Each of us can …

Each of us can make a contribution. Too frequently, we think we have to do spectacular things. Yet, if we remember that the sea is actually made up of drops of water and each drop counts, each one of us can do our little bit where we are. Those little bits come together and almost overwhelm the world.

Bishop Desmond Tutu.  One of 8 amazing speakers at Leadercast 2014.

I’m a firm believer in ‘every little bit counts’. As someone who works as a fundraiser, and is involved in several boards and organizations, this rings true time and time again. We run a campaign at work which solicits $10 contributions, and by the end of the campaign, we’ll have raised over $50,000. That’s huge!
So too is it true for organizational culture – if one person is trying to do everything, there’s a good chance it won’t be done to the level it could be done, or it may take much more time than it would take a group of people. If each person involved takes one task and runs with it, the goal is more easily achieved, or the project more easily completed. Being a leader doesn’t mean doing it all, it means motivating others to help reach a common goal.

John Maxwell said it best in his ‘Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn’ talk… “If you do it all, when you’re gone… nothing gets done.”

So Leaders, don’t underestimate how your small acts of leadership are making good things happen. Go forth, and help create an ocean!

Northern Ontario Visionary Awards

Do you know of someone in our community who should be recognized for all they do? The Northern Ontario Visionary Awards are back! Help put Kenora on the map by nominating someone in our area you think deserves a pat on the back for their efforts.

Inspired…. and the people in our organizations.

Hello, and WELCOME!

This is my first grown-up blogging venture (and really, my first blogging venture in general..)

I wanted to start this blog, because I’m SO into leadership, and I think in small communities like many of those in Northwestern Ontario where “it’s who you know”, effective leadership is sometimes undervalued.  In Kenora, there are several companies which experience high staff turnover rates, and it’s for a variety of reasons – seasonal employees, youth who don’t really want to be in the workforce, laziness, and why I believe in leadership, subpar management/supervisors. Growing up with no clear vision of where I wanted to take my life, I’m pretty sure I was all of the aforementioned employee types, with the opinion that many of my bosses weren’t doing it right. Looking back, I’m sure I was wrong in some cases, but I also believe that if I felt it, there must have been something that made me feel it. You can take that as ‘there’s always room for improvement.’

I’m nowhere near one of the worlds (or this community’s) greatest leaders; I’ve never been a manager or supervisor even. I don’t know that I have what it takes to manage a large staff, because I’ve never done so. What I do know, is that leading people and managing people are two very different things. I don’t want to ramble off a list of things that employee x has to get done to satisfy company policy. I want to motivate someone to enjoy their role within the organization and do the best they can with it. I want them to feel comfortable talking to their supervisor or boss about areas for improvement, recognition for great work, compensation, life in general!

I was in a branding workshop last night, which is where the idea for this blog stems from. One of the things the facilitator (a friend, and leader in my community who I have tremendous respect for) said was “people make that huge difference [in an organization].” And it’s true. If you’re a business owner, you are the face of your business. In good business practice, you live and breathe the essence of your business. You are your number one marketing tactic. If you have a staff who look after things while you’re not present, are they presenting that same image? Do they know that they should be doing so? These things are a whole other post, but I want you to think about that in your daily interactions with your staff, or people you work with. What level of communication are you at with your colleagues and/or staff. What can you do differently to take your work relationships and business reputation to the next level? They really do go hand-in-hand….

Until next time!