The guest speakers we are exposed to are a remarkable bunch. This afternoon we sat excitedly awaiting a man who would prove to inspire all of us. Jim Shepard was not what I had expected. I can't place my finger on what I thought he would be like but I can tell you for certain that he was much more.
He started by telling us that he managed through story telling. He wove words and stories in and out of the next hour painting a vivid picture of everything from a family leaving Nazi occupied Vienna to the antics of board meetings in downtown Vancouver. Each pause, each step of the tale rang with purpose. I clearly remembered the day when my regional manager told me to stop using anecdotes, to stop using examples, to stop managing and training through stories. A little piece of me was freed today hearing Jim speak, like it has been so many times before over these past few months. One time I listened (ok, almost listened, who are we kidding I could never not tell a story) to what one person told me and I let it make me less effective. I let their opinion be right over what I saw was making an impact. This program has validated me and the way I was doing things. Jim Shepard, leading, captivating a room of exhausted, anxious, restless students, was the prime example of the power of a good story to teach, to manage.
One of my classmates, during question time, asked him what he thought was the most valuable quality for a leader to possess during a time of crisis. His response was courage. The courage and confidence to know that what you are doing, even if it was hard and full of tough decisions, would lead to the results you want. That this courage to see the big picture would create for the organization what it needed.
Courage! Storytelling! Could this get any better? The answer was yes. When asked what was one decision he regretted he spoke to a time where he was generous with his staff, upping their christmas turkey bonus. He said it felt good, the response he got was glowing. It was a win win situation until one of the managers pointed out how much it cost and that, since they had done this 2 years in a row, there was now a president. What if the company didn't do so well the next year? He took this advice, cut it back, the company made a profit and he regretted not going with his gut, with investing that extra money in his people at christmas. To me this speaks volumes about his character, about the kind of leader he is. If the thing that still makes him uncomfortable is not being able to give his staff a little extra at Christmas he must be a great leader. It is this simple vulnerability to share with us this piece that allows me to understand the greatness that lies in wait in my classmates. We will have the opportunity to make such decisions, to lead with integrity.
Selfishly this whole afternoon is part of a trend. It seems like opportunities for growth, for inspiration and for validation are filling my life these days. I am being given opportunities to learn about things I never expected to and the results are astounding. I am seeing more and more clearly glimpses of who I have long wanted to be. It is by no means there but still, I find that each day I am living more and more in line with the vision I hold for myself.
OH! and the boys finally won a hockey game. They are rockstars!
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