06/10/2024
5 Lessons I learned from being on the HometeamNS REAL RUN organising committee for the past 6 years.
1) The bigger the dream, the bigger your dream team.
Organizing a run for 40 people isn’t that difficult.
But organizing a run for 4,000 people is a whole different ballgame—you need a dream team.
Whatever the scale you’re currently operating on, always be on the lookout for talent in others.
You never know when you’ll need their expertise to help you reach your big, audacious goals.
2) Find people who are better than you in different ways.
Many members of my organizing committee have skills and insights that I don’t.
They can see things that I can’t.
Don’t be afraid if others are better than you.
In fact, celebrate that they bring skills you might need for future projects!
3) Develop a team of leaders.
With over 4,000 people to care for on race day, it was impossible for me to be everywhere at once.
Sometimes leaders want to be in control, but that isn’t always the best approach for large projects.
Empower others to lead different parts of the project.
On race day, we had support staff spread over 10 km of the race route.
To the volunteers I didn’t get to meet: a big thank you and heartfelt appreciation.
You braved the weather to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the 2024 HometeamNS REAL RUN.
4) People may misunderstand you. Be okay with that.
As leaders, we aim to be as clear as possible in our communication, but sometimes we’ll still be misunderstood.
That’s part of leadership.
Our job is to make sure our messages are clear.
But we also need to know when to stop trying—sometimes people will mishear or misunderstand despite our best efforts.
5) Capture moments. (BTS)
This year, I started capturing more behind-the-scenes (BTS) moments.
People usually only see the official photos and videos, but there’s so much work that goes unnoticed in the background.
Capture those moments so you can reflect and reminisce after the event is over.
It has been a great honour to serve as Chairman of the HometeamNS REAL RUN and to be able to work with such a fantastic organizing committee & HometeamNS staff.
(See if you can spot a familiar face in the photo.)
