Reinvention – Leadership Questions

I must admit Reinvention: Changing your life, your career, your future by Arlene Dickinson, this month in our Leadership Book Club was a quick read – the mixture of stories and ideas had me bursting through the content.

Some people in our group found it hit a sweet spot – opening up a conversation they had been itching to have about what really mattered to them, and how they could get more of that in their day to day life (both at work and personally).  Others found,it may be easy to read this book without doing the hard work that comes next…

Leadership Book Club (2020)

After the launch of the Leadership Book Club last year, it is back  – and (hopefully) better than ever! If you didn’t get a chance to participate last year, we covered 4 leadership books over the year, sharing 10 questions you could use to lead your own group on this blog.

This year we’re going to try a slight pivot – moving to a few more books and a few less questions. I’m thrilled to get another chance to meet with inquisitive minds to share different perspectives and personal experiences on a host of leadership topics.  I hope you consider joining in – either sharing in the comments below, or starting your own book club group!

The following six books are on the 2020 roster, in case you’ll be joining in:

Never Split the Difference – Leadership Questions

The third book in our the Leadership Book Club (2019) was Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it by Chris Voss. This is likely my favorite of the series so far – for it’s counter-intuitive yet practical strategies, not only to win at negotiations but to manage conflict better (both at work, and in personal relationships).

Would love to know your thoughts on the following questions in the comments below (and/or use them with your own book club group) :

Dare to Lead – Leadership Questions

The second book in our the Leadership Book Club (2019) was Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. As we were finishing the book, Brene’s Netflix special – ‘the Call to Courage’ came out, which is a must see if you don’t have time to read the book!

As promised, here are some questions to spark conversation – feel free to use with your own book club group, and/or engage in the discussion below in the comments section:

Herding Tigers – Leadership Questions

The first book in the Leadership Book Club (2019) is Herding Tigers: Be the Leader that Creative People Need by Todd Henry.  If you haven’t already picked up a copy and devoured the contents, you need to pronto! This book is one that will stay on my shelves for reference.

As promised, here are some questions – feel free to use with your own book club group, and/or engage in discussion below in the comments section:

Leadership Book Club (2019)

A couple months ago, while curled up leisurely reading in front of a roaring fire, with my bestie at Nordik Spa (here in Ottawa) – an unexpected conversation launched with two other spa-goers inquiring about the books we were reading.

There was laughter. There was insight. It was awesome.

I left feeling more connected, uplifted, and motivated – longing to keep that sort of energy going, I posted on social media about wanting to start a Leadership Book Club.

Inspirational Person: Marilyn Spink, Engineering Advocate

Marilyn Spink has spent her 30-year career in Engineering (working on projects in mining, pulp and paper industries, steelmaking operations, and consulting engineering). She has led and supported teams of professional engineers and designers to complete projects around the world. She is a licensed professional engineer and a member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). In 2014, she was appointed by Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor to Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) and is currently Vice President Appointed. Spink is married to Jamie Gerson, also a professional engineer, who is extremely supportive of all her interests and a wonderful father to their three children.

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What has been one of the most rewarding parts of your career?

Building stuff and helping people. It is rewarding to see your ideas become real and improve the lives of the people who use whatever you built, or grow from the advice you have provided to them. I am always learning, but the more I learn the more I realize don’t know. My learning is mostly about self-discovery these days. I need to speak less and listen more!

With only 11% of Professional Engineers in Ontario being women, what unique value do you think the female perspective brings to solving Engineering problems?

Women are socialized differently than men. The unique value women bring to solving Engineering problems is simply a different perspective – period. A bunch of similar people (age, race, gender, backgrounds) speaking & working with one another hinders

The simple art of saying no & letting go.

It’s not easy, is it? Letting go of things, even if they aren’t good for us. There is a strange comfort in what we have become used to – whether that be clutter or emotional stresses – despite their toxicity.

I know that a house with less ‘stuff’ is what I ultimately want, but yet I still struggle with letting go of certain items(especially those with sentimental value). Equally so, I know I want a life where I prioritize the most positive and uplifting relationships, but I have struggled with setting boundaries and learning how to say ‘no’ in order to have the freedom to say ‘yes’ where and when it counts.

Healthy boundaries are not walls. They are gates and fences that allow you to enjoy the beauty of your own garden.  – Lydia Hall

New Year, New Challenge: Simplify.

Every year, I take on a challenge. Something that gets me closer to living a life inline with my values. It allows me to focus on one thing – and usually see some significant strides in that area – rather than tackling everything at once.

This past year, I completed a STUFF Project. It included going through all of the things in my condo and storage. Piece by piece. I would be lying if I said that it was easy, took only a couple of weekends, or that I enjoyed the process. It was quite stressful, as I thrive in clean and uncluttered spaces, and the process involved ripping apart well hidden pockets of forgotten items in boxes/bins/drawers and the resulting boxes piled up in the hallways.

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” – Antoine de Saint–Exupery

It made me realize how many things I still have, and how much work could be done to simplify my life. That’s why this year, I want to take an even deeper look at how I got here in the first place.

STUFF Project: Purge 5 things a week

As I began to look at where to start in order to change my relationship with what I own, it didn’t take too much investigating to realize something glaringly obvious:

I have too much STUFF.

From a front closet bursting with bins, to a bedroom which boasts in functionality but lacks in peacefulness, to a storage unit which is filled to the brim (and occasionally overflows when some unsuspecting visitor opens it); impressive organizational skills are able to disguise but not truly address my problem.