First published in the August & September 2017 edition of Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce BusinessVIEW magazine.
I recently had the pleasure of attending Kent-Smith Windsor’s retirement party from the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.
He leaves behind a remarkable legacy: 21 years of dedicated service and a vast influence that goes far beyond the Saskatoon Chamber. He was also an integral part of the Raj Manek Mentorship Program and Leadership Saskatoon, and the list goes on.
My connection with Kent goes back over 13 years when I became one of the advisors for the Chambers Group Insurance Plan. As I was reflecting on my relationship with Kent over the years, three insights came to mind that I learned from him. I share these in the hope that you can apply them to your own life and business.
Competition is essential for individuals and businesses to thrive.
It brings a smile to my face when I recall Kent sharing his thoroughbred horse racing analogy with me and relating it to business competition. Purebred horses are trained to race and win, and they always run faster with another horse breathing in their ear.
What does that mean for a business owner? Don’t be afraid of your competition – let their innovations drive you to keep just a nose ahead!
You can’t do it all yourself.
Leadership means looking for the potential in others and then building into them so that they have the confidence to pursue their vision. At Kent’s retirement party, they referred to him as the “Mentor of Leaders”, which I thought was a perfect reference as Kent is a leader that supported and served others.
Nothing rocks forever.
You need to listen to your clients and understand your market. Yes, some initiatives, products or services were awesome at a point in time and served a need, but you have to know when it’s time to innovate and move forward. Sure, you can be grateful for the time it did “rock”, but move on. If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward and no business should ever count on something rocking forever, right! Anyone want to buy a fidget spinner?
Mark Nepo said: “To listen is to lean in softly with the willingness to be changed by what we hear.” – Listen willingly the next time a respected leader is sharing a story. There just might be a mindset-altering lesson to be learned and a new perspective gained. Thank you to Kent Smith-Windsor and here’s to Horses, Rocks and not riding Alone!
Watch for next; “3 Insights I Learned from Monica Kreuger”.