Western society expects leaders to be in charge, to give tasks, and make sure that these tasks are completed. My style of leadership follows a different path. I genuinely believe that every person has something to offer their team. I make a point of learning what each individual on my team likes to do, is good at doing, and would prefer to do. I also find out where they need help. Once I know my teams, then we can figure out who is going to do what tasks. In my experience, people perform much better if most of the tasks they’re given are things they enjoy and are good at doing.

A team can be many different things: a company, a group of work colleagues, a group of volunteers, a professional organization, a chamber of commerce, a group of City Councillors and their Mayor, you get the idea.

Everyone is part of at least one team. No one makes it completely on their own. I acknowledge you, introverted loner, who works remotely, and rarely interacts with other people face to face. Even you have a loosely defined team. A team of people who grow, produce, cook and deliver food to you, a team of others who support the remote work that you do, by paying you for your work, which allows you to pay for the food, shelter and other basic necessities of life. A team that keeps electricity flowing to your home, if you’re off grid, then a team who manufactured the equipment you use to generate your own electricity, and the electric devices that you use.

Most of us can identify the teams we belong to more easily. If you work for an employer, then your work colleagues, supervisor and others at the same organization are part of your work team. If you’re in University or College, then the people you take classes with and study with are part of your team. As are your professors, the library and support staff, and everyone else you come in contact with while learning. If you’re a solo-entrepreneur like me, then your team includes all those who you form strategic alliances with, those you outsource tasks to, and your clients.

This weekend, I had the honour of being asked to do more for one of my professional associations’ teams. A wonderful group of women planned and held our first ever virtual Business and Professional Women (BPW) Ontario Conference. About 50 women from across the province participated in a seven and half hour conference. I had the honor of doing the land acknowledgement.

One of the things BPW is known for is advocating for better futures for women and girls. Part of how we do that is to create a set of resolutions that are refined until the majority of our members agree with the wording, before they are formalized and sent to the Government as part of an annual brief. One of my BPW Club’s members was the Resolutions Chair this year, she was responsible for coordinating the process. She asked me to be the “recorder” to capture any changes made to the resolutions live while we held the conference. It was a fabulous experience!
 
I’m not an expert on writing resolutions, all I had to do was capture the changes as they were presented, and save the approved version for my colleague. Others with much more experience with resolutions, and the topics covered, did the detail work. At least a dozen women were involved in keeping things on track, from ensuring all voting members were present and able to vote, to time keeping, presenting our financials and more. It was a great case study in people playing to their strengths as part of a team, united by a common goal.

Last week, during a virtual meeting hosted by BPW Edmonton, I learned of another team, where the City Council, in partnership with a number of agencies, companies and different levels of government, planned, and is building one of the first (if not the first) sustainable urban communities in Canada – Blatchford. I’ve quoted the top two paragraphs of their vision page:

“Building one of the world’s largest sustainable communities doesn’t happen without strong leadership and a strong vision.

Blatchford will be home to up to 30,000 Edmontonians living, working and learning in a sustainable community that uses 100% renewable energy, is carbon neutral, significantly reduces its ecological footprint, and empowers residents to pursue a range of sustainable lifestyle choices.”

This is what a team can accomplish, when people with different skills, knowledge, strengths and abilities work together towards a common goal.

I’m working in partnership with local organizations and other small Canadian companies on a few different and exciting projects. I expect to share news of some of these projects as they get nearer to completion.

In the mean time, I hope that you are open to finding and working with teams to achieve your vision for the future. Have a fabulous week!

 I like to learn new things and I believe in paying it forward by volunteering. I belong to two professional associations and a number of groups of people who share common interests. More than once this had led to stepping up to take a leadership role.
 
This year, I’ve participated in a number of global webinars hosted by members of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International): Intergenerational Dialogue, Leadership in BPW, #BPWGoesDigital and The Future of BPW series.  Its been a fascinating and rewarding experience. I was honoured to share some of my knowledge about mentoring in the video “Mentoring Models and Programmes” and to be invited to record a short video for “Leadership and the Future of BPW: Cameos” (my video starts at 33 minutes and 19 seconds).

This summer, I learned that the President for BPW Canada position would be filled by an election during our National Convention and AGM in October. I was approached and asked if I’d be interested in running. I spoke with a couple of people on the BPW Canada Executive, to learn what the volunteer role involves.

I also reached out to some people I know, from a few different political parties, who understand how to run a campaign. They all shared the same advice. Find out where the people who’d be voting for you are and what they want. Since I like meeting new people and learning about them, this seemed like a great idea. Turns out that living in a pandemic actually makes it easier to get to know the members of the BPW clubs across Canada. Many are holding virtual meetings, and have let me join their events as a participant.

I’ve signed up for as many virtual BPW Canada clubs’ meetings as I can fit in my schedule, so I can learn more about our clubs and members. So far, I’ve attended two other clubs’ meetings. From BPW Greater Moncton, I learned about the International Collect, and several strategies that I’ve started using to organize my home office. During the BPW Canada Online club meeting, I got to meet and learn from Senator Marilou McPhedran, C.M., B.A., LL.B., LL.M., and LL.D. who has been at the forefront of improving women’s rights since she was a university student and her mother asked her “what are you going to do about this?”

