I am sure you have detected my enthusiasm to be co-facilitating with Sherrilene Collymore at the next vision practice retreat “Employ Your Natural Talents.” We will be exploring how we have everything we need right now to begin acting on our visions. There is no course we still need to take, no age we need to reach or financial wealth we need to gain. There is nothing we need to be waiting for.
But this is only partly why I am so excited about hosting Sherrilene here in Canada. Sherrilene exudes passion and joy for human capacity. She delights in getting to know people and believes in their innate goodness. People simply feel good in her presence.
To get to know Sherrilene better I have asked her some questions for you. The following is our exchange:
How old are you Sherrilene?
I'm a proud 37! Most people can't tell my real age and I often hear that I must be much younger. I take it as a compliment in fact.
(I was one of these people)
What motivated you into becoming a social entrepreneur?
In 2002 I had a pretty crashing epiphany that I wasn't going to see any changes in the way people were generally perceived and treated in the workplace using a traditional capitalist modeling. I had been a Human Resource professional for some time and achieving good success, but registered that the profession often stopped at the place where HR didn't want to upset the management. As a consequence there were no advocates for true development in the field of People at Work.
I felt with my success with working with people in workplace settings of all sorts, I might be able to bring these achievements to the public in practical fashions, that would help create far more effective enterprises with the potential to be satisfying to management and lower-level staff alike.
What woman leader has been your greatest mentor?
Mother Teresa, most definitely. There's something about her selflessness and her dedication to giving without consideration to dollar cost that's incredible to me. And obviously to observe the returns over time: the dedication and buy-in from countless others, to actually have a million dollar entity as her legacy; it's pretty impressive! I think she also showed me the value that is resident in a giving heart and lent evidence to the unlimited reserve of giving in any of us!
On a smaller scale, there was of course my grandmother Rita Eversley, who I can't forget to mention at any turn.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
Perhaps unbelievably, one of the biggest challenges I have faced is that of accepting myself and who I am quite naturally. I still have my moments, mind you, but I do remind myself often that 'God doesn't make mistakes', so I must be ok!
I'll elaborate a bit. My family is very grass roots; indeed nearly my entire home circle is very simple and grounded. So my academic and professional achievements, especially internationally, are far out of line from the expectations of someone of my background. It truly doesn't make logical sense that I should 'think' this big and live so fearlessly. So I have had to 'deal with' this since I was a youth and it has been really hard. I've had to walk away from family and societal expectations to feel happy with myself.
Thank goodness, this turned out to be the best thing I could do for everyone concerned.
What do you notice most about working in different parts of the world?
I notice that people desire to feel appreciated, recognized for themselves. This truly is universal.
What is the greatest gift you feel you have to offer others?
Compassion; sensitivity to the human cause which I consider to be the one least addressed in society... the cause which promotes people just being natural and true to themselves.
If you could say one thing to women wanting to enhance their leadership what would it be?
Trust yourself; women have been successfully carrying what I have termed the 'dual load' for a long time now and have both the know-how and the intestinal fortitude - the guts - to take decisions that will be holistic and communally beneficial. We do know best...! [I believe that most reasonable men would concur on this...]
What in the world do you feel most urgently needs to be addressed?
I would like to raise the subject of the next generation and the need to zero-in on their needs as a matter of urgency, and especially to focus on the children without parents that are often forgotten, but who are no less relevant as humans. My parents were not there for me and I am so thankful to have had a grandmother who put the children's wellbeing as paramount, and so my youth turned out almost seamless. This commitment has contributed significantly to my development and, really, to who I am as an individual today. It is something that I therefore raise really high for awareness and appreciation.
(In honour of Sherrilene’s request a donation from the retreat will be made to a family where children live with their grandmother – a woman who is a leader in many aspects of her life and community.)
Thank you Sherrilene!
Are you inspired? Enthused? Come join us Saturday, April 25th from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm at La Casa de Inspiracion on Mayne Island!
For full details about the vision practice retreat “Employ Your Natural Talents.” go to
http://terrill.gaia.com/blog/2009/4/employ_your_natural_talents
Participants must register in advance no later than this Friday, April 17, 2009 by calling Terrill at 250-539-5877 or emailing tawelch@shaw.ca Space is limited to 10 participants.
Sherrilene M. Collymore is a native of Barbados who has travelled extensively and has a passion for people and their potential. A very natural “connector”, Sherrilene has optimized her skills with people to serve in a large number of capacities, bringing people with diverse interests into the same place. She now specializes in facilitation as a profession, bridging cultural and other societal gaps with her work. She concentrates on promoting social business and enhancing Quality of Life for persons at the individual and at the group level. Sherrilene is also the Ambassador for World Leadership Day – Barbados. You can learn more about Sherrilene’s academic background and experience at http://www.hq-2.com/smcbio2009.htm (which also includes a photo of her beautiful smiling face).
Hope you can join us! And if you are unable to physically be here, you can join us in spirit, and celebrate the perfectness of being who we are right now in this moment.
Warm regards,
Terrill Welch
Executive Leadership Coach
Ambassador World Leadership Day Canada
March 20, 2009 http://worldleadershipdaycanada.ning.com
Terrill Welch - A Woman behind Women
http://www.awomanbehindwomen.ca and http://terrill.gaia.com
Mayne Island B.C. 1-250-539-5877
email: tawelch@shaw.ca
"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'." Maya Angelou
© 2009 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
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"By Terrill Welch founder of Terrill Welch – A Woman behind Women. Terrill Welch is an Executive Coach, providing leadership services designed specifically for women leaders. To learn more, feel free to browse through the www.awomanbehindwomen.ca and http://terrill.gaia.com websites."
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leadership
November 2009 
Terrill
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