Alt title: I wonder, what if, let's try! (Sesame Street)

Wow, where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was musing over my lessons from my 1st 30 days in this role. And now here I am 90 days plus into this fantastic adventure.

Many of my days oscillate between tough negotiations about naps and how many episodes of Bubble Guppies or Peppa Pig one is allowed to watch, AND myriad matters at Inspiring Communities (from big picture 30,000 ft to almost lower than ground level details that are definitely still important to attend to).

*In my conversations with mentors and peers in the space, the latter is not uncommon in the life of an ED, particularly in this sector.

Following Day 30 I have:

embarked on a listening tour with each person who is part of the organization along with continuing to connect with funders, partners and external parties that are curious and/or supportive.
worked with the team to produce a 2021 Ops plan and the annual (Impact) report.
worked with the team to share lessons of WeavEast, our 1st iteration of an Atlantic network of changemakers (stay tuned for future iterations).

All this while mourning personal losses, oh life!

Listening tour

Through the listening tour, both inside and outside the organization, I have learned that people really care deeply about their work,each other, and how they feel while doing the work. Many expressed gratitude for the messages of support during particularly tough weeks this past year, and the recognition of need for time and space to do the work we do and mitigate against burnout.

A measure of the space for trust and openness in the organization is how comfortable people felt expressing what they felt was going well and what might need greater attention, detail and light/life. It is truly an honour to have people take the time to help me learn what I need to and understand nuances to do this work well. I am grateful for the wisdom and insights and depth of experience (lived and worked) that came forward through each conversation I had.

Ops Planning and Impact Report

Working on the operational planning and integrating the activity plans across the organization into a coherent whole was exciting. The process presented an opportunity for a window into what it takes to do the great work done by each team in the organization to generate the impact we do over the years. I particularly liked that Ops Planning allows for a light and focus on the guts as well as the shiny paint job on the vehicle that I have decided for the purposes of this paragraph is IC, smile.

Operations staff appreciate being included and connected into the bigger picture in this way (or so I have learned) and it felt good to get to see people seeing how their work connected to the larger story we are telling, and the work we are doing, in social change. The planning and activities from last year (and years previous) were captured in our impact report through which we celebrated achievements in the communities we work in, made possible with the work and engagement of residents as well as partners and funders.

Endings and Beginnings

The biggest reflection I have to share from my first 90 days is how much it has been a journey of shifts, not just for myself in this new role but, for all members of the IC team as we connect to (and learn from) each other. We are taking this perspective with us into our strategic planning; energized by our ‘wins” and celebrating what we have done well and drawing from the lessons about what we may need to iterate (and transform) as we continue along our path of collective action for social change.

As we collaborate on input towards our strategic direction, these two graphics from Center for Creative Leadership brought to my attention by Nick Scott (thanks friend!) come to mind as useful for situating ourselves in this process.

Day 90 Reflections - Bigger picture

Although a lot of the last 90 days has felt like a series of this:

What I am hoping to do is draw from the conversation at Global Forum 2021 - "stepping into the decade of transformation", as harvested in this image to keep focus on the small and large, and hold it all (as much as possible) within and about myself in service of the work.

Finally…

I am looking forward to some summer rest and returning refreshed for more wondering, imagining what if, and trying together.

A heartfelt thanks to all who suggested books in my last post; I have received some additional recommendations that I cannot wait to read (or read for the second time) including: Holding Change, Who not How , Still Moving: how to lead mindful change, Radical Candour and Sacred Instructions (this last one is often recommended with Braiding Sweetgrass which the Biochemist and wannabe Environmental Scientist and Ecologist in me just absolutely loved).

Thanks for reading and as always any insights and advice on what next (and additional book suggestions) are welcome!

Reflection - 1st 90 days