Work Functions

 

This is us. The work crew hanging out on a Saturday night. Good Times, Great Food, and Excellent Company. Over half the team showed up along with their favorite other, speaking volumes to the culture we are building together.

The beautiful setting in the Okanagan was just the baseline to truly special evening where we continually create the opportunity to erase the invisible lines that often separate us at work. Departments can sometimes feel like islands. And with the busy flow of work and lifestyle sometimes connecting with each other is a task beyond the normal working hours.

Why It Matters?

Work functions are social events that build culture. They remind us that collaboration is smoother when we understand each other, not just our roles, but as human beings and makes another happy. Work functions allow teams to strengthen trust to get through the grind while also giving us a chance to lead with humanity - because leadership isn't only about strategy and results. It's also about connection.

Never underestimate the value of creating space for others to connect outside of routine. It's in these moments that loyalty deepens, silos fade, and the foundation for real teamwork is built.

The Courage for New

 I watched My Year at Oxford this week, and something in me stirred.

Not because I’ve ever dreamed of attending Oxford, but because I know what it feels like to walk into a room—into a season of life—where I’m unsure if I belong, yet determined to make my mark.

The main character in the film has a life  experience that is reshaped by a single year in a new place. She became surrounded by unfamiliar traditions, new expectations, and people who see the world differently. It’s not just about academics; it’s about identity, courage, and the willingness to be changed by the experience.

We all have our “Oxford” moments. They might not look like ancient stone halls or candlelit debates, but they’re those life chapters where everything feels foreign… and yet something inside us insists, This is where I’m meant to grow.

I thought about how often in leadership—and in life—we avoid stepping into new rooms. We stay in the spaces where we feel certain, where we know the language and the rules. But the growth happens when we sit with the discomfort long enough to learn something new and long enough to be shaped by it. This is the active part of being uncomfortable.

As leaders, our job is not just to enter those rooms ourselves, but to invite others into theirs—and to remind them that feeling uncertain is often a sign they’re exactly where they need to be.

Maybe for you, the “Oxford” moment is taking on a project you don’t feel ready for.
Maybe it’s starting the business you’ve always dreamed about.
Or maybe it’s learning something purely because it excites you—even if it scares you, too.

Growth rarely comes from standing still. Sometimes it starts with walking into a room you’re not sure you belong in… and discovering that you do.

The world doesn’t just need you where you’re comfortable—it needs you where you’re becoming.

Mattering

 CONTRIBUTION

Do I matter?

 Mattering – is the experience of feeling significant to those around us because we feel valued and know that we add value.

 It is not a grand gesture that creates this. Mattering happens in everyday moments, in the tone of a conversation, in a glance of recognition, and in the way we’re listened to and responded to.

 For Leaders, this means TRULY seeing and hearing the people you lead. Not just as employees, but as individuals whose contributions shape the culture and outcome of the organization

 SEEING – acknowledging them and paying attention to the details, ebbs, and flows of their life and work.

 HEARING – showing a genuine curiosity abouts someone’s thoughts, ideas, and challenges and responding in a way that creates trust and psychological safety.

 When people feel seen and heard, they feel that they matter. And when they matter, they give more of their best selves to the work, to the team, and to the mission.

People rise when they feel seen, believed in and backed.

The Unsung Engine

After years of caring for his aging father, Marco found himself searching for purpose—and a paycheck. He took a job as a detailer, not realizing just how vital he would become to the heartbeat of the store.

From the outside, it looked simple—washing, vacuuming, wiping down vehicles. But on the inside, Marco quickly learned something: everyone depended on him.

The service team needed clean, polished cars ready for pickup—customers didn’t consider the job “done” until they saw their vehicle sparkling.

The sales team needed cars prepped to perfection—deliveries couldn’t go out, photos couldn’t be taken, and deals couldn’t close without his final touch.

The pressure was real. The pace was fast. And yet, some days, Marco still found himself battling a quiet doubt: I wish I were doing something more important.

    Am I just the guy who cleans up after everyone else?

One afternoon, his manager caught him between vehicles and said:

“Marco, you’re not just detailing cars. You’re keeping the whole operation moving. When service finishes a repair, you’re the one who completes the experience. When sales makes a promise to a customer, you’re the one who brings it to life. We can’t deliver without you. You’re the closer.”

That was the moment it clicked.

Marco began to see himself not as support—but as essential. His hands helped finish stories: the relief of a repaired vehicle, the joy of a new delivery, the trust that a customer feels when everything looks just right.

He wasn’t in the background. He was in the flow. 

And the dealership? It didn’t run around him—it ran with him.