As you take on more responsibility as a volunteer leader, you recognize the importance of your fiduciary duty to act on behalf of members. This is a new experiential learning course that helps you fulfil your governance responsibilities of stewardship, accountability and oversight. Learn to make group decisions that advance your member-focused strategic goals and manage risk to the benefit of members.

If you are on a community group or real estate association board of directors or want to be, this course will help you strengthen your executive leadership skills. Through group discussion and interactive activities, you will advance your skills so you can contribute more fully to a board of directors. You will learn proper procedure for chairing meetings, the duties of directors, and ways to advance a strategic plan.

Participants will explore the critical issues facing real estate boards and associations today. Executive Officers and their Senior Staff will hear from experts in their field on various topics including how to manage violence and harassment against staff. Participants will also learn tips and tools on risk management, how to retain staff and volunteers and what you need to know to build culture and drive change as a leader. 

2023 Legal Update for Boards & Assoc. : Year in Review and Trends to Watch in 2023 with Laura Williams

2022 has been an extraordinary year that has resulted in numerous developments in employment law that employers cannot ignore. The events of the past couple of years have resulted in a New Workplace, and people leaders need to understand the key considerations that are critical to effectively lead their teams in our current climate. This session will review new compliance obligations, recent case law, trends to watch for 2023, along with practical strategies and best practices for employers to reduce workplace risks, potential exposures to liability, and to stabilize the workplace from the many impacts that have destabilized many organizations

Board & Management Relationships; Issues & Solutions for Effective Governance with Janis Riven

This interactive session will elaborate on a legal perspective of workplace violence and harassment to be covered in the preceding presentation. Legal rights and responsibilities provide a foundation on which workplace relationships are fostered or damaged.  This session will focus on the respective rights and responsibilities of EOs, staff and the Board of Directors in managing workplace relationships.  Focused on the role of the Executive Officer, tools and practices will be discussed to enable EOs to develop strategies to manage behaviours – identifying ‘dangerous drivers’ and finding solutions to create safe and effective environments for the workplace – in and outside of the boardroom.

Top Five Risk Management Tips for Associations with Terry Carter

Not-for-Profits (NFPs) are facing increasing legal and regulatory complexities and litigation challenges in delivering their programs and services to members and the public. As such, it is essential to understand developing trends in legal risk management considerations in order to reduce unnecessary exposure to legal liability and regulatory non-compliance. This session will describe the following five risk management tips to assist not-for-profits in better achieving effective legal risk management readiness:

1. Monitoring Employee and Volunteer Liability Risks
2. Checking Insurance and Risk Transfer Documentation
3. Watching for Privacy, Data Breaches and Anti-spam Compliance Issues
4. Being Prepared for a CRA Audit
5. Developing a Crisis Management Plan

The Secret Sauce: Leading Staff and Volunteers During Tough Times with Kathrina Loeffler & Christian Vulpe

What’s happening in Canada right now regarding employment rates, engagement and staff and volunteer satisfaction? Given the reality, what does it take to keep great employees and volunteers when competition is rife and engagement is low? What’s required? It’s got to be more than bonuses, perks, and high salaries. Why are people leaving their jobs? Why are good volunteers so hard to find and more importantly keep? What has COVID taught us about priorities for both staff and volunteers? How can you do what it takes to create an engaging environment for both staff and volunteers so that you attract and retain the support you need to succeed? During this interactive session, leaders will learn what some of the most current research is saying about healthy workplaces and share brilliant ideas that they’ve used to keep employees and volunteers inspired and engaged.

Impacting and Engaging the Generations: Your Role as a Leader In Driving Change and Building Culture with Neil Thornton

In today’s workplace driving change across generations, strengthening culture and developing engaged teams remains a primary focus and concern for all organizations. Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, Millennials and the NEW Gen Z-eds are working together in environments never experienced.  Each generation communicates differently with unique habits and challenging expectations. Whether you are leading or managing, your presence and ability to ‘own’ your influence is critical today. How you walk in a room, make an impression and leave an impact is ‘the’ most important business skill you can polish and improve.

