From Snow to Mint

Last week, I presented “But You Said You Would …,”  a session on how to work more successfully with board members and employees, for the Winter Leadership Boot Camp of the National Association of Women Business Owners in New York City. It seems that problems dealing with extreme divas, the highly talkative, the reluctant to change and the ultra-detail-minded are universal and unrelenting.

No matter how big or small the organization, to reach their goals with less stress and more positive outcomes, leaders need to learn how to converse with people whose style of communicating is different than their own.  It’s no easy feat but these skills can be acquired with practice and patience!

Despite my new boots and multiple layers of clothes, New York was freezing! Nonetheless, the warmth of people I met and celebrating the 40th Anniversary of NAWBO at an especially lovely Bank of America reception definitely made the trip memorable.

On the home front, you would have been proud, too, of 16-year-old “Mint,” the Rotary Exchange Student from Thailand, who totally mesmerized a social entrepreneurship class at Florida International University Monday. She talked about two of the biggest social problems in her country, the Rohingya, a transient group of 100,000 Muslims unrecognized as citizens throughout Southeast Asia, and the ever increasing horror of child labor.

“For example, they make the children sell flowers at traffic lights for 11 hours or more every day. The bad thing is that the Thai people have come to regard children who sell flowers or who are working hard in other places as totally normal,” Mint said. “But I believe it is not supposed to be like this at all.  The reason that I came to talk to you today is my hope that what I am doing as a speaker for them….the Rohingya and children workers will inspire you to help them.”

Whoever you choose to help, I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Best Regards,