I’m looking forward to learning from other clubs through the Fall, regardless of the election results!

During the September global Intergenerational Dialogue session LinkedIn was suggested as the social media platform to connect with and get to know BPW members. I started searching LinkedIn for BPW Canada members. I’m honoured to say that over 30 BPW Canada members have accepted an invitation to connect, so far. We have so many fascinating members! With accomplishments in a wide variety of career fields. As I read LinkedIn profiles, I keep finding things in common with the members of this fabulous professional association.

Nominations for the BPW Canada President election close on September 15. I’m looking forward to an amazing line up of potential leaders for BPW Canada. To help spread the word of why I’m running, and what I believe in, I’m co-opting my weekly company blog post.

For those who are interested, the rest of this post includes my Nomination Information.

Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Chantal Fraser, MBA: BPW Canada Vision for the Next Biennium
Between the election and the end of January 2021, I would contact all members of the BPW Canada Board, the Provincial Presidents/Liaisons, and Club Presidents for one to one phone/video discussions.  During these discussions I would learn their aptitudes, interests and areas where each of these leaders needs help.  I would also ask what themes they would prefer to work towards to help create the future of BPW that they want.

By the end of March 2021, I’d set up the first working group(s) to tackle some of the aspirational goals for BPW Canada identified during these conversations and in this vision. 

This team and BPW members from across Canada, would develop plans, and put them in action to do the following sorts of projects:

Leverage the value of BPW Canada as a community of women who advocate for a better world for women and girls, at the global, regional, country and local community level.  Determine ways to highlight that BPW is relevant to women from all generations across Canada.  With a goal of attracting and recruiting new members, persuading those who left BPW in the last 10 years to return, and increasing the retention of younger members.  Any community without young members risks extinction.

Lead BPW Canada to become a more interconnected inclusive community of women of all abilities, ages, backgrounds, cultures and languages.

Welcome ideas from all generations, and encourage women of all ages to take on leadership roles.
Set the conditions for our members to learn from each other, to celebrate each other’s successes, and to encourage our sisters from coast to coast to coast to thrive.

Reach out to those who are currently underserved by BPW Canada, to help show them that BPW welcomes members from all abilities, ages, communities, languages and socio-economic levels.

Leverage both our rich history and new ways of doing things and explore investing in online resources such as LinkedIn and Mighty Networks, to connect our members to each other, both virtually and in real life.

Encourage collaboration with people from all genders as we advocate for a world where future generations can thrive.

It would be my honour for you to join me in making this vision for the future of BPW Canada a reality.
 
Why would someone vote for me?  Here’s the bio I shared with the nomination committee:

Chantal Fraser started leading people as an Air Cadet in her teens, she then served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for 28 years. During her military career she served in a variety of leadership roles including being the Commanding Officer of the Joint Support Group Headquarters for four years. In her last military posting, as the Canadian Defence Academy Senior Staff Officer Plans, Chantal and her team determined the training needs for all support occupations and for common leadership courses; 974 qualifications to 49,000 students per year across Canada and managed the CAF Aboriginal programs. In addition, she chaired the Basic Training List Management Working Group, improving the management of 10,000 personnel awaiting initial training due to increased recruiting and limited CAF training capacity.  She was also a member of the Personnel Generation Committee chaired by Director General Military Personnel (DGMP), and drafted new human resources policies related to selection/staffing. The DGMP recruited Chantal to participate in a CAF Working Group to suggest ways to attract, recruit and retain more women in the Canadian military.

When Chantal became a veteran in 2012, she founded Empowered Path Inc. to help people learn how to help themselves, their communities and organizations thrive.  She offers a variety of services including: Professional Speaking, Coaching, and Mentoring. She offers tangible and practical solutions that can be applied immediately, using a conversational approach and Canadian examples. Chantal covers a number of topics, including: Leadership, Storytelling, Career Development and Inclusion. For example, Chantal delivers Indigenous Inclusion Recruiting and Retention sessions, for Indigenous Link clients and Mentoring sessions for MentorCity clients, in both official languages.

Chantal has close to 40 years of leadership experience, 27 years of experience in leadership roles as a community volunteer, and more than 20 years mentoring experience. Chantal first led virtual teams in 2009. In 2018, Chantal volunteered to be the Chair of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) Eastern Ontario Conference. As Chair, she leads a team of 30, most of whom are volunteers. The 2018 inaugural conference drew 150 people. In 2019, 250 people participated.
 
Chantal first became a community volunteer in 1993. She is currently a Mentor and the Eastern Ontario Conference Committee Chair with HRPA. Chantal is also the Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Trenton & District Club Past-President, the Gleaners Foodbank (Quinte) Inc. Treasurer, and is an editor for Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones. In addition, Chantal has served on not for profit boards with the Girl Guides of Canada, Kingston Daycare Inc., and the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre.

