We celebrated the many landscaping companies that are a part of the Fort Collins Area Chamber in my last blog—but missed one of these great partners.  If you are faced with the same challenges I was –missing a green thumb and trying to do it yourself — please consider making contact with one or more of these amazing companies. And a very special shout out to Zak George Landscaping, the team that keeps the Fort Collins Area Chamber looking great!

In other news, I had the great fortune to get to volunteer at some of the All-Star weekend activities in Denver.  As a sports fanatic, I wanted the experience of supporting one of the marquee sporting events in my home state.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get picked to be a stand in for the draft, but I did get to provide my smile and energy in the Play Ball Park.  MLB transformed the Denver Convention Center into a celebration of all things baseball including hands on experiences for fans of all shapes, sizes and ages.

One of my “jobs” in the Play Ball Park was to make sure that guests, for the experience, had loaded the event app on their phone.  Without any guidance or insight, it felt like a ploy to simply gather data for big business and it was incredibly difficult to keep smiling and encouraging when I wasn’t bought into the opportunity.  It wasn’t until the second day of volunteering that we were told the “why” of the data grab—the app was a means of signing a waiver that protected MLB and fans alike.  It was like a light switch went off.  Understanding the “why” of the work made it so much easier to get the job done.

Many of us in leadership positions can lose sight of the experience of our staff and volunteers.  We get so wrapped up in the big picture and assume that everyone understands the details that we forget to stop and share the incredibly important “why” to our work.  Having that lightning bolt moment as a volunteer was a perfect reminder for me to make sure that, as a leader, I embrace the opportunity to invite people to understand not only what we are doing, but why it is important.  Such a simple, but powerful idea, that I had lost track of in the hustle and bustle of doing the work.  Thank goodness for unexpected reminders.

I’d love to hear from you!  Have you come across any new (or old) tools that you are using to be impactful in your work and volunteer service?  Drop me a note at [email protected].  We would love to share your ideas with our community leaders to make sure we continue to inspire and act.