A friend recently asked me to write down the three things that I am passionate about. That really got me thinking about what drives me personally and professionally. In order to narrow down my passions I asked myself, what makes you excited? What type of leader do you aspire to be? What will people remember about you? So after much thought, here they are in no particular order, my top three picks of what I am most passionate about.
First, I am passionate about learning and learning transformation in myself and in others. I get a lot of joy seeing the spark in someone's eyes when they “get” what is being taught to them. Throughout my life, I have always sought to learn more. I have several certificates and diplomas, and in 2005 I embarked on the journey to complete my undergraduate degree. I earned a Bachelor of General Studies (Applied) from Athabasca University in 2017. This was no easy undertaking, studying online is very difficult for someone who has a mild learning disability. In September 2020, I will be continuing with my studies through Vancouver Island University, the two-year program is called Online Learning & Teaching Graduate Diploma (OLTD)
What I learned, from my educational journey, is that I am driven to learn. I want to be as competitive and qualified as possible to meet the needs of my clients. Throughout my life, I have set educational goals for myself. One of those goals is to complete a Master’s degree; this has been on my mind for more than 20 years. Once I complete the OLTD, I plan on continuing to achieve a Master of Education (Educational Leadership).
Secondly, I am passionate about leadership. Leadership is in my soul, what I mean by this is that I get excited when I take on leadership roles, plus I am inspired when I am in the presence of leaders who are clear communicators. When I initially started to unpack what my leadership style is I thought that it was just that I was willing to take on more responsibility. As I evolved, as a leader, I realized that leadership is about serving others not about being in control or exercising power. I recently read an article entitled The servant-leader within: A transformative path and this quote summarizes it best
"The servant prepares himself or herself to lead by a process of growth though experience guided by a self-image as a builder and within a conceptual framework that suggests the strengths that will emerge if allowed. Leaders are not trained; they evolve. A step-by-step conscious striving will produce something, of course. But a contrived synthetic person is not as likely to reach that level of servant-leader as will one who has evolved with his or her own natural rhythm. Yet one must consciously try and hope for a natural congruence" (Greenleaf, Beazley, Beggs & Spears, 2003, p. 44)
A colleague, who has just finished completing his Master of Arts in Leadership, recommended that I read Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. She recommends that we choose two values to live by, my values are connection and respect. I treat others with respect, which is how I like to be treated. Previously, when I lead a team of senior emergency management coaches, during training courses, my personal philosophy was to "leave your ego at the door, I am here to assist the course participants with their learning. These exercises are for them, it is not about me, it is about bringing out the best in them”. To put simply, my leadership philosophy can best be described as a servant-leader. My willingness and desire to bring out the best in people, without feeling the need to control, is entrenched in my leadership.
Finally, I am a passionate connector; I am a connector of people, ideas, and concepts. I believe that we are on this earth to connect with each other and to help each other grow as individuals, and as a community. I love to introduce people to each other; I do this often by hosting meals, as I love to cook and to entertain. This desire to connect is not only with people but driven by my view that we all have a purpose in life. Those connections help us to go through the tough times, and to grow as people. I make a huge effort to communicate with family and friends through phone/video calls, emails, text messaging, cards, and letters. These connections have helped me to develop, to learn, to be more compassionate, to understand, and to feel. I also connect complex tasks and concepts and relate them to what needs to be done in business. My business values and services are based on my ability to “connect the people with the dots” to align current practices with the needs of my clients.
These passions have driven me to be at this point in my life and I am excited to start this business journey. MCM Facilitation & Training has evolved since 2017, after being in post-pandemic isolation this seems like the perfect time for me to get serious about. My education, experience and perspective will be valuable to my clients as they too enter our new world reality, as I will be able to guide my clients on how to work, act, and think differently.
If you are interested in hearing more about my business & services, please do not hesitate to connect with me!
E: MCMfacilitation@gmail.com
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