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Erin was the Director of Workforce Engagement & Communications, leading a team of internal organization development consultants and communications specialists.

In just over five short years, VANOC went through the complete organizational life cycle – from start up, to an entrepreneurial phase, to growth and performance, through to dissolution…all while the world was watching. There was significant change, both planned and unplanned, and enormous pressure to meet an immovable deadline. We had a big vision to connect Canadians from coast to coast to coast through the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, and to engage employees and volunteers in delivering extraordinary games.

Given that VANOC went through all these major life cycle phases, we had to be deliberate to ensure the leadership, strategy and organizational capacity were just right for the phase the organization was currently in. A deep understanding of the underlying context of the organization was a foundational piece our work. Through each phase, we met with the senior leaders to define the context and identify the characteristics and accountability required.

For example, during the financial crisis, our people needed to demonstrate fiscal leadership and this was more than just the ability to read a balance sheet. Our team pulled together the top senior leaders across VANOC and engaged them in a discussion and discovery of what it meant to be ‘fiscal leaders’.

They determined that fiscal leadership meant:

• Trusting that their colleagues were making financial decisions and investments with the best interest of the entire organization in mind
• Calling out assumptions and inferences of where money was being spent in ineffective ways
• Creating a sense of awareness, understanding and accountability within their teams for the financial success of the project

As an outcome, leaders had a common and clear definition of which behaviours were required to be successful during the changing economic landscape.

These conversations on leadership were regularly scheduled with a commitment from the top to ensure VANCOC’s people were leading in a way that allowed them to meet their goals, while providing an environment where their team could be their best.