Learning from Others

Too often, we miss learning opportunities. Perhaps it is by talking too much when we are with a partner organization. As a result, we fail to learn something important. For me, it is sometimes being in so much of a rush to get to the message that I end up missing the lesson along the way. Perhaps we fail to learn from others because we think they have nothing of value to teach us, or we think too much of ourselves and our own wisdom.?

A year ago today, my sister Brenda passed away of cancer. She fought the battle and she did not lose. That’s because she continued to share in both words and example to her last breath.?

I spent some time over the last few weeks thinking back on her journey of those last 36 days of her life between her leaving the hospital and being in her home from then until the end. I thought about all I learned from her over the years. There is too much to include in a single TMC, but I will share a couple of my best learnings. Then I will provide two links to the Celebration of Life events we held in Regina and Calgary last August so you can hear what some of the special speakers had to say, and what they learned from Brenda over the years. She was truly a remarkable person from whom you could learn a lot.?

• She never said it, but always exemplified it. She made her clients/customers/ partners her friends! She learned about them. She understood their lives and their needs, both professionally and personally. By understanding them in this way, she could do a much better job serving them. These relationships were neither superficial nor were they “for the money.” It was always about the person. She went the extra mile for them. This is why she was successful in life and business—and we can all learn from that.
• She always put others first, going out of her way to help those close to her as well as those she met for the first time. She cared and it showed. It might have been a thoughtful note, gift, or anniversary message. She made people feel special. That brought her the love, respect, and gratitude of many. I feel we can all learn from this too. Putting the best interests of others ahead of our own will always reap bigger rewards for us and them!

?Brenda Barootes Celebration of Life – Regina ?

Brenda Barootes Celebration of Life – Calgary

?Remember, every interaction may offer a learning experience. Stay tuned in and make sure you take away that which is so freely given to you each day.