Dining with Della: Sally Greenwood at Seasons in the Park
May 02, 2016
Sally and I lunched in Queen Elizabeth Park at Seasons. Known to locals as Little Mountain, this spot hosts one of the best views of the City. It was drizzly the day we went, but the scenery was still spectacular. From the masses of colourful flowers in old volcanic crater to jungle-like lush treetops and the misty downtown skyscrapers in the distance, it is uniquely Vancouver. It is the perfect place for a casual drink in the open air lounge, business meeting or lunch with a good friend.
I've know Sally for a number of years but gained a much greater insight into her and her talents through being agency of record for Genome BC during my days at Quay. Sally is Vice President, Communications and Education at Genome BC. And, that is a tall order. Science communication is always hard work - add education to the mix and you have one challenging job. I still do project work with Sally and am continually amazed at her ongoing passion for helping people understand and value deep scientific study. And, she does not shy away from critical thinking and informed debate. Aside from organizing a recent series on food sustainability and innovation, she is off to Boston next month to inspire an audience of scientist types to get on the science literacy bandwagon.
I've know Sally for a number of years but gained a much greater insight into her and her talents through being agency of record for Genome BC during my days at Quay. Sally is Vice President, Communications and Education at Genome BC. And, that is a tall order. Science communication is always hard work - add education to the mix and you have one challenging job. I still do project work with Sally and am continually amazed at her ongoing passion for helping people understand and value deep scientific study. And, she does not shy away from critical thinking and informed debate. Aside from organizing a recent series on food sustainability and innovation, she is off to Boston next month to inspire an audience of scientist types to get on the science literacy bandwagon.
What worked...
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
Sally's mantra is to always be honest and transparent in communicating... full stop. She stresses how easy it can be to run into personal and professional problems when we don't take time to invest in our communications. She finds working in Canada, people are far too polite, creating a lot of trouble... "as the crow flies". She tries to instill the qualities of directness and candour in her children (the brightest, adorable eight year old twin girls) and people she mentors. She adamantly believes things rarely go wrong when you are honest and address matters immediately. Less transparency causes confusion and ultimately makes things more difficult.
(Note from Della: Anyone who knows Sally, will agree she lives up to her beliefs. A straight shooter who never minces words, you know where you stand with her. There is nothing convoluted about how this dynamo communicates.)
(Note from Della: Anyone who knows Sally, will agree she lives up to her beliefs. A straight shooter who never minces words, you know where you stand with her. There is nothing convoluted about how this dynamo communicates.)
What did not work...
After negotiating a two page spread in a daily paper, (which is a big deal in the comms biz) Sally set out on determining the content. Being a self described type AAAA, she has policies and processes for developing quality material. To ensure scientific correctness, she had four key experts reviewing the details. Unfortunately, one of the individuals was not available within the deadline. They went ahead and, of course, as she was getting on a plane the next morning her phone started buzzing. There was an error. They let something slip.
Her first comment after sharing this story was... "It was our mistake - no excuses". She went back to the paper and paid for another two pager. These researchers were highly principled people and she wanted to set the record straight. She also called her boss right away, explained the mistake and said she would find savings in her budget elsewhere to make up the loss.
She then referred back to her first comments about honesty. Her biggest lesson was to "never sacrifice". Stick to your processes. Processes work. She spent a lot of time developing her processes and when she wavered, it failed. As she put it, "That's when you step in a big pile". Her immediate call to the CEO, taking it on the chin with the researchers, her Board and CEO was not easy but she owned it.
(Note from Della: Sally shared some of her other processes around double checking numbers and not rushing jobs. I could tell she was still smarting from this "two-pager" experience but so glad she shared. We need to know even the most competent among us make the occasional error!)
Her first comment after sharing this story was... "It was our mistake - no excuses". She went back to the paper and paid for another two pager. These researchers were highly principled people and she wanted to set the record straight. She also called her boss right away, explained the mistake and said she would find savings in her budget elsewhere to make up the loss.
She then referred back to her first comments about honesty. Her biggest lesson was to "never sacrifice". Stick to your processes. Processes work. She spent a lot of time developing her processes and when she wavered, it failed. As she put it, "That's when you step in a big pile". Her immediate call to the CEO, taking it on the chin with the researchers, her Board and CEO was not easy but she owned it.
(Note from Della: Sally shared some of her other processes around double checking numbers and not rushing jobs. I could tell she was still smarting from this "two-pager" experience but so glad she shared. We need to know even the most competent among us make the occasional error!)
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
Sally would have taken more risks. She would have travelled to different countries versus stayed so close to home. She worries about complacency when you are in familiar surroundings.
(Note from Della: Complacent is not a word I would ever associate with Sally)
She would liked to have broadened her experiences and connections. She believes the time to travel and work in other places is when you are young and have a clearer perspective on options. You are also unencumbered by other responsibilities. Completely throw caution out the window, young Sally.
No matter how much she had learned during her career, the one big question she had trouble answering was - what was success? She would love for younger people to know success comes in so many shapes and sizes. Sally often defined herself through her work and how well she had performed, then she had children. And, now she has a whole other definition of success and it has a lot to do with those four little eyes looking back at her. That doesn't mean she doesn't still work hard but she takes her moments as they come.
She does not believe there is such a thing as work/life balance but she lives fully in all her personal and professional moments.
(Note from Della: Sally can regale you with antics about the twins and life as a communicator that have you laughing until your stomach and cheeks hurt.)
And in true Sally style, she advises "Take your moments and do it without apology".
(Note from Della: Complacent is not a word I would ever associate with Sally)
She would liked to have broadened her experiences and connections. She believes the time to travel and work in other places is when you are young and have a clearer perspective on options. You are also unencumbered by other responsibilities. Completely throw caution out the window, young Sally.
No matter how much she had learned during her career, the one big question she had trouble answering was - what was success? She would love for younger people to know success comes in so many shapes and sizes. Sally often defined herself through her work and how well she had performed, then she had children. And, now she has a whole other definition of success and it has a lot to do with those four little eyes looking back at her. That doesn't mean she doesn't still work hard but she takes her moments as they come.
She does not believe there is such a thing as work/life balance but she lives fully in all her personal and professional moments.
(Note from Della: Sally can regale you with antics about the twins and life as a communicator that have you laughing until your stomach and cheeks hurt.)
And in true Sally style, she advises "Take your moments and do it without apology".
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