Chantal joined BPW in 2007. She held the roles of Club President and Past President, and spoke about the Women’s Empowerment Principles to local audiences and to MP Kirsty Duncan, when she was the Opposition Critic on Women’s issues. Since 2014, when Chantal became President, she forged partnerships on BPW’s behalf with the Quinte West Chamber of Commerce, the Centre for Workforce Development and the Women’s Small Business Network. In October 2015 the first annual Celebrating Women in Business Event was held during Quinte Business Week. Planning for the 6th annual event to be held on October 20, 2020 is underway.

Chantal Fraser holds an MBA from the Royal Military College of Canada and is a recipient of the HRPA Honourary Life Award.

For more information visit Empowered Path and/or Chantal Fraser's LinkedIn. 

If you’re a BPW Canada member, and you’d like to pick my brain to find out if I’m the right person for the job, I encourage you to contact me, through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or an email through my webpage, so we can set up a one on one phone call, video or WhatsApp chat.

Did you know that people can’t read your mind? That your boss can’t reliably guess that you want a lateral transfer? That your clients won’t guess you’d like more money? That your dream career might be a question away?

One of the lessons I learned early as a child, was to ask for what you want, because you might just get it. Best case scenario you get what you asked for. Worst case scenario, whoever you ask says “no.”
I’ve come to realize that this applies to many different facets of life. I’ve shared this teaching during a few different talks, where I also share the family legend that taught us this lesson. I’ve also shared the concept of asking for what you want with anyone who I come in contact with long enough to get mentored and/or coached.

Most recently, while volunteering at a local food bank, I participated in a send off for one of the summer employees, a university student who was going back to Ottawa to finish their final year at Carleton University.

One of the other people there asked what career the departing employee wanted to pursue after graduation. This resulted in a round robin of those of us with more experience sharing our thoughts to the young adults also present. My contribution was the advice to ask for what you wanted, because you just might get it.

This can apply to jobs, funding for a business or not for profit, the hourly rate you charge as a consultant, and pretty much anything else up to and including relationships.

Let’s focus on two examples.

I’m a member of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International). This year I’ve attended many virtual events hosted in Zoom. During a recent session I met an American woman veteran. We set up a follow-up Zoom meeting to chat about services that BPW could provide Military Affiliated Women (women who are serving military, veterans, or the spouse of someone in these categories). I have to admit Military Affiliated Women is the best name for this group of women that I’ve ever heard. My new friend Barbara Bozeman told me it wasn’t trademarked and we should use it widely, within BPW and beyond.

Barbara also shared a story about asking for what she wanted. A couple of years ago, she was organizing a working lunch with speakers to help raise funds for the Military Affiliated Women’s grant that her BPW group offers. While organizing the event she explored a number of catering websites, looking for an affordable option. The catering site that most appealed to her didn’t list any prices, it suggested that potential clients complete an online form explaining what their event was, including the purpose, and what sort of meals were being sought. The website stated that a quote would be sent to the client after the company reviewed their request. Barbara was looking for affordable, high quality food and catering. After the company read her submission, they came back with an offer to do the catering for free! You can’t get more affordable than that!

One of the most challenging things about running my own business is figuring out what to charge for my services. Over time, I’ve learned that it’s OK to ask for the fees you want from clients. Sometimes they say yes, which means if I’d asked for less, I would have left money on the table. Sometimes they negotiate for a fee that is more in line with their budget, and that’s OK! When both sides ask for what they want, and are willing to discuss the terms of the contract, both can walk away feeling like they’ve won. Because they asked for what they wanted.

I encourage you to ask for what you want, for your education, your work and your personal life. You might just get what you ask for! If you don’t, you can ask someone else, revise what you’re willing to accept, or stay with the status quo.  We all have so many opportunities!
 
​Post script
Sometimes people even offer to help without the ask. I'm grateful to Shawn Adams, Human Resources Management, Leadership & Management, Training & Development, Facilitation/Instruction, Guidance & Service Delivery Specialist, for pointing out a couple of typos which have been corrected!

This week I’d like to talk about leading volunteers. For example, as a Board member with a not for profit organization or in a professional association.

Volunteering to lead other volunteers, is a great way to get leadership experience, particularly if leading people is something you enjoy doing, and/or aspire to do in a professional capacity.

Leading volunteers can actually be more complex and challenging than leading people you’re being paid to lead. Volunteers agree to work because they believe in what they’re doing. They have the latitude to choose how much work they’re willing to do, and when they want to do it. If volunteers don’t like your leadership style, they will find somewhere else to volunteer. People will often stay in workplaces where they don’t agree with the leaders, or like their style of leadership, because they have bills to pay. If their work bosses abuse their authority, the paid workers will often choose to do the minimum possible amount of work, in as much time as they can, using what human resources professionals call “presenteeism” as their work ethic. Volunteers on the other hand, don’t stick around when the culture shifts to something contrary to their values. They find somewhere else to volunteer.

