You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support.
~ Sabrina Bryan
What I enjoy is a collaboration. Working with other like-minded people. People who have brilliant minds and big hearts.
~ Julian Ovenden
Today BMG is turning our spotlight on a recent client, Positive Living Niagara (Positive Living). The following blog segment contains a conversation with Glen Walker, Executive Director of Positive Living. Glen has given permission to share our conversation for the purpose of this blog. If you want to have further conversation with Glen, he is open to that contact. Contact Glen at Tel: 905-984-8684 Ext. 112, email: [email protected]
Positive Living Niagara began 25 years ago as the Aids Committee of Niagara. Glen expressed that Positive Living is a very busy agency with multiple services and a strong engagement with the Niagara community. Glen stated that “the organization strives to provide a broad range of holistic support to individuals with HIV. Beyond the personal, individual support, Positive Living has a strong commitment to community education and prevention. The organization’s goal is to humanize the individuals we serve and to create an accepting community that welcomes the people we support, so that they are not afraid to step up and be part of their community and that we prevent further infections and keep people healthy.”
The recruitment of BMG began an extensive process to a new Strategic Plan for Positive Living. Positive Living Niagara worked with David Barnes and the BMG Team to ensure a broad engagement with community, clients, funders, staff and board. Glen states that “BMG employed a wide range of techniques to work with us to engage all levels of the organization and our community to enable input into the process and ensure positive outcomes of the process. A very in depth breakaway for board and staff, organized by the BMG team, with Marcia O’Connor in the lead, was a monumental task that resulted in huge positive buy in from board and staff to move the organization forward.”
Glen went on to say, “we knew what we wanted and past work with David Barnes was my reason for BMG involvement. Knowing David as a person, I trusted the relationship and could trust how the BMG firm was operating. I had a sense of David and his firm but my board was also impressed with the depth of the proposal from BMG and the values of the firm. Those values stood out. And true to the proposal, David brought liked minded and like hearted people with him. The BMG team was able to adapt in real time and regroup and offer further support when and where needed.”
Positive Living’s success and the BMG success was a result of the range and depth of consultation and the research. The depth of the work was light years ahead of what we had in the past. It produced long lasting outcomes. In the face of challenges, the BMG team was able to adapt to live feedback and regroup and offer further support to push to a final outcome. The BMG team was able to shift. The team members were all personable and they all listened. There was positive feedback about each of the BMG team from all levels of the consultation. There was consistently a real sense of true partnership from the BMG team.
“Positive Living Niagara is on a new path, with new energy and new commitments to the organization, our clients, and our community. We ended up with a plan with obvious input from all sectors.”
Glen further stated “you can count on a true partnership from David and everyone he brings to the BMG team.” Truly like minded and like hearted personalities.
Written by Deborah Lavender, BMG Senior Consultant
