Tuesday Thoughts | 15 November 2022 | NaNoWriMo – The Value of Being the One Holding the Pen

As an Association Executive I’ve penned more sets of Minutes than I care to discuss, and no doubt with (hopefully) a couple of decades left in my career I will write dozens if not hundreds more sets of meeting minutes.

While most people view Minute writing as a chore, my perspective was shaped by something a lawyer said to me years ago – “the person who writes the minutes controls the permanent record of what was said in the meeting”. While the next meeting will always include an opportunity to review and amend the minutes, it’s been my experience on both sides of the table that very few people actually read the minutes before approval.

I’ve seen multiple people fail to note their OWN absence, or misplacement in the attendance/regrets list which is the VERY FIRST THING on the page after the date and location of the meeting, which leads me to conclude that they didn’t read the rest of the document very carefully either. Surely, we can all agree that the minimum bar for the duty of care includes remembering if you yourself attended the meeting?

Long before the term “Thought Leader” had entered my lexicon, I had already formed a clear (and enduring) perspective on the value of being the person holding the pen. And, long before that, I had an example in my own life of Thought Leadership, although it took me until this last week to realize what had been there all along.

This past week Jacqui D’Eon was VERY kind to take time out of her busy schedule to help me think through my approach to the writing of my book (which spoiler isn’t progressing as fast as I had hoped), helping me realise that if anecdotes of the good, the bad, and the indifferent approaches to impact making are to be at the centre of the book, then they might be the first things I commit to paper (or a word doc as the case may be).

It was in thinking about these anecdotes that I came to be thinking about my Grandfather Keith “KC” Burke (who I wrote about in my Black History Month Project blog in 2012), and the anniversary of whose death comes later this week on November 18.

Its impossible to think about KC without reflecting on the legal profession (or smart things lawyers other might have said to you – see above), as he is credited with among other things being the father of modern legal practice in Jamaica having advocated for the combining Barristers and Solicitors into one profession.

And, while his role in the fusion of his profession alone will probably merit a mention of KC in my book on impact, its some other accomplishments that I’ve been thinking about this week; most notably his many years of leadership of the Jamaican Bar Association, and his singlehanded creation and ongoing publication of a journal for the Jamaican Legal Profession Matters Concerning Lawyers. That’s really had me thinking about the role of Thought Leadership in making an impact in your own profession, or more broadly on some corner of society.

It will come as no surprise to those who have been subscribed to this newsletter for the last 45 editions (yes, this the 45th Tuesday in this format), or who have joined at some other point in the journey, that the idea that creating a written forum that might have some impact is hugely appealing to me. And, while I wouldn’t say “no” to being recognized in the same manner as KC eventually was – as a member of the Order of Jamaica, Order of Distinction – at its core, my north star remains the motto I adopted from KC’s father Rudolph “Everyone Must Serve”.

When I say “I stand on the shoulders of giants” its not hyperbole; be it KC one of the founders of the Co-operative movement in Jamaica (yes, I’m slipping in one more bio point) and leader and thought leader of his profession; KC’s father Rudolph himself a Cabinet Minister in early post-Independence Jamaica, Agricultural Industry leader, and creator of my adopted personal motto; my Great-Grandfather Earle Maynier, leading Caribbean Community Economist, and Jamaica’s first ever High Commissioner dispatched to Ottawa; or Earle’s daughter, my Grandmother, Shirley M. Burke, who was herself a woman who did not mince her words, be it working for the BBC in Jamaica, editing the National Gallery Magazine, or sending me a strongly worded letter on 21st birthday informing me that I was obligated to do great things.

In fact, its that very letter, that David Lyons (who has himself become one of those smart lawyers I tend to listen to), succinctly summed up as “wow, that’s pretty heavy for a birthday greeting”, that inspired (at least that’s the most polite way I can say it) an intense focus on finding ways to leverage and build off of the example set for me.

