The College & Career Institute is Lighting & Blending Sparks

When I first spoke with Scott Heydt, leader of this programme and Founder of RefinED Character, about collaborating on this event, I was immediately drawn in by two things:

1. The inclusiveness: I love that this event is open to both university students AND those stepping into trade careers. The learnings from this event will benefit all of our young leaders and this programme recognises the need to blend what was previously seen as separate tracks so that natural intersections and creative collaborations can fly!
2. The creativity & intentional design of the programme: The current curriculum invites participants to explore these topics from multiple angles in fully immersive exercises so that learners of all type can embrace their unique learning style and truly connect with their vision, motivation, and key life skills to navigate change.

Scott has recruited a stellar team of experts and I am delighted to share the stage with a cast of characters that come from different industries, backgrounds, and interests, which will allow the participants to see how different people are living their vision in completely different ways first hand.

Why Vision Matters

Vision is the biggest, broadest version of what you want. It gives you room to explore, grow, and pivot while still having direction. Businesses use this to set the tone of their aspirations, their culture, and their motivations. My vision is to build a world full of spark. I believe that when you’re inspired, you do your best work and live your best life. I am fortunate that this works for both my business vision and personal. There’s nothing I want more than to send my two little girls off into the world aware of what lights them up and ready to grow that flame. In business, I get to do that in many ways from helping leaders find their authentic leadership style, to working with teams to build a collective fire, to helping small businesses set their initial kindling into a full blown blaze. My vision gives me room to decide HOW to build a world full of spark but makes it clear to me that I’m most sparked when I’m helping others to find their vision and take meaningful steps to achieve it. I didn’t know this at 18 years of age – and while that allowed me to find my love of solving complex problems and seeing through the chaos; it also kept me from understanding why that wasn’t enough for me to feel fulfilled in the early years of my career.

Knowing What Motivates You

I love asking people what motivates them. Sitting at one of my weekly run club workouts, I had an interesting discussion with a few of my fellow runners. One person was motivated by seeing her 5K race times continually decrease (continued improvement), another felt motivated by the idea of being able to keep up with others in the group (making the grade) and me, well, I’d be lying if I said a big part of it wasn’t the social coffee break after the fact. I’m very motivated by collaborating with other people so the weekly coffee breaks became a way to share and work together on what is usually a very solo hobby. Understanding what makes you tick can be huge in helping you make choices in your personal life, consider how you show up as a leader, and how you can best contribute in a team dynamic. Imagine the foresight you would have had if you knew what truly motivated you as you finished up your secondary education. It makes it so much easier to start to fine tune what types of careers and opportunities would be a fit for you.

Navigating Change

Change can be seen as scary or as a great opportunity. No matter how you look at it, your body will often feel change. You may experience it as stress, muscle aches, tiredness. You may experience it as excitement, movement, and aliveness. Let’s face it. Some of us are better at this than others. To navigate change – and even embrace it – requires understanding yourself, feeling confident and safe in key aspects of who you are, and having the right tools and methods to deal with the fear, doubt, and/or hurdles that may get in your way. I spent the early part of my career avoiding change and following the rules. It took me a while to realise that the reason I was so afraid of change was because I actually WANTED it. Doing my own inner work on this with the help of a coach and tapping into my mentors allowed me to show up differently with my teams and fellow leaders at work and in my personal live. !Viva¡ my inner rebel that now comes out to play quite often! I’m not afraid to explore, to learn, and to take risks.

If You or a Young Leader you Know Wants to Join Us

If you know someone ages 18 to 21 that would like to participate, please encourage them to apply here, as spaces are limited and the deadline is quickly approaching. I hope to see some of you and/or the young people you care about at the event June 12-16, 2022 in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania in the USA.

Stay Up to Date… Lots more to Come

And, if you want to stay up to date on this event, as well as our other upcoming speaking engagements, please join our mailing list. And, don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you are interested in a workshop or event for your organisation. Let’s get sparked!