Behind the curtain of an opportunity...

Recently I've found myself involved in a number of conversations regarding opportunities and opportunity management — What they are, how to find them, and how do you manage opportunities to reality. If you are in Sales and Marketing you're most likely aware of the real science behind lead generation and opportunity management: an area of business interest is defined, activities to build customer connection and customer interest are created, and finally a process to realize that interest (or lead) in the form of a sale.

Classically depicted as a funnel to illustrate the progression of leads through opportunities to a final win or a loss, this process can range from something relatively simple to extremely elaborate; more often than not it also becomes an important metric to indicate marketing and sales activity, as well as a component of the forecasting activity. It is a core consideration for anyone in the commercial function, and particularly if you are responsible for a revenue target.

The Sales and Marketing opportunity funnel is a nice illustration of something very fundamental when considering opportunities of any nature... opportunities are not the result of wishing or dreaming but a result of doing — There is nothing passive about an opportunity. Only action will find an opportunity and only action will make it real. This is why I like the illustration of the opportunity funnel because it's a tangible reminder that nothing moves through the funnel unless there is action.

Behind the curtain of any opportunity is work (sometimes very hard work), and the rest is just process and administration... which I will say is a very nice check and balance to ensure you know what is working and what is not. I suppose there are those opportunities that come your way, but I suspect if you really look at it you will see it's the result of working really hard to put yourself in the way.

There is no short cut when it comes to making opportunities real.

iamgpe

Leadership... what would your three words be?

I knew an incredible people leader who, as part of his development strategy, would give his people three words to consider for their personal development; sometimes the words were well received, and as I understand, sometimes not so much. As I was listening to him describe this over dinner, I could not help but ask what my three words would be; he looked at me, laughed, and said, "Sobriety, sobriety and sobriety". In fairness, it was a celebration dinner.

I was reminded of this the other night when the discussion of Leadership came up and we tried to articulate the qualities that make up good leadership. As with many of these types of conversations it usually starts with something rather innocuous, and then gets more refined and more serious as the conversation continues,

"OMG — I used to joke around with a colleague who was very grumpy but funny, funny, funny... and my daily question would be, 'Are you bitter, angry or resentful today?'. God I miss him... crazy funny."

The conversation continued to meander over a number of topics but it became apparent the topic of Leadership was not over when someone said,

"At the heart of all Leadership is clarity, vision and competency... How's that?"  

You could see heads nodding when someone added,

"Someone who is quietly confident, trusts and believes in his colleagues, and is able to get his hands dirty, and competently gets the job done."

The final words on the topic were eloquently added,

"Without being an idiot. Is that too much to ask?"

As we laughed and moved onto other dinner topics, I heard the person who started all of this say, "I miss my old boss".

And this brings me full circle back to that incredible people leader with his three words. I can't help but wonder what his three words would be to encapsulate "Leadership"?

By no means is listing the qualities that make up a great leader original — There are countless books, blogs, white papers and opinion on the topic, and I recommend you read as many as you can. What identifying three words does is ensure you have actually put some thought into leadership and prioritized what you think are the most important leadership competencies (there are definitely more than three). For right or for wrong, the three words you pick will represent your guiding principles on Leadership.

And any three words are better than the alternative... because then we aren't even discussing Leadership.  

iamgpe

PS: Mine are Selflessness, Transparency, and Vision.

PPS: Thank you to those around the table.

There but for the grace of God, go I...

My spare period had me in a nearly empty cafeteria line deciding if I should choose the regular honey bun or the honey bun with the white icing; I couldn't help but turn back as the sound of running and screaming began to fill the hallway. As I looked towards the entrance to the cafeteria line, I saw a dozen students run by, and heard someone shout, "He's got a gun!"

As I tried to understand what was happening a self proclaimed rebel (and I suspect anarchist) sauntered right behind the fleeing students, looked at me, and said, "It's not a real gun, it's a fake". And then he was gone.

As I imagined what I would do, where I could hide, and how I could escape if in fact a gunman did appear at the entrance that I was fixated on — I heard a gun shot.

Leaving any thought of a honey bun with white icing behind, I hurried to the cafeteria.

May 25, 2017 by Jason Spencer  Brampton Guardian

It'll be 42 years ago this weekend that the first school shooting known to have taken place in North America occurred.

The traumatic event happened May 28, 1975 when Michael Slobodian, 16, entered Brampton Centennial Secondary School with two rifles. He killed teacher Margaret Wright and student John Slinger, 17. Slobodian also injured 13 people and killed himself.

A sculpture set to be unveiled Saturday, May 27, at the school will be a sombre reminder of the historic tragedy and an earnest attempt to alleviate the wound that remains years later.

The stone sculpture was created by artist Mary Ellen Farrow. It displays a pair of benches that face two figures that appear to be consoling one another.

Brampton Centennial Memorial Committee member Pam Hand explained in an email that one bench has the name of the sculpture, The Healing Place, carved into it, while the other bench reads: "On Wednesday, May 1975, all of us learned to love one another just a little more."

"We needed a place to go to reflect and to think and to heal," Hand wrote in an email about the sculpture.

The outdoor memorial has been a long time coming and was made a reality by fundraising, Hand noted, including a donation for $25,000 from Trinison Management Corporation.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m. Speakers include members of the Peel District School Board as well as others affected by the tragedy.

The school is located at 251 McMurchy Ave.

***

I found myself heading into my art class shortly after all of this, and could not help but notice the marks that bullets leave when they hit brick.

There but for the grace of God, go I.

iamgpe