We learn leadership in school and college, through life lessons and mentors, and through reading and example. In this post I want to share with you five leadership lessons I learned (or had reinforced) while President of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce.

This past week I completed a year as President of the Chamber here in Grand Cayman. I was given the trust and opportunity provide my leadership to the organisation in its 47th year and worked to ensure that everything I did honoured and built on the leadership legacy framed by the many presidents before me. Basically (and sometimes basic, direct language is the best) I did not want to muck it up!

The record of accomplishment for the year is available on the Cayman Chamber website (the Annual Report will be posted shortly). This post, however, is less about the Chamber and the past year’s activity. It is, rather, five key leadership learnings I gained, or had reinforced, over the past year, and in particular leadership of a voluntary or not-for-profit organisation. The Chamber council (board) and executive leadership is 100% volunteer and non-paid, and the day-to-day activity is run by a paid CEO and staff of four. I believe these learnings translate well into other volunteer and not-for profit groups, and indeed, commercial business leadership.