Hi Carolyn,

It feels like just yesterday I was rocking out with my kids on our deck to "School's Out For Summer!" And what a summer it was! It seems like everyone I know was jetting off to somewhere magical. I hope that you had the same experience of traveling and connecting with loved ones that I had. 

If I could summarize this summer in one word, it would have be: GATHERINGS. I was fortunate to attend a lot of different gatherings with some wonderful people. I kicked off the summer with one of my favourite organizations (you know who you are), helping them with a cultural recalibration. We revisited their vision, purpose, and values. Cue eye roll here - I think that's how they all were feeling when we entered the room....But, it truly was a powerful day of gathering around why they all work together, and how they are making a difference in the world. 

A gathering quite personal to me was finally being able to host a Celebration of Life for my dad. I had no idea how much mental energy and work this would entail, but I was touched by the number of people from his life that showed up in his happy place - Pigeon Lake, Alberta - to celebrate him and show their love and support for our family. It was a gathering that was pretty pivotal to the grieving process.

Finally, Rik and I celebrated the return of the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open. This is the tennis tournament that holds so many memories for us. It's where we met, it's where he retired, and now as a side gig, it's where he acts as the Tournament Director. It was amazing to see Hollyburn Country Club be transformed into this prestigious venue, hosting players and their teams from all over the world. It's a truly unique event that you don't quite understand until you attend. Below is a fun highlight reel of a little cocktail reception Better Your Best hosted.

The pandemic put a pause on our gatherings. Be sure to bring them back. And when you do, make sure you check out Priya Parker's book "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters." It was such a timely read as I prepared for each of my summer gatherings!

Join us on September 23rd to discuss the book and its ideas! 

A few of her key Rules of Gathering include:

Rule #1. Give Your Gathering a Purpose

Rule #2. Make Purpose Your Bouncer

Rule #3. Design Your Invitation To Persuade

Rule #4. Ditch Etiquette For Rules (And #11: Create A More Playful World)

Rule #5. Close With Intention 

Better Your Best Book Club

FRIDAY, September 23 @ 12 pm-1 pm PST

THE ART OF GATHERING - How We Meet and Why it Matters

In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive—which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved.

At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. LET US GATHER(!) for an interactive discussion on ways we can apply Priya's expertise as a facilitator to the ways we come together, and to discuss what works and what doesn't.

2022 Quarterly Webinar Training

ESTABLISHING YOUR PERSONALIZED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN

Wednesday, October 26 @ 12 pm-1 pm PST

A personalized performance management plan is a critical step in your onboarding process. Plan components need to include: designing alliances with key working relationships, establishing 30/60/90 day goals or objectives, and defining professional development opportunities to develop key role capabilities.

At Better Your Best we love to bring people together to connect and learn from other professionals. Join us for a dynamic discussion of performance management best practices! 

Stay well this fall! 

All the best,

Carolyn de Voest B. Ed CPCC MBA

Principal & Founder

t   778.238.6448
e  carolyn@betteryourbest.ca
w betteryourbest.ca