It seems most everyone hates change. As humans we often embrace the idea of change, but the actual process of change takes us outside our comfort zone and can make us feel uncomfortable, if not down right threatened. Leadership transition can add a great deal of stress to an organization.

Personally I like to think of change as an opportunity to see and do things differently. When I look back at the biggest changes in my life I reflect on the positive experiences to learn new things and meet new people - two things I rather enjoy in life. However, I do know that change can also cause anxiety for people. Leadership change can often leave people worrying about the future direction of the organization.

This week WiN-Canada held its first board meeting with the newly elected board who took the reins April 1. We now have 16 people on the board with eight of those around the table being new. What an exciting time to see new energy and enthusiasm from our new board members, which of course breathes new life into the entire organization.

As I prepared for the board meeting I thought about the leadership transition of the board and how to make it a positive experience for everyone. I knew we needed to use the opportunity to talk about our past successes and our growth as an organization, before we could move forward. Back in 2004 there were only a hand-full of members who were keen to make WiN-Canada grow. Today we have more than 1,000 members across Canada and five very active local chapters. It was important for the returning board members to see the growth and celebrate the success of WiN and for the new members to understand our history and our accomplishments.

Putting together all our documentation into one board binder for our members was a bit like travelling down memory lane. I was able to look at WiN’s mission, vision, goals and objectives through the eyes of new board members and it was great to hear new perspectives being offered around the table about how we might best achieve our goals. Objective assessment is always valuable and who better to do this than eight bright women who are new to the board and can look at our programs and activities with fresh eyes.

New leadership will help us to evaluate what is working, what can be improved and help carve out our new path for success. It requires a heightened level of communication to satisfy everyone’s thirst for information. A leadership transition poses challenges, however, it was clear to me after Monday’s meeting that this board is focused on WiN’s success. Time will be needed to develop new relationships and to mature into an effective team, but there is no doubt in my mind that this board will take WiN to new heights.

Spring always seems like an opportune time for new beginnings. Our new board has taken the time to celebrate WiN’s past and has set the foundation to work together for a new beginning. I look forward to the journey.