I've got to know George Colussi quite well over the past year and a half. He's the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Nanaimo. During that time, I've come to admire him both as individual and as a manager with a unique leadership style.

So I wasn't surprised when Teresa Pring, a Boys and Girls Club employee, nominated him as a Neighbourhood Hero. George has a lot to teach us all not only about leadership but also about leading a happy, rewarding life.

"He is," Teresa said in hr nomination, "our staunchest supporter, our biggest ally, and above all, the best thing that has happened to this Boys and Girls Club ever. He has made us all accountable for our various areas of responsibility and, as a result, our individual program coordinators have become more productive and more visible in the community. The more George has given them ownership of their programs, the more successful those programs have become.

"What comes to mind the most," Teresa continued, "is his constant awareness of other people's feelings. For example, some time ago I assisted him with a portion of the tasks on a particularly long, tedious project he was working on. He worked on it for weeks and weeks. Then, when the end results came in and they were a great success for our agency, he passed all the credit on to me. In fact of course, it was totally his doing.

"He has a habit of doing that with our staff," she continued, "always trying to accept the blame for a problem to ensure others don't feel badly, and then giving us far too much credit when things go well."

In his typical, unassuming way, Colussi sees himself as a follower, not a leader.

"We have a wonderful staff here," he insists. "They create their vision of excellence and I do what I can to support that vision. They'll tell me, 'George you need to listen' or 'George you need to come to this meeting,' and I just follow along. So in short, the staff does the leading and I do what I can to support them."

Shaelene Buffie from the Georgia Avenue Club and former board member, Ross Fraser, see him as a leader, not a follower. They joined in the chorus singing Colussi's praises.

"He sets the bar high," Shaelene told me, "but they end up being goals we have set for ourselves. He has a natural way of empowering us. Nothing is ever 'wrong' or 'bad' or 'negative'. It's always, 'What did we learn from that and how can we do it better next time'. He's great to work for because he creates a supportive, empowering atmosphere."

"I've never seen such outstanding achievement from such an unassuming, modest person," Fraser, told me. "It's as though his whole motivation is just to make the world a better place. The more you get to know him, the deeper and truer you find him to be. He's taken the club from an organization that was struggling to achieve its goals to one that's charting new territory and marching forward."

If you want to join an organization that's on the move and making a huge difference for children and families in the community, you might want to check out the Boys and Girls Clubs of Nanaimo.

Nominate your Neighbourhood Hero today and you could
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