Leadership Lessons with our CEO

Recently our CEO, Edward Barisa, was asked by the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) to share some advice for the next generation of leaders. Here is what Ed had to say about the lessons he has learned: Association management is all about people. It took me a while to learn that. I thought it … Continued

Never be afraid to ask

Since I was young I have heard people say, “there is no such thing as a dumb question”. And although I agree with that in principle, I’ve often held off asking questions because I didn’t want to appear like I was the only one who didn’t understand something. When I’ve mustered my courage and asked … Continued

Sorry, your name again?

I’m pretty bad at remembering names. In fact, it’s a running joke here at OREA. It’s not that I don’t try, I just go blank when it comes to names. As leaders and professionals, however, the skill of remembering names is important and worth improving. In order to get better at remembering names, I looked … Continued

Bring order to your meetings

There are few complaints I hear more from volunteers than those regarding poorly run meetings. REALTORS® share their precious time when they volunteer. They want that time to be productive, so when board or committee meetings get derailed, or run over time, or fail to accomplish their objectives, it’s frustrating for everyone. Associations can dial … Continued

It’s easy to lead when the going is good

But what about when conflict rears its ugly head and you’re in the hot seat? That’s when leaders rely on their skills and principles to get them through. If you want to improve how you handle discord, you might want to apply the Principles for Leading through Conflict. We use these in our leadership course … Continued

Leadership 100 course now mobile compatible

We are delighted to announce that our popular online course On the Path to Leadership: Leadership 100 is now mobile compatible. If you’re on the road and find yourself with an hour or so to spare, you can learn about how associations work and what role you can play.  If you are a real estate association volunteer or are considering volunteering, grab … Continued

Visualize your message for more impact

Why say it when you can show it? That question was the driver behind our recent leap into the infographic world here at the OREA Centre for Leadership Development (OCLD). Now instead of explaining the OCLD learning path for volunteer leaders, we’re showing it. More and more you’ll see organizations use graphics to illustrate messages, … Continued

Less is more

For all the years I’ve designed training programs, I’ve often caught myself trying to teach too much in a session. Turns out, that’s quite common. We trainers often feel that if we add more content, people will learn more. In fact, it’s more likely that they will learn less. That’s because when we jam too much content into … Continued

Key Financial Questions For Association Directors

If you are a director on an association board of directors, one of your key roles is to ensure that the finances are sufficient to run the association, sustain it during financial downfalls and provide value to members. Here’s a great tool from the OREA Centre for Leadership Development Leadership Library that might help you … Continued