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Multiple Paths Towards Leadership

For many, navigating a career path involves a clearly articulated strategy with set goals, a training plan and a step-by-step checklist to get from entry-level positions to the executive team table. For others, the path is much less directed but still fascinating and rewarding. My career path definitely falls in the second category, but its trajectory is marked by many of the recommendations shared in Navigating Your Leadership Journey in the Winter 2022 edition of Exchange.

Education followed by on-the-job training formed the critical foundation for my career. There is no question that the managers I have reported to and worked with as colleagues have been integral to my ability to progress quickly into new positions and gain valuable experience. Working with talented, experienced, strategic communicators with exceptional professional standards and solid ethics gave me models for my own professional development. I took training when it was offered, worked extra hours to learn new skills and gain much-needed experience, and I applied for and achieved positions that were often a stretch based on my level of experience. 

I started my career in the provincial government in Manitoba, and then I moved to the private sector to expand my experience beyond government. I joined the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and became an internationally Accredited Business Communicator. Being part of a professional organization provided further opportunities for professional development through training, conferences, publications and other resources. I gained leadership experience by volunteering on the IABC-BC Board of Directors and the IABC Western Canada Board of Directors. With my training, work experience and accreditation, I was on a career track to achieve my goal to be a vice president of communications. Then, when that targeted position was offered to me, I turned it down to take a job with the City of Coquitlam that meant a pay cut but the opportunity to spend way more time with my son, who was three at the time. The decision was entirely based on what I felt was best for our family, but the opportunity to work with the City opened up a new world of communications and community engagement that have now become a key component of the services I provide as a consultant.

Like the Case Studies shared in this edition, my career path has gone in a variety of directions and it differs from others, but it’s been exciting, challenging and ultimately very rewarding. Sometimes I targeted an opportunity, and sometimes the new opportunities seemed to target me. But there is no question that continuous learning, mentors, professional association membership, colleagues and supportive organizations all played an integral role in my journey. 

For those who are starting their career, at the midpoint in their career or, like me, looking at retirement in a few years, the tools, advice and experiences shared in this edition provide a map that can help guide you through your own journey. 

 

Keeping our balance when the ground keeps shifting

The crazy COVID days continue. It feels like a rollercoaster, with some sudden drops that take our breath away, unanticipated twists and turns, and a general feeling of nausea as we wonder when this ride will end. While the brief respite during the flattened curve in the summer was helpful, watching case numbers rise and seeing a return of restrictions is difficult. So it’s not a surprise that health safety fears and mental health issues are becoming more prevalent. 

Unfortunately, hunkering down and hoping things will settle down on their own isn’t realistic – especially when you are responsible for delivering essential services. Local governments don’t have the option of just shutting down operations, and their employees are expected to show up for work and meet the needs of their community. The problem is those same employees are likely experiencing personal challenges – like kids or elderly family members who are cooped up or having to stay home more often, scary notices about COVID cases in schools, illness and fears about catching and spreading COVID-19, and the mental health impacts of dealing with a crisis that has been going on for months without a break. 

The result is that local governments are facing the need to support employees, apply new workplace safety requirements and ensure that business operations continue without interruption. Fortunately, there is a lot of support and advice from experts to help navigate and apply viable solutions. In the winter 2021 edition of Exchange, experts in mental health and wellness and human resource management professionals share insights into how the prolonged pandemic is affecting employees, along with tips and resources for employers. They also highlight both the risks of not meeting employee mental health needs, as well as the benefits in the long-term, including more robust mental health support programs. 

The impact of increased health safety concerns while requiring employees to come to work and maintain services is discussed further in Business Continuity and COVID-19: Balancing Employee and Organizational Needs. In particular, the pandemic has highlighted that while there is a difference between actual safety and the perception of safety, health safety concerns are affecting employees and need to be addressed. This involves more extensive communication to provide staff with details about the measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID, including regular updates as new information and requirements are put in place. As well, instead of just the legal requirements for duty to accommodate measures, there is a growing recognition that good management practice means we may need to be more flexible in how special accommodations are applied on a short-term basis.

With the continued pressure on local governments and their employees, it seems that we need to build on the advice from Dr. Bonnie Henry to “be kind, be calm and be safe” to include “be flexible, be patient and be accommodating” whenever possible. The pandemic will end, and the overall culture and health of organizations will largely be based on the work done now to support employees. Fortunately, there is a lot of great advice on how to take the right steps today to provide for effective business continuity and a more secure future. 

Coming Back Stronger

There’s nothing quite like a major crisis to force us out of our comfort zone. In some situations, we just need to step up and do things differently. We need to figure out what’s most important, where to focus our energy and resources, and what to just let go. 

With COVID-19, there are justifiable concerns about health and safety risks that have changed the way we live our lives. That’s just the way it is. But I found that it was often too easy to get distracted by things that were inconvenient, and to completely miss the good things around us. 

Our family experienced its own list of “inconveniences” like cancelling our vacation plans, being stuck at home, having to send just one person to run errands, seeing some shortages in food items – and let’s not even talk about the whole toilet paper fiasco. Every new inconvenience could cause frustration if we let it. 

Working on the Summer/Fall 2020 edition of Exchange has been a great opportunity to revisit what happened and look at the positive outcomes – the changes that occurred as a result of COVID-19 that actually made life better. The lockdown on business travel has meant that my husband has been home for the longest stretch in more than 20 years, and my son (a university student) was suddenly spending all his time with us instead of work, school and his friends. We spent way more time together as a family than we have in years and have some great new memories. Being cut off from people meant that we learned how to use Zoom, including creative solutions like playing Yahtzee with friends, and now I’m modifying my media training and other courses to provide virtual training via Zoom instead – not something I would have done pre-pandemic. So there were challenges, but they resulted in some positive outcomes.

Likewise, local governments across B.C. have been hit with multiple challenges under extremely trying circumstances, and they have risen to the challenge with innovative solutions and quick action. When an Emergency Operations Centre is activated, assessing needs and creating viable solutions becomes a streamlined process, where decisions and actions can move forward within days, if not hours – compared to regular operating procedures that could involve weeks or months for the same outcome. It’s been great to see the responsible and responsive actions by local governments across the province as they took steps to keep their communities safe. Now they are looking ahead to see how to recover and support their communities as we deal with the new reality as COVID-19 continues to affect our communities. 

In Coming Back Stronger: Transformative Change for a Post-Pandemic World, several local governments share examples of how they implemented changes and new initiatives as part of their COVID-19 response that they can now maintain to benefit their organization and their community. We also learn more about what the new reality will look like in our communities, both from an economic standpoint in No More “Business As Usual” and how data can be used to help plan for future needs in Big Data: Finding solutions among the facts and figures.  

Just as we can look back and see the positive outcomes from a challenging situation, it’s clear that we can also look forward and focus on the opportunities ahead. We are in for more interesting days, and I am optimistic about our ability to adapt and create new ways to build a strong community and support each other.