Military strategists spend significant energy and time contemplating the relative value of retreating, holding the battle line, or exploding with unexpected force to secure that next foothold. I’ve been thinking lately about how someone in an interim role (me, in this case) can apply this analogy to contemplate possible paths for most effectively leading an organization, for a time-limited period, at a specific moment in the organization’s life cycle. [more ...]

Successful leaders don’t focus on their own brilliance; they seek out and cultivate brilliance from those around them. Successful leaders don’t believe they have all the right expertise and answers; they proactively invite a variety of perspectives so they can make the best decisions.

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Today's guest post comes to us from Jaime at Fierce, Inc. We are thrilled to welcome Fierce to Vancouver for Leaders Forum 2012, being held October 18 at the SFU Segal Graduate School. Stay tuned for more information. We'll let you know as soon as tickets are on sale.

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By Jennifer Carreiro, Customer Relations Specialist & Guest Contrbutor Erik Talkin, Executive Director, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

At Vantage Point, we're all about leadership. It's front and centre in our mission, and we’ve been thinking lately about how effective we are at communicating our culture of leadership to those we engage as internal and external talent. [more ...]

You have to keep close to keep warm. The further away you move, the less connected you feel to the warmth. A member of one of our Task Forces recently used this analogy to explain how critical it was for us to stay close to our Vantage Point people. [more ...]

**First in a series relating to a recent “experiment” in succession planning

At Vantage Point, we love a good experiment.  Recently, that sprit has led to some new adventures – and lessons learned – in the areas of leadership development, team building and succession planning.

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By Lynda Gerty, Director of [we don't know yet!*]

Leave of absence. Professional development. 

Do those two words sound the same to you? Or are they polar opposites?

Luckily for me, at Vantage Point we believe the former. [more ...]

We are very excited Canada's Governor General is focusing on community engagement!

We have worked with volunteers, and in the field of volunteer leadership for years. So we have huge belief in the concept, and agree volunteering is part of being Canadian. Like the Governor General, we see the way people want to be engaged in their communities is changing – and a new definition of volunteering is required.  How wonderful to see a public figure insist on this so passionately.

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"One thing they never tell you about child raising is that
the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected
to know your child's name and how old he or she is."    
- Erma Bombeck [more ...]

Since hosting the 2010 Olympics, all levels of government have showed renewed interest in volunteerism. Locally and nationally, our elected representatives are convening conversations, seeking recommendations, and considering how to protect and encourage this valuable "natural resource." [more ...]