"Mirror, mirror, on the wall..."



"Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors; our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be".

- Elizabeth Fishel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Day EWI!

 

Well, as promised, I have lots to share with you today!  First and foremost though, I want to tip my hat in acknowledgment to Benita Collins and Mary Helen Johnston, our two Texans on the Corporate board,  for jumping into a snowbank with gusto!  We dared them to get in there and make snow angels last weekend at our retreat in Lake Louise.  They threw all reservations aside and found their inner child which was a delight to watch!

 

I am always in awe of these women I walk beside for EWI this year and none more so than a week ago today.  We started out our weekend with a full day, facilitator led, workshop on Leading with Emotional Intelligence.  This is never an easy subject to delve into as it can be a very raw experience.  Holding a mirror up to oneself is a brave and courageous act and I thank the board for agreeing to participate in this critical piece of leadership development.  The firms of the board members funded this training and I want to thank them for recognizing the value of developing their staff in this way.  In addition to discovering the growth opportunities for me personally, I was very curious to observe the model unfold as I truly believe this is one area we must strive to train our members in via our Academy of Leadership.  I know I can say without a doubt that each of us walked away with lots to ponder and act upon in our path for personal excellence.

 

The rest of the weekend was spent on two very long meeting agendas (EWI and B/C/DP), which thankfully, we were able to focus upon and finish up just before our 8pm dinner on Saturday night.

 

We reviewed the October financials of course and in addition, all the tremendous work that our Corporate Chairs and their committees have undertaken:  the membership survey results, draft documents for Board Governance, LCAM 2013 schedule, sponsorships and speakers, our responses to the RFP for legal counsel, LCAM 2014, Bylaws survey, new revenue opportunities for website firm to firm engagement, Personnel Committee, Office review and finally a plan to update the Corporate Procedure Manual, the Accounting Procedure Manual and the Annual Meeting Procedure Manual.  Whew, and that was just the EWI agenda! 

 

In the B/C/DP meeting we again reviewed October financials but also reviewed the B/C/DP Procedure Manual and the plan to update it, recommended dba names for B/C/DP, the LCAM literacy initiative survey, a potential 2013 Summit  and whether or not we can be using FAFSA for ASIST and EWISP financial criteria.

 

We then cross-checked all of this to the Strategic Plan and I was really surprised as we went through it and I could say, "check, check, check"!  I think I sometimes get lost in the trees and cannot see the forest, so to speak.  A very useful and necessary exercise to ensure you are on track with the plan.

 

I know I can't leave you dangling, so will tell you that we did choose to retain Astill Law again for another year, with an option for a second year extension.  A huge thank you to all of our member firms who responded to the RFP and my hearty congratulations to Dennis and his team.

 

The deadline for applications for the Executive Director position was last week and now we enter the decision making process; interviewing, full background and credential screening, references, etc.  My deepest thanks to Carolyn, Ronwyn, Lisa, Karen Thompson and Verla Kelly.  We are confident that we can have a new ED in place for the start of January, which makes me VERY happy!

 

All other updates arising from the meeting will have to wait until they have committee approval and/or undergo further analysis.  Stay tuned though as it is going to be an exciting year for EWI!

 

It was very sad to say good-bye to my fellow board members on Sunday, but now we can get back to the work of EWI until we meet again face to face!  I love you all!

 

My wish is that all of us within EWI can take the weekend ahead and make a difference somehow, either in the lives of our family members, friends or complete strangers.  Tiff and I are going to man the Salvation Army kettle tomorrow outside the Canadian Tire store in Shawnessy from 11 - 2pm.  All of you in Calgary - I encourage you to drop by and make our day!  Tonight we are putting up our tree, tomorrow night friends are here for dinner and will help us with the annual Poppycock making marathon (100 cups of popcorn)!  Sunday will be fun too...Christmas cards and my Great nephew Oliver's 2nd birthday!

 

I must say that I am feeling quite calm as I got the majority of my shopping done this week online through Plan Canada.  We are giving maternity beds, fuel efficient stoves, literacy for women, pharmacy supplies, classroom essentials, goats, rabbits and chickens and even a mango tree!  All of our donations made in honour of our family members are matched through corporations and grants x5 on average, so the impact is huge and meaningful for those in need throughout the world!  Makes us feel very good!  Check out UNICEF or CARE in the U.S. if you are so inclined to as they too have great gift packages you can buy for loved ones instead of  buying them things they really don't need. 

 

Have a great weekend and Ho Ho Ho!

 

With love,

K