The key to leading volunteers is to get to know who they are, what they’re interested in, what their aptitudes and strengths are, what they aspire to accomplish both as volunteers and in the long term outside of volunteering. Give volunteers the training and resources to perform their roles, additional training if they aspire to do other roles, and the opportunity to try new things. If you have a group of teenagers volunteering with your organization, and two express an interest in leading others, split your teens into two groups and assign work to those groups, under the guidance of the budding leaders.  Be there to answer their questions, and provide encouraging words of advice, while still allowing them the opportunity to lead. The best practice is to give new leaders some training before assigning them that responsibility.

When you know what your volunteers like and are good at doing, you can assign people the tasks they are best suited for. Know what your volunteers don’t like to do, or are not good at, and avoid assigning them those tasks. For example, I’m quite happy to brainstorm strategic plans and help figure out where to get the resources needed to bring those plans to fruition. However, I know I’m not the right person to do detail work, such as keeping the books and creating financial records. I understand and can explain balance sheets and income statements, just don’t ask me to input the credits and debits in the books.

Everyone performs better when they are assigned roles that they enjoy, are good at, and want to do.  This is as true for volunteers as anyone else you’ll lead. If the majority of the tasks you assign to volunteers are things they don’t like, they’ll quit.

Setting clear objectives for your volunteers is important. They need to know what they’re working towards. People perform better whey they understand why they’ve been asked to do the work, and how it fits into the organization’s overall mission.
 
Another thing to consider, is that sometimes volunteer’s other commitments (family, work, life) get in the way of them completing their tasks. I recommend setting aspirational due dates for deliverables and creating back-up plans such as knowing which volunteers can take over additional tasks, if others are unable to complete their work.

It's important to check in with your volunteers, to learn what progress they’ve made, and to keep them in the loop about what others are doing, so they understand how they fit into the big picture, and they feel a sense of group accomplishment. While you’re doing those check ins, thank your volunteers by name for what they’ve accomplished.

How often you meet with your volunteers depends on the sort of work you’re doing together. You may check in on a weekly basis when working on a short term project. When leading a large project, you may check in on a monthly basis until the last month or two of the project’s completion, when it’s a good idea to check in more often with key volunteers.

I’ve been leading people for close to 40 years. About 25 years ago, while still serving as an officer in the Canadian military, I started leading other volunteers. I’ve led volunteers with the Girl Guides of Canada, with the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Trenton & District Club and with the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). Since January 2018, I’ve been the HRPA Eastern Ontario (#HRPAEastern) Conference Planning Committee Chair. The Committee includes up to 30 people, most of whom are volunteers. A few paid HRPA staff help out. The inaugural #HRPAEastern Conference held in September 2018 drew 150 participants, the September 2019 conference drew 250 participants. The next #HRPAEastern conference was postponed to 2021. I’m confident that it will be even bigger and more successful.

If you aspire to hone your leadership skills, I recommend that you step up at work or in a volunteer capacity, to lead others. The best way to get better at leading, is to practice. If you want a real challenge – volunteer to lead volunteers!

I would love to learn from your stories about leading volunteers and/or volunteering to lead. 

Early this week I watched a #BPWGoesDigital webinar called “The BLOG for BPW Communication” presented by Opeyemi Adeneye (BPW Nigeria). This 30-minutes video includes a short history of blogging and fabulous advice about how to use blogging to engage audiences and build communities.  The lessons that Opeyemi shared with members of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) are transferable.

The thing that I found most intriguing was that Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are micro-blogging sites. I set that thought aside, and carried on with my “to do” list.  On Thursday, I found myself responding to requests for career and coaching advice in a Facebook group. I’m new to the group, and I was impressed with the advice that others offered. There are many amazing, knowledgeable people in our world. It occurred to me that the advice I shared could be the basis for this week’s blog.

One person was trying to decide if it was worth the investment to work with an accountability coach.  Several others in the group provided great advice. Here is an edited version of what I wrote:

Businesses take time and energy to grow. It's OK to go slow to start, to make sure that the business you're growing is the one you want. To grow it at a pace that works for you, so that you still have time for all the important aspects of your life. For example, the job paying your bills, getting time to rest and refresh your energy, time to grow your business, and for everything else that is important to you.

If you're getting an accountability coach because others have told you that your business should grow faster, I'd recommend doing some serious reflection before moving ahead. You have to find the pace that works for you.

If this is something you want, and are determined to do, and it will affect family finances, then an honest discussion with your family is important to set the conditions for success. Having a supportive spouse and/or family, who are willing to cut back on family expenses, so you can pursue your dream, makes all the difference in the world. Hopefully your family will pitch in to help out on the home front, and be willing to do what they can to support your business growth.

The example I shared to illustrate this teaching was that on Wednesday night during the BPW Trenton & District Club meeting I met a couple of women who decided to launch their own business. Kate & Davelynn, launched The County Emporium a community gathering space with a shop that sells locally made products. One of their husband's quit his job to become the primary care-giver for their two children under four years old, while his wife pursues her dream with her business partner. He also does maintenance at the business, and took over sales while we held our meeting.

