This is my first blog and I am not sure what to say. I am choosing to go with my passion for discovering the leader in all of us. For me there is an immense humility in being open and curious to learn from others – there is also a concurrent accountability to share wisdom and teach others when there is something to offer and others are open to learning. This is a big part of what leadership means to me. As I get closer to the last few years of my career here at Sunnybrook I am even more certain that the “soft” stuff is the hard stuff. What I mean by this is that human relationships, not tasks, are the foundation and fertile ground for nearly everything we do. When we interact with others as teacher, learner, or leader, we are often unaware of our sometimes profound impact.
A couple of months ago I heard from someone with whom I apparently had a conversation over 20 years ago. She mentioned that the conversation influenced her career path and she attributes her current success to what we discussed. I don’t remember having that conversation – I didn’t even remember who she was. How frightening and powerful is that? We can have moments of influence that shape someone’s future and we are totally unaware of the consequences. Every contact with another person is an opportunity to influence either positively or negatively – we have a choice. What may seem insignificant to us may be powerful for someone else.
Below is a link I hope you will enjoy. It is about moments when we matter most – as teachers, learners and leaders.
Wendy Macdonald, Director Organizational Development
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Organizational Development, Room H110
2075 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M4N 3M5
416.480.6100 x 2000
FAX 416.480.6006
