As 2021 comes to an end, some of Osborne’s Principals and Advisors reflect on what the year has meant for them and what their hopes are for the new year.
If we could ask Genie to grant us three wishes this coming year they would be: kindness and compassion for all; recovery from Covid, both health wise and economically; and positive action towards climate change tempered with appreciation and recognition for clean and sustainable energy resources.
There was a time many years ago when I questioned climate change. When Al Gore brought it into the broader public consciousness in 2006 (Inconvenient Truth), although deeply concerning, it was still in the realm of animations and projections. Fast forward to this past year and there is little denying the social and economic toll as what used to be called one-in-a-hundred-year events that are occurring too frequently. We are as a society clearly battling two global emergencies at once, the first generation to do so. Our anxiety level has reached new highs. Optimism is harder to come by, replaced by the seeming inevitability of “what next?” As governments go further and further into debt and inflation spirals out of control I stop and wonder what kind of a world we are leaving to our children and grandchildren.
My wish is that in 2022 we go all in on celebrating kindness, innovation, and accountability. Kindness will give us strength, innovation will help us battle health and climactic challenges, and accountability will provide the results that we need. The less people saying, “this will make a difference” and the more ensuring it does will turn the tide. As Huey Lewis sang in his 80’s hit Jacob’s Ladder, “All I want for tomorrow is to get it better than today”.
Like many, I greeted 2021 with hope and optimism as Covid vaccines were in the process of being administered. It gave me that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel – a return to a “normal” life, albeit that definition is continually changing. I am so grateful for the vaccines that allow my girls and me to visit with loved ones again knowing we’re protecting ourselves and others. I am also thankful for our healthcare workers who continue to fight the pandemic, knowing it’s taken a toll on their own health, both physical and mental.
I am appreciative of my work and the clients I had the pleasure of assisting this past year – being busy helped push me through the winter with speed and ease. I look forward to challenging myself in the new year with honing my current skills and stretching my creative and management muscles. I also hope to strengthen my actual muscles – setting new body composition goals and a deadlift personal best – 210 pounds!
I wish you all good health, a happy heart and true contentment in 2022!
The Christmas Season is one of my favourite times of the year. The joy that it brings, the gathering of family and friends, the time to take time out and be reflective of the past year and refreshed for the year on the horizon.
This past year I have had the pleasure to work with many clients from many different parts of this great country. Each has addressed their business needs through the lens of Covid, virtual meetings, shifting political priorities and internal needs. Congrats to each and every one of them for addressing many different challenges within their organizations.
2021 has been challenging for many – pandemics, heat domes, drought, flooding, as well as other business and personal challenges. I am in awe of the many ways that individuals and businesses have successfully met these trials head on. I look forward to working with these, and other, businesses in 2022.
My best wishes to everyone as we turn the year-end calendar. May this new year be filled with hope and opportunity for you and yours.
Personally, Covid has been tough on my family, we lost two people in the last 18 months, both due to Covid, For 2022, I only look for good health for all my family members.
Nationally, I hope that the population as a whole, and the government in particular, sees the positive benefits of Canadian oil and gas and allows the industry to provide our safe, ethical and most environmentally sourced resource to be distributed to world markets. All Canadians benefit when that happens.
Globally, I believe we will be living with Covid going forward, I can only hope that the powers that be can help the countries less fortunate than ours get their populations vaccinated against Covid so we can take steps to return to a more normal life.
2021 was a significant year of learning. Although I was already familiar with a variety of virtual platforms, I did not expect them to consume both my professional and personal life so quickly. The reason for that is unfortunate (Covid isolation), yet the efficiency of the technology is much appreciated and saves a great deal of time travelling. We’ve all learned how to be more resilient. There are many things we simply cannot totally control, but rather try our best to manage. Several personal vacations were cancelled, and I instead enjoyed my local surroundings other than a severe windstorm, and forest fires too close for comfort. But with the help of neighbours, we came through the short term crises fairly unscathed. I’ve always had tremendous respect for those in the agriculture sector, although have learned to have even more considering the drought of 2021 across the prairies. So although I consider myself a lifelong learner, I’m hoping the lessons of 2022 will be of a more positive nature.
