Opportunity Knocks.

I am not sure that I can pinpoint what “normal” looks like in my business except that I am quite sure it does not exist. It is the appeal that small business has for me. A promising idea or calling pulls me into opportunities that I could never have planned for myself. Before I started Monyok Leadership, it went against my nature to ditch a good plan in pursuit of an opportunity. It has been a major point of growth to let myself pivot when opportunity knocks.

Late last year I was swamped. I had a few pretty big projects on my plate when a friend of mine called asking for support. The client needed help sorting out their identity as an organization. It was a small gig that I squeezed in with a Saturday morning workshop. I did it because they needed the kind of help that I could offer. 

Knock, knock.

That organization was Downtown Danville, Inc (DDI, for my locals) and yesterday, I signed on as their Executive Director. 

I feel compelled to explain my decision process in part because my clients ought to know what to expect from me and in part because I am still a little shocked too. I shared with my Board what I am sharing with you, so there are no secrets here. 

DDI is a project for me. They were looking for an employee and found a consultant that felt called to help. When I did that workshop last winter, I walked the businesses downtown and talked to owners of some of the stores that were open. In that afternoon, I felt more connected to this community and called to serve it than I had in a long time. In conversation with the Board during the application process, I learned that I share in their desire to return DDI to what it once was and can be again for downtown businesses. 

They need the kind of help that I can offer. And while I am officially their Executive Director, I do not intend for that to be a long-term commitment. This is a part-time role, and my objective is to stabilize and position the organization so they may hire a full-time Executive Director to serve Downtown Danville in the near-term. It’s a big task. One that I recognize will not be achieved without difficulty.

In the meantime, I will continue to serve my Monyok Leadership clients. I have grown my team this year so that I can take on projects that are interesting and challenging for me personally and professionally. I want to stretch my potential and continue to expand my areas of my practice so that I may more effectively serve my clients. I see DDI as an opportunity to do that.

Monyok Leadership isn’t going anywhere -- my commitment to you is to continue to show up when you need the kind of help that I can offer.