Investing...
INVEST:
to commit (money) in order to earn a financial return
to make use for future benefits or advantages
to involve or engage especially emotionally
Every year I commit to spending some portion of my budget on my own self-development. I’ve alway believed it is important to make sure I am not only investing in my business but also myself.
This week I had chance to attend the 2022 WPO Conference in Montreal as a guest of Myrna Marofsky. (Thanks Myrna!) The theme for their conference was Curiosité. Ténacité. Communauté.
However, I realized that another theme I saw recurring was “investing”. Besides the investment of time in attending, there were other “investing” themes popping up. Here are a few:
Investing in Women:
Sally Armstrong is an award winning journalist and author that works in “zones of conflict” and women in particular. In her discussion, she shared how women became 2nd class citizens (check out her book Power Shift: The Longest Revolution). She also spoke to the fact that you can make a difference by changing minds and using your voice - telling your story and sharing the facts. Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg or Samaira Mehta are examples of how the younger generation is doing just that.
“Instead of relying on public or political will - they are using their personal will.”
— Sally Armstrong
Investing as in Money:
Investing as a woman is a topic of curiosity that I have been hearing about lately. Many women want to know how they can invest - even at the smallest level.
Amy Jo Martin is a renegade and started her company Renegade to help women maximize their wealth. She shared her 5 Renegade Rules and she compiled the best tips, lessons and stories about money and investing from some of her most popular Why Not Now? in this special compilation.
Investing in Your Community:
The 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies Awards recognizes women whose businesses grew at an incredible rate. What was fascinating is that many of these businesses had a huge focus on the community in their mission, service or charitable giving. For example, Carrie Siu Butt of SimpleHealth, the #1 Award Winner believes in and has created a company around how to improve access to healthcare for everyone.
I saw this investment in the community through businesses not only in these award winners, but many of the business owners I met.
Investment in Self (and Others):
The final keynote was Marcus Buckingham speaking on his latest research about Love + Work. While the title may sound like an oxymoron - he was particularly focused on the fact that during the pandemic, many of us lost our identities - particularly around work.
His challenge was not to “do what you love” but to find the love in what you do. He said that 20% of your activities should be those that you love - “a little love every day goes a long way.” And that our challenge is to find those unique activities to us - the “red threads”.
“The power of human nature is that each human is unique.”
— Marcus Buckingham
In turn, as leaders, the key is to embrace the uniqueness in others and build strong teams by trusting, creating a space for growth and safety and checking-in and caring about your people. He said that “leaders are fascinated by the uniqueness of each person.”
Overall, the biggest investment I saw happening at every table, coffee stand, dinner…was the investment in each other. Taking the time to gather, connect and learn how we could help each other across the country, continent and world was pretty powerful.
What are you investing in?
