Different Homes, Different Tools

One size does not fit all.

Last week I was in Zapata, Mexico as part of Live Different’s annual staff retreat. Instead of the typical training sessions, strategy conversations, and fun team building outings we built a house with a local family in need. In just four days we completed a simple wooden house for a single mom and her four sons who were all actively involved in sawing, painting, roofing, and turning a pile of lumber into a home. It was as grassroots as it gets.

This week I’m spending a couple days at Indwell’s annual leadership conference. As one of the fastest growing providers of supportive housing in Canada with a staff of almost 200 professionals, they engage with some of our most desperate community members as well as every level of government and industry.

Both are addressing the housing crisis for vulnerable people. Both are highly dedicated, deeply compassionate, and actually a lot of fun to hang out with.

But the way they work is profoundly different.

With Live Different I was helping host the retreat, keeping things moving on time, and facilitating each department providing an update to their colleagues on what they’re doing and how its all going. I also swung a hammer and paint brush.

With Indwell I’m delivering a breakout session on how to be a Healthy Leader and introducing a brand new 6 week leadership incubator program we’re piloting for their staff this spring. I’m also setting up individual PACE sessions with a number of leaders who would like some direct support.

These organizations have much in common. Their cause, values, and aspirations overlap in many ways; in fact, the leaders are friends. In a broad sense their leadership needs are pretty similar, but the specific ways they need to develop leadership are different.

One of my favourite things about my work is the variety working with different organizations and leaders brings. The main themes of healthy leaders and healthy organizations are fairly universal but the particular things we need to do to move in that direction can be very different. Adapting the tools I bring to the culture, situation, and strategic priorities of each client (or developing completely new tools when that’s the need), is energizing for me.

The houses Live Different builds in Mexico are all the basically the same design, but working closely with the families turns them into homes unique for their needs and preferences. It’s the customization that turns the house into a home.

You might not be addressing housing needs for vulnerable people but you care just as deeply about your organization’s cause and your particular leadership and culture needs. I’d love to see how we can work together to build a plan to help you move forward confidently. Let’s talk.