The elevator doesn’t always go to the top when I’m stressed and busy but this week I had one of those moments of insight that ended up explaining a lot.

I realized that leadership means different things to different people. The variance in their interpretation may be the result of age, education, experience or perhaps it may be about genetics or gender.  Likely there isn’t ever a right or wrong – there is just different – and that’s okay.

For example, under my current contract I’m working for a wonderful man for whom leadership is very much about logic. It… More Posted on 11-29-09

Dancing for Collective Joy

By the end of the week I’m generally tapped out. As a result, I’m more susceptible to the magpie syndrome and easily distracted by anything bright and shiny. This week it was a link to a YouTube video sent by my mother.

It was shot in the main concourse area of a busy train station in Brussels. As I watched, the classic version of Do-Re-Mi, sung by the indomitable Julie Andrews, was suddenly heard over the loudspeakers in place of the typical announcements of arrivals and departures. By the looks on the faces of those captured in… More Posted on 11-22-09

Rethinking Linking

Tough times typically result in reduced resources and employees working flat out. As a result, it seems anything falling into the nice-but-not-essential category is dropped from our never ending to-do lists. Although networking often falls into that category, trends are suggesting it should be moved up on our list of priorities.   

This week I experienced the advantage of being part of a network when a potential duplication of efforts in a draft proposal from a member was flagged. We were able to identify the overlap only because we had spent time getting to know more about one another’s… More Posted on 11-15-09

Promising Practices

Up against a deadline, I can pull an all-nighter and still function. I can deal with cranky people, manage in chaotic situations, meet deadlines, cook decent meals when I need to, keep my house sort of organized, and multi-task with the best of them.

It seems when I put my mind to it, there’s a lot I can do. Except one for one thing.

Lose weight.

I simply haven’t been good about managing food choices. That recently changed when I found an article written by a woman who suggested, along with a number of other strategies, the idea… More Posted on 11-09-09

Stories Matter

This week I was reminded about the power of stories. It occurred as the result of taking part in a conference that included a session entitled “Community Development in Action”. In the one hour and fifteen minute session, representatives from ten communities shared their respective stories about how they were working to become more active, creative and engaged. Despite the five minute time limitation for each presenter the group managed to deliver compelling stories that had the audience laughing, crying, ooh’ing, ah’ing, and applauding enthusiastically.

Hardly the reaction to a typical conference session, it clearly demonstrated the important and often… More Posted on 11-02-09

The Fun Theory

This week my son taught me a lesson without even being aware he was doing it.

It happened because I finally made the time to review and upload to my website the183 photographs stored on my digital camera. Clicking through the photos I landed on a group of shots I knew I hadn’t taken. While my photos are generally pretty standard, many of these were shot on an angle. The majority were close ups of people with broad grins, laughing out loud, or making faces at the camera. All of the photos conveyed an artistic sensibility as well as an… More Posted on 10-25-09

Aboriginal Learnings

Like many Canadians I should, but don’t, know a lot about Aboriginal communities. My only exposure was the result of having three brothers who played lacrosse against teams from Six Nations. Typically they were outplayed and ultimately trounced. Within my rather white-bread high school of some 800, there were a total of two aboriginal students.

All I really knew is that Aboriginal peoples were the first people to live in Canada. They had many different spiritual beliefs and cultural traditions including a very special relationship with nature. 

Consequently my understanding came primarily from a media too often focused… More Posted on 10-19-09

Never Too Late

On a recent shopping expedition, my 80 year old mother tried on a beautiful, mauve wool sweater. With her silver hair and bright eyes she looked adorable. Not quite taking my word for it, she insisted on finding a mirror.

When she found one, she gazed intently, adjusted the collar, and sniffed, “It looks like an old lady sweater”. To this I responded, “Mom, just for my own frame of reference, how old does one have to before they’re considered an old lady? I’m not sure but I think at 80 you might just qualify?” 

Not considering herself… More Posted on 10-11-09

What Makes a Valuable Employee?

Although everyone should always be mindful of the need to be seen as a valuable employee, during recessionary times it becomes even more important.

A number of years ago I hired an amazing woman named Alison who distinguished herself during a very competitive interview process. Her answer to one question in particular has stayed with me over the years. The question asked was, “What three words would a previous employer use to describe you?”

Her first two words were ones I had heard before – team player and good communicator, but it was the last one we all… More Posted on 09-20-09

Strategies for Innovative Leadership

No one on our team wanted my job this week – me included. One of our contractors felt so sorry for me that she sent me flowers. 

Staff changes, challenging policy developments, extensive budget reviews, multiple demands, immovable deadlines and difficult decisions have all contributed to this being an even more challenging time than usual. 

And yet, even though I did take time to vent and must confess to attending several personal pity parties, I knew I didn’t have the right to complain. After all, I hadn’t signed up to maintain the status quo and neither had anyone… More Posted on 09-13-09

Community as a Feeling

For years I’ve been trying, with varying degrees of success, to define and describe community and the leadership that’s necessary to make it happen. Now, after several decades of applied research, writing, teaching and doing, I’m happy to report that the picture on the top of the puzzle box is finally becoming clear and focused.  I’ve also learned why it’s been so difficult to nail it down. This is good because I’d hate to think it’s because I’m a slow learner. 

It’s been difficult to nail down and convey the importance of community because it is about “feelings”. And,… More Posted on 09-06-09

Seeking and Providing Feedback

In the course of a conversation this week, a colleague and I discussed how we’ve learned that others don’t always see us for who we are. Even when we’ve tried to be open and authentic and operate with the best of intentions, others may see something quite different.

This really hammered home for me several years ago when a woman I worked with who had become a good friend told me she was glad she’d had a chance to get to know me. She was glad because she learned I wasn’t at all the kind of person she had… More Posted on 08-31-09

I Might Just Be An Edupunk

Every year toward the end of August I feel a compulsion to buy a new pencil case and load up three ring binders with fresh paper. Then I pause, give my head a shake, and remember that I’m not going back to school in September. The resulting emotion is both relief and sadness.

The truth is that while I never really liked school, I’ve always, and still do, love to learn. Although one would think the two would go hand in hand I have yet to translate my passion for learning into another post secondary degree even though I know… More Posted on 08-24-09

Three Paths to an Active, Creative, Engaged Community

I’m not sure exactly who, but one of our staff posted a quote in our board room that captures the nature of the challenge faced by our ACE Communities initiative - ACE being an acronym for active, creative and engaged. The quote? “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”

It is one heck of a challenge. Not only are we charged with the task of attempting to enhance the quality of life across an entire province, we are responsible for being able to explain how we did it when we’re finished. 

Ok, I confess. I am an information junkie. I don’t collect thimbles like my aunt or souvenir spoons like my sister in law. Instead, I collect information. This is good, right? Information is a wonderful thing, right?

Well, the truth of the matter is nowadays I’m not so sure. There are times when collecting beer steins is beginning to look mighty attractive.

Unfortunately, in an age where the experts predict that by 2010 the amount of digital information in the world will double every 11 hours, my pastime is becoming an increasingly stressful one.  Like many others, I… More Posted on 08-09-09

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