I’ve kicked back so much this holiday that I have to give myself a pep talk just to get off the couch.

If you really want to know, I’m sitting in a somewhat messy office, still in my pajamas even though its now afternoon, sporting hair that definitely could use a wash, trying to summon up the energy to stay focused until I finish this column. The worst part is that I’m berating myself yet again… More Posted on 12-28-08

Supporting Change

It didn’t start out as a good week. 

I have been in a bit of a funk knowing I won’t be home for Christmas. The truth is I miss my Niagara-based family and friends. The hovering cloud of sadness I was working hard to keep at bay was amplified by work challenges, a never-ending to-do list, and one too many meetings. By the end of the week I was just barely holding it together, emotions running close to the surface.

So of course isn’t that just the time when it seems every single person decides to resist, disagree, or… More Posted on 12-15-08

Play Nice Share with Others

I was first exposed to the impact of Stephen Harper’s leadership style shortly after he became Prime Minister when his party won a minority government in the January 2006 federal election.

At the time I was a member of the Canadian Federation of Voluntary Sector Coalitions. As such, we had been working with a number of federal bureaucrats to determine how we could collaborate to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit and voluntary sector organizations.

After six months of meetings and conference calls, trusted relationships were emerging and progress was being made. It was an exciting time.

Imagine our… More Posted on 12-06-08

Asking for Help

Last week I hit the wall and had something best described as a mini meltdown.

The initiative I’m directing, while incredibly exciting and meaningful, is huge. Even though I’m blessed with a stellar team as well as a decent personal capacity for chaos and big picture thinking, the reality of a provincial project that is attempting to impact the quality of life in communities is one big hairy beast.

I found myself identifying with those guys on the Ed Sullivan show who spun plates on the tops of sticks and then ran back and forth to make sure they… More Posted on 11-16-08

Lessons from My Mother

While some may think it risky to throw a surprise party for a senior, my siblings and I did just that this weekend.

Over seventy friends and family members, including my older brother from California, my husband and I from Alberta, and others from across the province, travelled to Niagara for a celebration in honour of my mother’s 80th birthday.

Two observations were clear to anyone in attendance.

My mother, Wilma, is a woman beloved by many. The greetings, gifts, cards, and tributes were warm, thoughtful and heartfelt.

The second observation is that my mother is a healthy… More Posted on 11-10-08

Technology is About Connections

Last week I had a chance to spend a significant amount of time with my good friend and oh-so- respected colleague, St. Catharines based Dianne Renton who is the owner of Trendspire Canada Inc.

While ostensibly we were working, we also spent a lot of time catching up, reminiscing, and brainstorming. As always, she pushed my way of thinking.

We were startled to realize that it’s been almost fifteen years since she and I first worked together. We had jointly responded to a request for proposals and to our surprise were hired over much more experienced consultants to deliver… More Posted on 11-02-08

Learning from the Team

I’ve just returned from a conference in Jasper and have concluded that it just might be true that one thinks better in the mountains.

While the sessions were good, the informal after hour gatherings with my colleagues were even better. I honestly can’t remember when I’ve laughed so hard or had such meaningful conversations. It was great therapy.

The experience really made me think about how much I love the people I work with and why.

They are an incredibly diverse, slightly quirky group who are intelligent, energetic and authentic. Despite the rather eclectic makeup of the team,… More Posted on 10-27-08

Youth Social Networking

I confess. I have a page on Facebook. I have it primarily because it allows me to stay connected to our kids. It also allows acquaintances, long lost cousins, and former students to find me online.

To be honest I’m not a huge fan. To me sites like Facebook just seem to lack meaning and substance.

Several weeks ago a keynote address at the World Leisure Congress in Quebec City by Dr.Linda Caldwell from Penn State helped me put my uneasiness into better perspective.

Intrigued by the fact that social networking Web sites are among the fastest growing on… More Posted on 10-19-08

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