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Destination Osoyoos to operate at new location
Correction from last Outlook

Osoyoos - A $2 Million Gateway Information Centre will be constructed this year at the junction of Highway 3 & 97 - welcoming visitors to B.C., and showing the many great things Osoyoos and the Okanagan have to offer.

While this facility is under construction, Destination Osoyoos will be operating at our new temporary location, 6001 Lakeshore Drive across from Okanagan RV; not as previously reported at the Sonora Community Centre. Construction of the new Gateway Centre is expected to be complete in fall/winter 2006.

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New OKANAGAN "BRAND" Unveiled at Whistler Conference

Whistler Village - The new logo (above) designed to reflect the new Okanagan Strategic Advantage "brand" was unveiled at the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) Western Canadian Conference in Whistler last week.  Glenn Mandziuk, Executive Director of Destination Osoyoos joined economic development representatives from throughout the Okanagan Valley at the annual event which was attended by more than 2,500 delegates looking for retail, commercial investment, and development opportunities.

Destination Osoyoos, working in partnership with the Okanagan Science & Technology Council (OSTEC) and the Okanagan Valley Economic Development Society (OVEDS), initiated a major valley branding exercise in 2005 aimed at using consistent local and regional branding messages to market the Okanagan.  The logo will be used at numerous trade events, recruitment shows and on marketing materials by the Commission and joint initiatives with the OVEDS. 

This is the second year that Destination Osoyoos has attended the ICSC show, The show provides an excellent venue as the first opportunity to market the Valley as one region under the Okanagan Strategic Advantage branding - and the response was very positive.

Destination Osoyoos showcased specific opportunities within the Osoyoos region including development opportunities with the Osoyoos Indian Band.  Working within the Okanagan Strategic Advantage partnership provided strength to the message that the Okanagan is the right place to do business.

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Community Watch

An article I read written by Dr. John Maxwell on teamwork used the example of the New England Patriots who went to the Super Bowl; they did something that no other team has done before. Before the game, when every other team introduces its starters individually, New England came out as a team.

"No introductions. No names. No stars. Just 53 teammates coming onto the field as a single unit," wrote Sean Gormley, a columnist with Georgetown University's newspaper, The Hoya. "The significance of that entrance said more about this Patriots team than any analyst ever could, the ultimate sign of team before individual in an era of me-first go-where-the-money-is professional sports."

The Patriots upset the heavily favored Rams and showed by working together they could accomplish more through teamwork.

Does your business operate like a winning team? Is your team bringing in the results that you expect? Or, do your employees’ looks out for their own self interest?

Here are the keys to a winning team:

The first key to a winning team is to have a common goal.
Why do you operate the business? What is your mission? As an owner you must have a clear idea of why you are in business. Make sure each team member is on board with what your goals are for the business. Also communicate the goals and mission to each and every team member and continue to reinforce it.

The second key is to have strong leadership.
The leadership comes from the owner and is passed down through the management team and onto the frontline workers. Is your leadership hierarchy clearly defined? What are the traits of a strong leader? Ask your team and see what they say. Are you exemplifying these traits?

The third key to a winning team is that they know the rules of the game.
The rules for the business would be defined by the culture. Sometimes culture is written and followed sometimes it is understood. Your team operates under certain assumptions about the business. The best way is to write down a culture statement and make sure the team knows it.

The fourth key is to have 100% inclusion of all team members.
Each member is important and all should have input to maximize their job performance. The business wins together but the business can also lose together if not everyone is involved. Is your team 100% involved? Remember that Team stands for Together Everyone Achieves More.

The fifth key is to support risk taking.
The best business owners rely on others judgment to make the best decisions. If the owner only wants his or her ideas then they are being short-sighted. Getting input is important and game planning with others will overcome obstacles faced by the business. Sometimes risk and quick decisions about the business need to be made. Which opportunities have you missed because of poor decisions and failure to take risk?

The last key to a winning team is to have an Action plan.
Where is your business going? Do you have clear defined goals and a way to meet those goals? As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail!” If we were going to drive from North Carolina to California, we would need to have a map and figure out what direction to go. As opposed to just getting in the car and driving, we may end up in Canada. In both cases we drove correctly and did our best but having a roadmap allows us to reach our goal.

At Action we work with owners and their teams to come up with a game plan for their business. When the team wins the business wins. Make sure you contact your local Action Coach to get your team performing at their highest level.

Visitor Info

estimated visitors during January 2006
to Visitor Information Centre:
1,684
to www.destinationosoyoos.com:
3,234 (10,388 hits)
e-mail: tourism@osoyoos.ca