As a volunteer, you come to the table with a keen interest to make a difference, make decisions and give back. Yet a lot can get in the way of making timely group decisions. In this course, you will discover how to remove the barriers to nimble decision making. You’ll learn how to stay on top of emerging trends. And you’ll encounter powerful tools that will help your board fulfil its responsibilities as decisions are implemented.

If you are on a community group or real estate association board of directors or want to be, this course will help you strengthen your executive leadership skills. Through group discussion and interactive activities, you will advance your skills so you can contribute more fully to a board of directors. You will learn proper procedure for chairing meetings, the duties of directors, and ways to advance a strategic plan.

A president-elect’s term is a critical time for laying the groundwork for success in the pending role as president. This annual course teaches you the skills you need earlier so that you are ready to take on the role of president. You will gain insight on how to achieve long-term goals, build relationships while addressing issues and evaluate board performance.

This is a working session for presidents to think broadly and strategically about the upcoming term of office. Through a series of activities, discussions and exercises, you will consider the challenges and opportunities of their year ahead. You will strategize about important relationships and ways to build your board’s effectiveness. And you will build a strong network as you work with presidents from across the province.

This session is now available for those registered for Full Conference without taking a leadership courses in the afternoon of January 19th.

Session 1: Making Assessments Matter

With Suzanne Ferguson

In this session, we will review the different types of director assessments and how they can be used to elevate your current process and improve board efficiency. You will learn how to avoid the common mistakes that boards make with assessments and how to enhance your current director assessment strategy.

Session 2: And the Award Goes To

With Carolyn Everson

In this session, participants will explore the importance of supporting strong leadership around the board table, supporting strategic and effective discussions to ensure you are prepared, knowledgeable.
In addition, directors will learn ways to actively participate in committee work and assist when conflict arises.

Session 1: Communicate and Influence with Impact

With Sean Verhoeven

The topics of social styles and influence strategies will be discussed in depth during this 45-minute session on Communicate and Influence with Impact. It is essential to our progress that we are able to communicate effectively and cultivate solid connections with a wide array of stakeholders. A core skill that all leaders should be able to acquire is the ability to understand when it is important to alter your style in order to be able to better relate to all different types of individuals. During this session, you will have a better understanding of how to communicate with a wide range of individuals.

Session 2: Governance for Directors/Roles & Responsibilities

With Marion Thomson Howell

When crises hit organizations – where was the board?  What happens when boards fail to address problems?  21st challenges that boards don’t recognize.  The three reasons boards find themselves in trouble.  Issues boards should focus on so they stay out of the headlines.

Session 3: Keeping Up with Governance Trends

With Suzanne Ferguson

In this session, we’ll explore governance trends and ways to make a directorship more than just reading materials and attending meetings. Learn how to reinvigorate your board and create long-term success for your organization by using good governance and governance trends to enhance your directors’ experience and keep them engaged throughout their tenure.

Session 4: Walking the Line Between Risk Management and Strategies

With Teresa Budd

Among a board’s important responsibilities is the oversight of risk. Foundational to this, is understanding who the players are with respect to risk governance and risk management. Join Teresa Budd as she explores risk oversight principles and distinguishes between key governance and operational responsibilities within the context of real estate associations.

Session 5: CREA Competition Overview

With Paul Feuer

Once again, Paul will provide you with updates and new things within the last year an what is on the horizon at the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Session 6:  KEYNOTE – Being 2030 Ready! 

with Andrew Au

By 2030, half of the work we get paid to do today will by automated by technology, 10% of jobs will be in job categories that don’t exist today, and demand for technological skills will surge by 55%. Are you ready?
Being “2030 ready” means more than just applying automation, robotics, and AI. It involves a shift in leadership and culture — a modern approach to skilling, a cognitive division of labour, and a complete business model evolution. Andrew Au, an authority on digital transformation, provides audiences with a glimpse into this future and the pathways needed to prepare for this new world of work.
Andrew will explore how to use technology and data to deliver better experiences to realtors, home buyers/sellers, and employees and his work on digital transformation projects related to commercial real estate, architecture, engineering, and construction. We will look at different ways of using mixed reality, digital twins, and AI-enabled analytics to drive industry innovation.