An hour before I wrote that response, I’d responded to an anonymous request for advice about what to do when you’re head-hunted by one of your employer’s competitors. Again, there was lots of fabulous advice shared by others. Here’s an edited version of my response to the question about what to do when you’re being head-hunted.

I'd like to add that it's also important to listen to your intuition. Specifically, when it comes to organizational culture. Do you feel happy working where you are? If yes, then seriously consider if the organizational culture and co-workers at the new location would make you at least as happy.

Pick the organization whose values most closely align with yours. If you choose one employer over another for more money, but don't agree with their organizational culture, then you'll chance making yourself miserable. No amount of money makes it worth working for an organization whose values are contrary to your own. We spend too much time at work to stay where we are uncomfortable.

You are your own best career manager. The only person you should listen to about what job to take, is you. There is no need to feel guilty about considering a move. Your current employer has helped you get to where you are. If they are good leaders, and they can't match the opportunities, pay, or experiences that the new employer offers, your employers will be happy for your success. If they are bad leaders, and likely to be petty about you considering a move, then you should leave that employer as fast as practical.

After writing these pieces of what I consider micro-coaching, it occurred to me that the responses were also micro blogs. Snippets of my knowledge and experience, which may be useful to others.

One more piece of advice from Opeyemi’s video for today - change up your blog, to keep it interesting and relevant for your readers.

Since one of the services I offer is career coaching, this week’s blog is relevant to at least some of my audience! I’d like to change it up by asking you to answer at least one of the following questions:

1. What do you think about the advice I shared in these Facebook micro blogs?
2. Would you like me to share more of this sort of advice in my weekly blog?
3. What would you like me to blog about? 
4. I’d like to know what you think about micro blogging - does it work?

Leadership has been one of my special interests since I was a teen. My time in the Air Cadets followed by a military career, literally gave me decades to study and practice leadership. As a veteran, I lead different groups of people.

My core leadership values remain essentially the same as when I graduated from Military College. I continually adapt the practical application as I refine my leadership, by learning and adopting new techniques and tools. My leadership approach is pretty much the same whether someone has officially granted me the authority to lead or not.

I’ve held formal leadership roles as a senior officer, on not for profit boards, and in my professional associations. I’ve also acted as an informal leader in many different situations.

As a veteran, some people assume that the type of leadership I’m most comfortable with is a strict hierarchy, with top down direction.

I’ve come across hundreds of leadership models and definitions.  When I Googled “leadership definition” I was offered more than 2 billion places to visit.
 
I learned of the leadership model that most closely reflected my style as a military leader in 2000 or 2001, when I first learned of the Transformational Leadership model. In 1997, Peter Northouse wrote in the book Leadership: Theory and Practice that “… transformational leadership refers to the process whereby an individual engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential.” This spoke to me, because I’ve long believed that leadership was about more than telling people what to do, and expecting them to do it.

Even in a hierarchical organization, you can choose to be a transformational leader, helping everyone on your team reach their full potential. I know that’s what I try to do.

I recognize that in many situations it is important to have a formal leader. In military units, it’s important to know who is the one responsible for making life and death decisions. In many organizations, it’s important to have a formal leader to make financial and other business decisions. Most communities have elected leaders, with one leader being responsible to speak on behalf of that community.

A few years ago, I learned that in Nunavut, in the lands we call Canada, the elected leaders work collaboratively when making decisions. Once a General election is over, the elected Members of the Legislative Assembly meet amongst themselves to elect the Speaker, Premier and Ministers in a secret ballot.  The process is open to the public. They also hold a Mid-Term Leadership Review.
 
Many of the leadership positions I’ve held as a volunteer came about by consensus, as all the volunteers involved met and decided who should be the titular head for our group.

Sometimes leadership opportunities show up when you least expect them. The challenge is determining if you have the energy, will and interest in taking on new leadership roles. If the leadership role is for an organization that shares your values, and is one that you feel you can do, then you owe it to yourself and the people you might lead, to invest the time to explore the opportunity further, before making your decision.

Sometimes, your knee jerk reaction is going to be “NO!” or “Why me?” I urge you to consider the impact you could have by taking on that type of new leadership role.
 
Your leadership opportunities could include roles such as: running for your municipal council, applying for a new job, or being nominated for a volunteer opportunity. If you think that you could be the right person for a new leadership role then I encourage you to go for it!

In answer to the question in the title “Leadership: hierarchy or consensus?” my answer is it depends. Not every decision is a binary one!
​
Which leadership model do you prefer?

I live in Ontario, Canada, where High School students are normally required to complete 40 hours of volunteering to graduate.  According to the Ontario Ministry of Education website this has been a requirement since the 1999/2000 academic year and “The purpose of the community involvement requirement is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play and the contributions they can make in supporting and strengthening their communities.” I believe that most people don’t realize how beneficial volunteering can be.
 
