Inspiration

This past weekend I had the opportunity to sit amongst other Trustee Candidates (public and separate) having meaningful conversations about education. ARTES, the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Edmonton Schools, generously arranges and hosts these meetings and often arranges guest speakers to add value to the content and quality of the meetings.

Our guest speaker was none other than Sue Huff, the Ward C EPSB Trustee from 2007 – 2010. Sue came to us with her thoughts outlined and with the intention of having a conversation about the role of Trustee. Her delineation was thought provoking, stimulating and illuminating for me in my pursuit of this role and is impacting my thinking this week as I further consider my ‘Why?’.

One topic that rose to the surfaced was in regards to the corporate culture, if you will,  of Edmonton Public and the need to explore the heart of the matter,  the ‘way of being’ that is lived currently. I realized that my experience in leadership will be crucial as we explore ways to uncover the heart of the matter for the 8 000 people who work for the district.

Sue shared an awesome acronym (CHEAP BFNV) that I am compelled to share since it specifically identified the requirements we should have as leaders as we help an organization grow, evolve, and become the best it can be. Like many large organizations the culture can be defined and modeled by senior leaders but only becomes a real culture when it is lived and breathed by the people within in.

I am excited about positively impacting the EPSB culture.