for starters
(leadership)
World of opportunity
SANDOR FIZLI
I love the changes in my employees!
I’ve seen a big difference since my company started the corporate fitness program at Nubody’s. We are back in shape, have more confidence, more energy, less stress and we’ve never been more productive. I’ve never felt better about me, my employees, my company or our bottom line, and you can too. Call today and take the first step in creating a happier and more productive team.
Tim Coates: “Good leaders can inspire people to make things happen.”
When Fredericton native Tim Coates took part in a rebuilding mission in New Orleans in 2006, he wasn’t there to help reconstruct houses and clear debris, as were many other volunteers after Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of the city. Instead, Coates was there to rebuild the community. Along with 10 graduate students, Coates was part of a partnership program between the Boston–based Harvard Kennedy School and the Broadmoor Improvement Association, which is a neighbourhood association in New Orleans aimed at developing the area. “I saw firsthand that community building is about the power of good leaders,” says Coates. “After Katrina, many people left New Orleans. Broadmoor is run by local community leaders who are working to bring people back to the area and to show
them that there are great opportunities for regrowth there.” After studying public policy and working throughout Canada, the United States, and India, Coates returned to Fredericton in 2007, determined to find ways to improve his province. “What I learned in New Orleans,” he says, “is that good leaders can inspire people to make things happen.” That lesson helped form the business model for what is now Fredericton–based 21inc, a provincial non-profit network for developing young leaders in New Brunswick. 21inc’s roots date back to 2004, when John McLaughlin, the president of the University of New Brunswick, created Next NB, a public-policy initiative that aimed to draw attention to the economic issues facing New Brunswick. Its centrepiece: the creation of
(human resources)
Good manners count
With locations across Atlantic Canada to serve you. Visit www.nubodysfitness.com for the club nearest you. For Corporate Membership information, please contact Paula Gillis at 902.468.8920 ext 228 or email pgillis@nubodysfitness.com
If you’re not doing it already, it would be a good idea to insert some Emily Post-like behaviour into your job-hunting process. According to a survey conducted by Accountemps, post-interview thank-you messages can influence the hiring decisions of a potential employer. In fact, of the 100 senior Canadian executives surveyed, 75% reported that they have been influenced by such notes. The problem? Most candidates don’t send them. According to executives polled, the most effective thank-you notes are those received via a short e-mail, which convey the interviewee’s appreciation for the opportunity to meet the potential employer and reinforces his or her interest in the company. Most importantly, hopeful candidates should restate the value they will bring to the company in the note. — I.G.
21 Leaders for the 21st Century, a program designed to motivate young New Brunswickers to confront regional economic problems and to find opportunities to solve them within the province. Coates was among the 21 chosen. At the time, the program was meant as a one-off initiative, but the initial 21 leaders were so impacted by their experience that they decided to continue on their own. Coates had been working with the original group to find a way to offer the program on a recurring basis. One of those members was Anne McInernery, who has since become the co-founder and president of 21inc. “New Brunswick is facing significant challenges,” she says. “We felt it was key to enlist the contribution of the next generation in order for the province to move forward.” In January the organization reintroduced 21 Leaders for the 21st Century. All of the 2008 young men and women ranging in age from 20 to 35, are leaders in their sectors and include a oncologist, an entrepreneurs, a playwright, a lawyer, and a social worker. In May the group went on a province-wide tour, making more than 25 stops to meet with private and public sector leaders, artistic and aboriginal communities, and community-minded volunteers. “As a group, it energized all of us,” says Coates. “These men and woman are committed to improving their sectors by taking on more risks to succeed and be more entrepreneurial.” To run the program, several public and private sector sponsors support it financially, including Bell Aliant. “Our support is twofold,” says Robyn Tingley, the vice-president of Bell Aliant’s communications and public affairs department. “We want to help build capacity within these individuals. We also want to create awareness in New Brunswick that there are new ideas emerging about how to solve some of the challenges the province is facing.” Tingley hopes that this year’s leaders will consider taking on issues such as out-migration, the sustenance of rural communities, linguistic issues, and economic diversification. “When we look at the labour market and how it’s getting increasingly competitive,” says Coates, “now is the time to invest in creating the right type of environment that will keep our young leaders here, as well as attract new ones.”
— Red Bolton
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PROGRESS, JULY/AUGUST 2008