I recommend volunteering to anyone trying to find a new job, career path, or way to practice skills they want to do in future roles. For example, if someone wants to be hired for a role where they need financial literacy, such as interpreting an organization’s income statements and balance sheets, they could volunteer to be the Treasurer of a not for profit organization. Their volunteer role highlights their capability to perform this transferable.

A realistic job preview is when a candidate gets the opportunity to try on a job for size. Some organizations offer paid training periods to learn what it would be like to work for them. Many offer internships, both paid and unpaid, as a form of realistic job preview, that also has the benefit of giving a candidate some experience in that field. Volunteering is another way to get a realistic job preview.  The advantage of being a volunteer, is that if you didn’t like the role, you don’t have to mention it when looking for a new job.  You can choose to only mention volunteer gigs that are applicable to the role you aspire to, the ones that gave you relevant experience.

Volunteering is also a great way to network. Especially for those who are uncomfortable participating in what most people consider to be networking, that is meeting and greeting strangers at an event.  While you’re volunteering, you get to meet new people who presumably have at least some interests in common with you, as you’re both volunteering at the same organization. As volunteers, you have specific tasks to complete, which means that you have something to talk about. Most volunteers have networks, people they know who work in a variety of fields.  As you get to know each other, and they see your work, they may ask if they can introduce you to people in the career field that you’re interested in.

Did you know that the vast majority of jobs are still filled by word of mouth? People know someone is hiring, and they share that information with someone they think would be a good fit. A lot of people don’t realize that small businesses employ about 70% of those working in Ontario. Many small businesses don’t have human resources departments. They rely on word of mouth, local employment services agencies, co-op and summer jobs programs, to find new employees.

The people you volunteer for, are a great source of references. Especially if you’re new to the job market and don’t have a lot of paid experience.

There are other reasons to volunteer, beyond the mercenary ones of getting job experience, good references and expanding your network. If you choose to volunteer for roles that interest you, with organizations who share your values, then you’ll find the experience rewarding because you’ll feel good about what you accomplish.

The vast majority of the volunteer roles I’ve undertaken over the past 40 years, have been with organizations who influence positive social change and help others thrive. For example as a Girl Guide leader, I helped adolescent and teenaged girls learn leadership and organizational skills. I learned as much about arts, crafts and camping from the other leaders as the girls did. I also got to learn how to lead volunteers as I held different roles within the Girl Guide Districts and Divisions that I volunteered with. These leadership lessons were transferable to some of the projects I’ve completed with other groups of volunteers since then.

In my last few years within the military, working full time, studying part time, as a spouse, and the parent of young children, many people asked me why I still volunteered. I chose to volunteer, because I enjoyed feeling like I was paying forward some of what I’d learned. I also like helping people thrive.  When I became a veteran, I chose to change the focus of my volunteer roles, to become more active in my professional associations. I volunteered because I enjoyed it, and at the same time, it gave me the opportunity to expand my network beyond the military and veterans’ organizations. Being a volunteer eventually led to paying gigs as an entrepreneur.

In answer to my question, in the title, “Volunteering, why bother?” There is always something to learn in new experiences. Volunteer with organizations that share your values, to do things that you enjoy doing, or would like to try doing. The benefits may include some or all of the following: teach you transferable skills, expand your network, give you leads for jobs that are not publicly posted, give your references, give you business ideas, and may even help you feel a sense of accomplishment.

What sort of volunteer roles do you enjoy?

I’ve had the privilege of being mentored since I was a teenager, first by my parents and their military friends and more recently by business mentors. I’ve been actively mentoring other people for the more than 20 years. I’ve also been privileged to participate in peer mentorship. Every time I’m involved in mentorship regardless of the role, I learn something new.
 
Essentially, mentorship is when people act as trusted thought partners, helping each other out.  Mentorship partners also celebrate each others success. This week’s blog suggests ideas about where to find mentors.

Sometimes mentors show up when you least expect them. At my sister’s wedding, several of my parents’ friends made a point of seeking me out and sharing their advice on what I could do to help my military career. As a newly commissioned officer, I decided to listen and take note of what they said.  One after another they shared essentially the same advice. I figured that since most of them were senior officers they probably knew what they were talking about. The lessons they shared helped me map out a successful military career.

Since becoming a veteran, I’ve actively participated in mentorship through my professional associations. As a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) I’ve had access to mentors and mentees through a Canadian online platform called MentorCity. Another of my professional associations – the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW Canada) has a more organic informal approach. BPW Canada members sometimes choose to enter peer mentoring relationships.

In June this year, I participated as a speaker in "Mentoring Models & Programmes" an international webinar, hosted by the Leadership in BPW Webinar Series. During that session I learned about two other BPW mentorship models

Lena Wong, Programme Chair, BPW Hong Kong told us about a 1-1-1 mentorship model. Where BPW Hong Kong members acted as a bridge between: Professional women who acted as the Mentor and University women. Ten teams of three worked together over a four-month period on project ideas to address social issues.
 