Finally, all of this got me thinking about yesterday’s Motivation Monday (I trust dear reader, that you also follow my personal profile here on LinkedIn for all the extras from Wednesday to Monday each week) “If you want to improve your self worth, stop giving other people the calculator”… My Call to Action This Week: “If You Want to Make Impact, Stop Giving Other People the Pen to Write Your Story”. Put more plainly, look for ways to assert your thought leadership for the betterment of the causes you care about.

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BONUS: last week #TuesdayThoughts my little engine that could, reached 500 Subscribers, to those of you who have seen fit to follow my thoughts every week – THANK YOU.

To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to pass the pen a bit, and give others a chance to speak. I asked, “if you could say one thing to 500 people next week, what would it be?”

Rebecca Harris answered, with this: “If I could say one thing to 500 people next week it would be - Treat yourself with kindness and grace. Remember you are not defined by your job, or your role in your family/community/ circle, or your last mistake, or even your last success…you’re so much more and you need to be true to who you are as a whole.

Or maybe - sometimes the biggest contribution you can make is stepping aside and making space for others.”

Wise words indeed, and when you put them in context – incredibly powerful. You might not read it anywhere else, because this is very much a person skilled in the art of making space for others; but last week was Rebecca’s first Toronto AFP Congress as Executive Director, and by all accounts she and the team created space for others to connect and create community.

New and Noteworthy?is a collection of things readers of?#TuesdayThoughts?might find interesting, important, or informative;

??Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): This week #TuesdayThoughts reached 500 Subscribers and I got the chance to talk about it on the Radio with Greg Brady on 640's morning show Toronto Today. If you are getting value here, I ask that you like, subscribe, comment and share to help me build community - and impact - here where I'm holding the pen.

??What to Watch: A Winning Accessible Bathroom with Julie Sawchuk | FREE: Screenings of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from Black North, Foundation for Black Communities, Justice Fund, SETSI and the Black Screen Office

??What to Read:?The Portage Group report on Association Strategy Trends in 2022 | The Emotional Labor of Being a Leader from Harvard Business Review | How Association Execs Can Become More Responsible Consumers of Research in Associations Now h/t Gerald Bramm | Strengthening your organization through sustainability & ESG by Penny Tantakis in Canadian Business Quarterly h/t Tracy Folkes Hanson | Stop Trying to be a Perfect Antiracist & be a Decent Human Instead in An Injustice Mag

????What to Do:?Donate a part of a Wheel Chair to the someone in Ontario's Spinal Cord Injury Community | Destination Markham, Coffee Shop Hop

????♀?Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer):?Marketing & Communications Team Lead @ REALTORS Association of Hamilton-Burlington h/t Crystal Henderson | Nick Gibson's highlighted open roles in the CBG space | Various Roles @ ChizSix Marketing and Media Harold Chizick's new agency | Nominations are open for the the Toy Association Board of Directors | Executive Director @ Oakville and Milton Humane Society h/t Christine Neilsen

??Take Note: An updated list of the living wage across Ontario regions from the Living Wage Network | Imagine Canada campaign for core funding for nonprofit work

??I am a Certified Association Executive with nearly over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions in Canada's Not-for-Profit Sector; as a College Professor, occasional Speaker, and contributor to blogs, newsletters, and media, I am skilled at using the art of storytelling to explain my ideas and inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics.

??♀?I am also a Certified Organizational Specialist and Practical Minimalist, who happens to have an unhealthy love for Excel Spreadsheets. I don't do this work often, but I am always happy to give a bit of advice if you are struggling.

??Did you know I also paint and draw? I am passionate about the benefits of Adult Colouring, and can create custom colouring sheets for speech and workshop audiences, by request.

Not-for-Profit Consulting Services?(pdf) | Check Out my website?daniellerussell.ca

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LinkedIn?Danielle S. Russell, CAE (she/her)?| Instagram ???@danielle.s.russell?| Twitter?@dani__russell?|?YouTube???One Woman Island