In 2022 I believe every organization needs compassionate, responsive leadership. Here are a few examples of what this may look like.
Be patient. We are all learning and experimenting. Innovation is messy. Don’t seek blame if an experiment doesn’t turn out as expected.
Use your imagination. Identify spoken and unspoken behavioural norms in existence today and imagine how the new normal might contrast with the old ways. Example – what might inclusive, authentic ways of developing and retaining talent look like?
Be open to possibilities. How might employing diversity of age, gender or geography enable you to build better relationships with stakeholders?
If there is a first step to creating compassionate, responsive leadership in your organization, what will you do?
Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year as you prepare for 2022 and beyond!
I wish you health. I wish you joy. I wish you prosperity.
As 2021 ends, I am caught with the introspective quiet that often heralds the ends and beginnings of milestone moments. I think about the significant collective learning that transpired this year: the epidemiology and prevention for Covid, the impact of social and mental health issues, the front porch reality of globalization as supply chain challenges have been felt in every sector, and the delicate balance of nature and the environment. I think about personal celebrations and challenges. And I think about livelihoods and business successes, and the human challenges of leadership that have dominated the headlines week in and week out.
And as 2022 holds its promise for something more – I think about the reach and impact that “more” can have: business growth, personal growth, enhanced social understanding and tolerance. My quote for reflection as we step into the new year is a classic from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” So for 2022, my wish is that you have absolute clarity of vision for what “better” means to you, and you race towards that with all the energy and passion you can muster! Better health, boundless joy, and more prosperity. Happy New Year!
Here is wishing all of you a healthy and prosperous 2022!
While the economy looks up there’s a great deal of caution and volatility as we move into 2022. I look forward to working with new and existing clients as we take steps as small or large as they might be to seize new opportunities with a world opening up. May you all stay grounded with the love and companionship of family and friends during this holiday season.
All the best!
My hope for 2022 – that we all begin to realize that the challenges we face – in public health and climate – are bigger than the issues that divide us, and we start moving past our differences to fashion lasting solutions that benefit all.
What a year 2021 has been! Not only have we had to deal with Covid, but here in British Columbia, climate change has become very real. We have been through forest fires, drought and as I write this we are experiencing the worst floods in the province’s history. Roads are washed out and the supply chains have been drastically disrupted – we even have gas rationing! All this may sound like a dismal message at Christmas time, but what is immensely encouraging is the resilience of Canadians to pull together, to help one another, to fix what has to be fixed and get back to normal as quickly as possible. People have opened their homes and hearts to those in dire need and who have lost not only their homes, but in some cases, their livelihood. What could be more of an example of the true Christmas spirit of giving and helping others? What could be more of an example of the Canadian spirit that exists year-round?
2021 has been a significant year for me; I emigrated to Canada from the UK, reunited with my family and started a new life here in the beautiful Okanagan valley. I joined a great group of professionals in the Osborne team and completed my first assignment for them. I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs in the Okanagan and taken on a remote fractional commercial role for a company back in the UK. This “portfolio” career is working out well so far!
I last lived and worked in Canada in 2012 and had forgotten how well suited I feel to this amazing country. It’s so great to be back in a society which has a social conscience, a buoyant economy and a healthy work ethic. Canada is the best country in the world, without a doubt.
For 2022, I hope that the people and businesses of poor British Columbia get back on their feet after suffering a difficult 2021 with the heat dome, wildfires and lately the devastating floods. I hope the Coquihalla reopens so I can get my car back from Vancouver (long story!). I hope the Osborne team continues its expansion across the country and brings help to more customers in more industries. And I wish everyone who reads this message a healthy and safe year ahead.
May all of Osborne’s many friends and clients experience patience, discernment, and focus in 2022. Patience, in grappling with the turbulence and disruption that continues to play out in all aspects of our lives. Discernment, in knowing what is most needed of you at this time. And, focus – may you experience success, meaning and satisfaction implementing the goals you set.