Sindy Leung, Immediate Past President, BPW Hong Kong told us about Reverse Mentorship where young BPW members shared their knowledge with those who had more life experience. I know that reverse mentoring works. One of my mentees taught me where I could find free quality online photos.  Another mentee invited me to write an article for the Ottawa Business Journal.
 
During the Mentoring Models & Programmes session, I talked about the MentorCity platform, and its flexibility when used as an enterprise tool to host mentorship programs.  By the way, MentorCity offers a free version available to everyone.

When I became an entrepreneur, my father who started a consulting company several years before, once again became one of my active mentors. I’ve also had the privilege of several entrepreneurs in the Bay of Quinte sharing their wisdom with me. The Small Business Centre regularly hosts free learning sessions. One of their recent sessions was on Mentorship! If you’re thinking of starting your own business, or you already have, I recommend signing up for the Small Business Centre newsletter to keep up to date on the wide variety of valuable learning sessions, where you just might meet the right mentor for you.

Another opportunity to meet potential mentors is participating in the annual Quinte Business Week events put on by the Bay of Quinte region chambers of commerce. Each October, while the rest of Canada celebrates Small Business Week, the Bay of Quinte region puts on several networking events and free training sessions. Mark your calendars, the next Quinte Business Week is scheduled for October 19-23, 2020.

For a successful mentorship, you need a certain level of trust. While some people are comfortable talking about burning issues immediately upon meeting, the majority prefer to build at least a modicum of rapport before getting down to business. If you’re on the look out for a mentoring relationship start with those you already know and trust. If they’re not the right match for you, or they don't have the time to mentor right now, they may be able to refer you to someone else.

​Where did you find your mentor(s)?

I’ve worn glasses for more than 40 years. I am visually impaired to the point that without my glasses, I could not legally drive a vehicle. The first thing I do on waking is put on my glasses. I consider myself to be healthy, and am grateful that my body is fit enough to allow me to do pretty much anything I want to. Many of the people I know wear glasses, they’ve become so normalized that most of us don’t think of people wearing glasses as disabled.

This week I underwent dental surgery. The recovery has given me first hand experience about living life without being able to clearly articulate my thoughts using my voice. For the first 14 hours after the surgery I alternately slept and woke long enough to drink water to stay hydrated and take over the counter medicine to deal with swelling and pain.

When I eventually got up, with enough energy to move around and login to my laptop, I had no desire to eat or drink. Eventually I was hungry enough that I tried some yogurt and other soft foods. I quickly realized that the dentist’s advice to limit speaking was important for several reasons, beyond helping my mouth heal.

It literally hurt to talk; my jaw and tongue ached. I had arrogantly booked meetings for the afternoon after my surgery, confident that I would bounce back quickly and be ready to resume my regular activities within 24 hours. I was wrong!

Luckily, my colleagues are incredibly patient, and I was able to rebook all but one meeting to next week. The one meeting I attended, involved a lot of written prep work, and a colleague took over the main speaking role. She did a fabulous job. By the time that meeting came to be, I was able to speak clearly enough to interject a few slurred and mumbled thoughts of my own. The others at the meeting knew that this was temporary and knew me well enough to make allowances.

I continue to heal and feel better as every hour passes. As I get set to publish this blog, 3 days after the surgery, I can now hold short conversations and I’m close to sounding how I normally do. I am confident that I’ll have a full recovery. That being said, I make my living by sharing words, quite often through speaking engagements and live coaching sessions. So I hope I'm right.

A colleague shared a thought with me earlier this week, “You can’t truly understand equity, diversity and inclusion, unless you’ve been part of an excluded group.” I think this is particularly true for understanding the lives of disabled people. You can’t truly understand what it is like to be disabled, unless you’ve experienced living with a disability, even if only temporarily.

I can illustrate this for you with a story. The morning after my surgery, while I was feeling alert, yet still unable to talk, I saw a notice from a woman I admire, saying that she was holding a virtual tea to share a lesson on her area of expertise. I’ve long enjoyed her posts, so I signed up, figuring I’d be one of dozens of people attending, and wouldn’t need to speak. When I arrived, there were only 9 people in the session. I was familiar with the tech used, and noted in the chat that I couldn’t speak and why.  After the training was over, she did what good facilitators do and made sure to engage everyone in the discussion. My note about not speaking had slipped off the screen. She tried to get me to speak. I typed another comment, which she must have missed because she kept urging me to speak. Finally, I unmuted long enough to mumble “can’t talk, hurts” and went back to typing my responses. The woman holding the virtual tea was trying to be inclusive. She meant well, it simply never occurred to her that I might not be able to talk.

The last few days have given me a glimpse into living with an invisible disability. If you “look” able bodied, it’s difficult for others to believe that you’re disabled.

