“Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. I’ve never forgotten those wise words a mentor once shared.” – Norma Beauchamp
I recently sat down with a wonderful and inspiring human being, one of those people who has seemingly overcome every hurdle life has thrown her way. And with a smile to boot! That person is today’s guest – former president and CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Norma Beauchamp.
Norma currently serves on the boards of Extendicare, Dialogue, Aurora Cannabis, The Ontario Caregiver Organization, ALS Canada, and is a Council Member of the National Research Council of Canada. She also serves as a regional ambassador for Women Get On Board.
In today’s episode, Norma shares her hard-earned wisdom and some wonderful lessons that many of us need to hear right now. From building an impressive corporate career and raising a family, to facing down cancer twice – and winning.
You’ll learn how to:
- Avoid making problems worse by dealing with them faster
- Leverage a positive attitude when the chips are down
- Always stay in control by owning your response to challenges
- And much more!
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Breadth Vs. Depth of Experience
This was during the Sanofi time: I moved every two to three years into different roles. I moved into Training and Development, and into Marketing, Business Development, to being the Director of Sales, and then running the Business Unit. And I think the message here is to be open to learning. Learn as much as you can. And even if they’re lateral moves, the thing is it gives you much more breadth and prepares you for much more opportunities as your career progresses.
On Being Adaptable, Especially in the Midst of COVID
Learning is key but being adaptable is more valuable. Look at what we’re living through right now with COVID-19. We have to be agile, we have to be adaptable; we need to pivot and we need to change. So many industries have pivoted this year and the speed of change has been incredible. So learning and growing brings a lot of value to any person who is developing their career forward and has high aspirations for themselves.
How to Deal With Roadblocks In Your Career
I have lived in a time when roads were blocked for me because of my gender, and I had to figure out how to navigate my path forward. And this is my advice for people who are currently facing roadblocks in their career path: you just have to be firm about knowing where you want to go and know that there are other ways to get there. Be creative in trying to go around that roadblock.
Links and Resources
Connect with Norma: LinkedIn
Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership Model
Situational Leadership by Dr. Paul Hershey
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson M.D.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
