With a passion for Dr. Seuss, and a love of the written language, Vicki Austad doesn't automatically strike a person as being a visionary leader who is 'driving' her organization to continually strive for the betterment of New Westminster. However, if one sits still and listens, the passion, dedication, and energy that have enabled her to position New Westminster Community Development Society (NWCDS) as one of the few viable urban CED organizations comes through.

Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure and honour of working with Vicki on a number of projects. In each instance, I have been impressed with her entrepreneurial leadership style that empowers those she works with to excel and grow. While she may not consider herself to be a visionary leader, she consistently demonstrates her passion for achieving long-range goals, her innovative solution finding, and her persistence in the face of adversity. Here are excerpts from an interview with Vicki Austad, Executive Director of NWCDS.

How would you describe the organization when it was started? What were the initial goals? What was your role?

In 1992 Russ Pacey of the New Westminster School District identified that New Westminster, once the burgeoning hub of commerce in British Columbia, was in need of revitalization. He sought a solution that would apply community economic development principles, while at the same time respect and encourage every individual to grow and learn.

I was hired as the Executive Director in 1995. With the advent of the Community Skills Centres, the newly created NWCDS found initial funding and a flagship program. This program launched the work that NWCDS was to do within the downtown core and provided the organization five years of secure funding.

How would you define leadership?

Good leadership is about being able to give over stewardship of a project or a process and trusting the individual to grow to accomplish the task. It is also about knowing when to step in and take leadership to ensure organizational goals are achieved. A good leader brings out the creativity, innovation, and leadership in other people.

As the leader of NWCDS the buck really does stop at my chair. A good leader takes responsibility for what has happened and is willing to admit mistakes. In my experience, when you step up to the plate, admit a mistake, and offer to work on finding a solution, people are forgiving. Good leaders know this, and apply it on a day-to-day basis.

In your mind what sets a good leader apart from a visionary leader?

First of all the term visionary leader is new to me. It isn't one that I have really thought about. However, my first sense is that a visionary leader sees possibilities. It seems to me that a visionary leader thinks not just about what the organization is, rather about what the organization is and what it could be.

If you were asked to identify the top five characteristics of a visionary leader, what would they be? Which of these characteristics do you feel you possess? Which one is your greatest strength?

In my mind a visionary leader, or any leader for that matter, needs an abundance of energy and enthusiasm; the ability to network; a good sense of humour; strong technical communication skills, including reading, writing, and speaking; as well as the ability to leave your ego at the door. I also think that a visionary leader has the ability to let staff shine by letting them be the subject matter experts.

I'd like to think I have a good sense of humour; I can write and speak articulately; And, I love to promote NWCDS in the community, province, and nation. These are some of my leadership characteristics.

Do you consider yourself to be a visionary leader? If yes, why?

Now that I have connected the idea of being a visionary with being a leader, I definitely feel that I am one. It is the nature of the non-profit sector and the funding cycle to demand leaders who are always looking towards future possibilities. If you sit still you lose ground. You have to be visionary to stay on top and remain sustainable.

On a personal level, what do you feel have been your greatest accomplishments as the Executive Director of NWCDS? To what do you attribute this success?

The purchase of the strata title in which NWCDS operated, and now owns, is my greatest accomplishment. It was something that I did myself; I was the guiding force. In comparison to other work I do, which is often supportive in nature, arranging for the purchase of the building required that I get out and "do."

I was responsible for approaching the TD Bank, going back to them and asking them to donate more money, and negotiated the final deal. I also arranged a partnership with VanCity. Their Community Investment Deposit Program enabled NWCDS to secure a low-interest mortgage allowing us to finalize the purchase of the property.

It's never easy to step up and ask for things; if you really believe in what you are doing you find the courage and the persistence to make it happen. Because of my leadership role in community development, I was taken seriously and business leaders were willing to listen to my idea.

Leading an organization like NWCDS is not without its challenges. What is the greatest challenge that you have had to overcome to become a successful leader? The leader of NWCDS?

In my personal experience there is a lot of truth to the old saying that "it is lonely at the top." As the Executive Director, my job can be isolating. My staff don't relate to me, as the Executive Director, in the same way that they do to their colleagues. I have found that being in a leadership role offers limited support; as the leader, my role is to provide support not receive it.

As the leader of NWCDS the greatest challenge has been earning and maintaining organizational credibility, especially as we take an entrepreneurial approach to community development. NWCDS has worked to distance itself from being seen as an organization that subscribes to traditional social services thinking. We aren't a charity looking for a hand out; we invest in people and realize direct (and sustainable) economic and social benefits for the community.

What have been the greatest organizational accomplishments for NWCDS in the past five years?

The greatest accomplishments for NWCDS have been involvement in the SEDI Learn$ave initiative, being a finalist in the Alcan Prize for Sustainability, the purchase of the strata title property in which we house our society, and our annual Community Spirit Night.

Learn$ave is an innovative, creative, and original initiative that spans our nation. It has the potential to change Canadian social policy and our approach to helping those with low incomes. It's been an exciting project - being selected as one of three random assignment test sites has positioned our organization as a leader in the field of asset development in Canada.

Being selected as one of the top twelve finalists (out of 488) in a worldwide competition for the Alcan Prize for Sustainability (US$1Million) was thrilling. For NWCDS several benefits arose - increased public relations and exposure; insight into how others viewed our organization; and increased confidence in the importance of what we are doing.

The building purchase, and the fact we were able to negotiate such a large donation from the TD Bank, has helped us with organizational sustainability. We are now able to rent out excess space and earn revenues that can be applied to our core operations. In addition, it has reinforced that an entrepreneurial approach is effective and rewarding.

The annual Community Spirit Night Awards, coordinated and promoted by the staff, is gaining recognition and value within the community. It allows us to highlight individuals and corporations who are recognized for "giving back" to their community in a variety of ways.

What is the greatest challenge that the organization has had to overcome to position itself as a leader in the field of community development in BC/Canada?

I think the greatest challenge for any small community-based organization is to value the contribution that your organization makes in the community in which you live and work - whether municipal, provincial, or nationally. It's difficult to feel as important as the "big guys" or to feel you have earned the right to sit on boards at the national level. However, we need to recognize that others value our contribution differently than we do and our contributions are equally as important as those made by larger organizations.

In today's environment, non profit leaders and boards need to make strategic decisions that guide their organizations. How does your stated mission / vision guide the decision making process for your organization? Does it always guide organizational decision making?

Typical Community economic development (CED) assumes that all individuals within a community are at the same level of capacity to participate in activities. In our organization we recognize a responsibility to support individual skill building, because all community members are not at the same level of capacity. This focuses the foundation of our mission statement:

We support individual growth, community development, and economic progress through innovation and collaboration. We make a positive difference in the life of our community and in the lives of its residents.