I feel privileged to be part of LEAD San Diego’s EMBARK 2011 class. If you don’t know about the program, check it out. At our last meeting, we heard from an extremely dynamic and interesting presenter Alexis Dixon, principal and mediator at Mediation Solution International. Dixon spoke about generational leadership, and among the many gems he shared was the idea of “winning” versus “gaining.”

Winning is something only an individual can do. It’s to be the best. It is perfection. It is singular – there can be only one winner. But to “gain” can be a collective experience. We can all gain through collaboration, which can be achieved by connecting with one another, listening, having shared values and being authentic, said Dixon.

“People don’t come perfect … the imperfection allows us to innovate … between the win and gain, lies innovation.”

I’ve always thought of NST as a collaborative place to work. We operate in teams. We help each other out. We jump in when someone is overwhelmed, and despite the horror stories I’ve heard of back-stabbing agency life filled with people trying to claw their way to the top, this isn’t what NST is about. Brainstorms often end with an idea brought up not by one individual, but as an evolution of an idea that started somewhere in the group and became the collective product of it all.

During the EMBARK class, I was feeling fortunate to work with a team of people who I believe seek a collective gain for our agency and for our clients, and for that I want to give a shout out and thank you to my NST team and family who have stepped up to help us all gain at NST.