February might best be kicked off with a look at the etymology of the month's moniker. The word February is born from the Latin word Februarius, from Latin februare meaning to "purify" or "expiate."
In ancient Rome, Februarius was the "Month of Purification" and festivities were held to re-establish the empire's focus on “righteous living”.
To me, this idea of devoting a month to the process of purification is invigorating. The hustle-bustle of the holidays is left behind and February finally sees many of us getting our first breath of fresh air. And, by this time of year the pressure of New Year's resolutions is either incorporated into healthier habits or banished to the wayside.
February is a transitional month, and so Februarys meaning and symbolism will have a transitional feel too. February 25th the John Bradley Centre is host to the CK Chambers 128th Annual General Meeting where I am excited to share with you specific details on success from 2015, how we will lead change in 2016 and introduce new Directors of the Board.
February being the shortest month of the year leaves us little time to waste putting into action a number of important priorities to be identified through our strategic planning session.
In conversation with the CK Chamber Diversity Committee Chair,Damien de Roux, General Manager , OLG in Dresden, provided his insight on the newly established committee. “Creating a focus on diversity in the business community is directly aligned with the Chamber’s vision that includes enhancing economic prosperity and the quality of life in Chatham Kent.” he said.
I asked Damien what diversity meant to him and what strategic priorities does he envision for the Chamber and Chatham-Kent. “Diversity is not so much about treating everyone the same, more accurately, it is about recognizing our differences. At its very best, diversity is about celebrating our differences, where necessary, accommodating those differences and leveraging our differences to achieve an advantage that supports a more dynamic work place, fosters innovation and leads change in the years to come. Trends will see workplaces become smaller yet have a farther global reach. Our new workplaces will require that diversity to meet the ever changing demographic shift. The CK Chamber is committed to achieving a Board of Directors that will accurately reflect its working community and membership.”
The current priorities for the committee are to establish a program to showcase through recognition the diversity within our business community and to create an “Award of Distinction” that acknowledges those that work to advance Diversity & Inclusion within Chatham-Kent.
Visionaries are often not the ones with the greatest ideas. Visionaries are the ones that communicate them most effectively.
Your Chair,
Christopher June