All this has led me to more deeply understand how important it is to make all workplaces, products and services accessible to everyone. It’s added to the lessons my disabled colleagues share on social media about how being able to work/learn remotely makes their lives easier, and how they hope that these options continue to exist after the pandemic. In addition, it's helped me understand that online resources should be as accessible as possible, which includes providing content that is accessible for people with invisible disabilities, such as the blind/visually impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, and those with different ways of processing information such as autistic people and people with ADHD.
 
We have the technology, let's invest in making content accessible so that everyone has the opportunity to thrive. In Canada, this also means ensuring that everyone has access to affordable broadband internet services. This is especially important to those in rural and remote communities.

I hope that this post has helped you understand the importance of creating accessible content. I’ve started to explore ways to make this website and my other online content more accessible. Won’t you join me?

This week’s blog was inspired by threads and posts I’ve read on social media about what returning to school will look like this Fall.

Our family has two teens at home who plan on being in High School this Fall. They plan on attending different High Schools, and we support their choices. Encouraging your teens to make decisions about their futures while young, helps prepare them for making more complicated life choices later on.

When the eldest of the two still in High School first told us they wanted to attend a High School that we hadn’t even considered as an option, they shared the pros and cons of attending that school, and changing school boards. We listened, and then learned as much about that school as possible before agreeing to that course of action.

Everything I read, from the school website to the transfer paperwork available online, told the story of an inclusive, open minded organization, where all students, from all ethnicities, backgrounds, genders and abilities were welcome. We set up a tour for a day when classes were in session. The principal took a few minutes out of her busy day to show us around the school, and then turned us over to another staff member to complete the rest of the registration process, including course selection.

Our child is thriving in that school. They have found their people, people who like them for who they are, who appreciate them for their strengths and enjoy their quirks. When the pandemic shut down high schools, that school and the board it belonged to were extremely proactive. They messaged families to explain how those without technology and internet access would be provided with both.  They regularly messaged families, through email, and the online platform they already used to communicate with families and students.

When the Minister of Education for the province of Ontario announced that schools would open this Fall, under an as yet to be determined model, with a maximum class size of 15 students, the school board emailed all families, and asked for our feedback. They outlined the known conditions about returning to school, and assured us that they would do everything they could to help keep our families safe. They assured us that online learning would be available for the days when the students were at home. They also outlined three potential courses of action. Student cohorts could be taught in an ABAB, AABB, or AAAA/BBBB format. They asked us which schedule we preferred, and if we knew if we planned on sending our children back to school or not this Fall.

The school board also asked families to participate in an asynchronous online brainstorming session.  Families were asked to input our top concerns and to rate at least 10 ideas shared by other families. Our family input 5 concerns, with our teen’s input, then rated over 100 ideas shared by others.

The school board shared a summary of the brainstorming session results with all families by email. I know that 40% of the families who participated voted for alternate days attendance. That means this Fall, our teen attending that high school, will go to classes with their peers on either Mon/Wed/alternate Fridays, or Tue/Thu/alternate Fridays. I know that their peers who have siblings attending different schools in that board, will be attending school the same day as their younger siblings. That means families will know what days they have to plan child care for, and if there are older children in the families, they can be the child care plan for the other children living in their home.

I mentioned we have two teens planning to be in high school this Fall. The only communication I’ve received from the younger teen’s school board and new high school about returning to school, is a notice (by phone and email) that the school board is considering options, and an email about how and where to buy school uniforms. This teen is going through a growth spurt, so we’ll wait for August before ordering any uniform pieces.
 
This teen chose to attend a completely different high school from their older siblings. They decided they want to sign up for an International Baccalaureate (IB) program, to set them on the path for success for further education. This teen needed a little more nudging to examine the pros and cons.  Once they made a decision, they were ready to press ahead and make it happen. We made arrangements to visit the school during a PA day, and ended up spending over an hour with the IB program coordinator. I watched my teen do their first interview with an adult making choices about their suitability for something they wanted. Then we toured the school, met the principal and other staff. Once again, I was impressed by the inclusiveness of the school my child had found.
 
Everyone we met during that visit, and the visits that followed, were welcoming and friendly. The vibe of the school (a sign of its organizational culture) was upbeat and positive. The principal, a person who’d been principal to schools my children had attended previously, was happy and relaxed. We started completing the paperwork after the first visit.
 
Even though the second school board and high school have not communicated their plan to parents yet, or even engaged us in the discussion, everything I know about them suggests that I can trust them with my child’s safety. If I didn’t trust them, I’d be lobbying the high school and the school board for more information.
 
Why am I sharing this story with you? I know that there are many parents that are anxious about sending their children back to school this Fall. I know that there are school staff, including teachers and everyone else who works in schools, who are anxious about the pandemic and their at-risk family members.
 
I truly believe that if we work together, making contingency plans for those who will choose to work/learn from home, and those who will pursue a blended option, while taking all reasonable precautions to keep everyone safe, then we will find solutions that work, and help our youth learn the things they need to thrive in our new normal. Whatever that is. Examining known conditions, planning for the unexpected, and having several back up plans in place before they’re needed, is an excellent way to combat anxiety.