Greetings from AC 206 enroute to Calgary. It has been a good and busy week, especially good to be home and busy, and not spending evenings sitting in hotel rooms. Alas, all good things come to an end!

I'm enroute to do some of my favorite work, leadership development. I'm always learning myself (and about myself) in these sorts of workshops. At some level, simply the focused gathering of managers and leaders exploring common and particular issues is an amazing opportunity in which to be a participant, let alone the facilitator. The opportunity to take time away from the hour by hour work we all do is invigorating, engaging and a prelude to creativity and possibility.

I'm reminded of a friend of mine from childhood, now an accomplished and famous visual artist. His process as painter is to have a number of works going at once. He starts his day with a cup of tea in hand, moving from painting to painting looking for the one that needs work today.

Now obviously paintings are not people, and it'd look mighty strange for one of us to walk through the office, tea in hand looking for the person that needs work today! But my friend's real contribution to the art of leadership is in showing us the power of discernment and time. He takes time to reflect, to consider each of the works, and even how they might fit into each other, or not. And such is the work that I'm enroute to do. To discern, to reflect, on the priority actions, the important work for this group of managers and leaders.

It will be a powerful two days for all concerned.

May we each find time each day to discern.