On Thursday, Nov. 8, the Vancouver Business Journal is presenting its annual Accomplished and Under 40 awards to another set of bright, talented local professionals and academics.
In this year’s class, we have bankers, attorneys, doctors and engineers. We also have professionals representing at least three educational institutions, a homeless services organization and two cities.
Each year the stack of nominations gets higher and more enthusiastic – some packets are complete with a half dozen recommendations.
As a business editor, and an organizational development junkie, what really strikes me about these nominations are how many of the sincerest recommendations come from the top of the nominee’s company or organization. In one case, an executive assistant in one department of a college received a heartfelt reference from the president of the college. He knew what she did, how she went above and beyond and why it made a difference to the organization. When folks at the C-level know and appreciate who’s competently sailing the ship, long-lasting relationships and indeed community leaders are born.
I don’t do this publicly very often, but each year this awards program naturally gives over to introspection, and an evaluation of the team at the Vancouver Business Journal. The stack of Accomplished and Under 40 sitting on my desk for a week is an interesting measuring stick and testament to what organizations can really encourage – hardworking individuals committed to their work, home and community.
This an extraordinary time for the VBJ and Brown Warrior Publishing. We have – this month – rounded three years of local, independent ownership. We have put out the second edition of North Bank, a magazine we couldn’t be more excited about and have just moved into new digs on Officers Row. These are all huge, positive milestones.
But what’s really extraordinary around here is the energy and the commitment of the individual staff members. We made some new hires this year – taken some risks and created new positions. With each hiring process, I have held in the back of my mind the most valuable lesson I learned this year – when you find the right person for your organization, find something for them to do there.
This idea came out of a very fruitful conversation with the heads of expanding Vancouver-based environmental and engineering firm Maul Foster and Alongi. The company’s progressive approach to staffing has allowed the owners (several of whom came from the ranks of the staff) the opportunity to expand into new markets and pursue what their employees are passionate about. Their employees, thus, are happy and productive and sticking around for the long haul, contributing to the organization’s success and fanfare in their industry.
Taking this approach has recently lead us to hire some of the most energetic, committed, smart people I have had the pleasure of working with – the people who are sailing the ship.
So, again, I salute the winners – indeed all the nominees – of the Accomplished and Under 40 Class of 2008. And thanks to the people who helped them become the individuals they are.
