Dayna Sykes

Tell us about your current role(s). What kinds of things do you do every day? What does your job usually entail (for those of us who might not know much about it)?

I am the Education Coordinator for the United Steelworkers Union in Western Canada. The education programs we deliver are peer-to-peer and I spend a lot of time supporting our member facilitators. This includes things like developing courses and supporting local campaigns. Most of my time is spent in different parts of the country. But it also feels like a lot of time is spent in airports getting to and from all those places. There is not really a typical day in my role. A lot of what I do varies based on the needs of our local unions.

How much are you managing projects and people? What kind of projects? Give us an example.

One of the more exciting projects that I am working on is a partnership with the Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC). Early in 2018, we trained a group of amazing men to lead sessions in their local unions and workplaces called “Be More than a Bystander: Breaking the Silence on Gender-Based Violence.” EVA BC began this program in partnership with the BC Lions and we were fortunate that they also agreed to partner with us. We currently have 14 men across Western Canada who are committed to the program and their presentations have been really well received. It has opened up a dialogue that I could not have anticipated in the beginning.

What’s your approach to managing these kinds of projects? What works when you need to move things forward?

I am very creative in terms of coming up with ideas, but unless I actually set out a clear plan, timeline, and team—the people who are actually tasked with moving those things forward—I am less likely to actually see any success. I believe that if people are included in the plan, then they also need to be included in developing it. I also rely a lot on others for feedback and ongoing input during projects, especially people that can bring me back to reality if I have gone too far in the wrong direction.

How has your background, education, or past experiences informed the way you manage projects?

I was in an interdisciplinary program called Peace and Conflict studies when I had the opportunity to do an internship with the BC Federation of Labour coordinating a high school education program. The program’s goal was to get young union members to deliver presentations to high school students about their rights in the workplace.

At that point in my life, I was just so hungry for a job that I decided to use this opportunity to make it happen. I had been hearing from many labour leaders that they “didn’t have any young members,” so I would actually go into different workplaces and look for young people who had things to say and I really did my best to sell the program to them. Then, I would go back to the leadership and give them lists of all these young members while, at the same time, directly contacting schools and speaking with teachers to line up all these different places to bring the program and present. I ended up creating so much work that they eventually just had to keep me.

I had never in my life been given so much freedom to develop and implement a program or project like that. It gave me the space to try things that had not been attempted previously and the autonomy that enabled me to head in some new directions while staying true to the program’s goals. That balance continues to inform my approach—I try to use new models in developing new projects, but also rely on frameworks and approaches that I know have been successful in the past.

When it comes to managing projects, what do you wish you were better at? What do you wish you knew more about?

I wish I was better at taking on less and letting go of the need to control every aspect of each project and allowing more space to deviate from the plan. We have an amazing group of facilitators and spokesmen and they bring a lot to the table. I know that I could give them more space to challenge existing ideas and bring forward new ones.

What’s your best tip or an approach to projects that works for you? Why do you think it works? What’s one pitfall you’ve learned how to avoid?

In approaching new projects, I really try to make sure there is an actual need for the work we are doing. I also make sure there is an implementation plan before I begin. We come up with a lot of great ideas, but there is nothing more frustrating than a great idea without any concrete action. I like to use SMART planning and break down our long-term goals into realistic steps that can get us there. Then, if things aren’t working, we are better able to figure out why and try a new approach.

Up until recently, I have been pretty committed to this model, but I have never really had to consider what to do if a project was actually working better than I had planned. The Be More than a Bystander program has been far more successful than we anticipated. And while it has been amazing to see the demand grow and the program expand, I have had to make some difficult decisions in regards to recognizing our capacity and slowing things down. Saying no to things is not easy, especially when we are doing good important work that is building momentum. But I have had to accept that too much expansion may compromise the quality of the program that we are delivering.

What’s one thing the average person doesn’t know about the kind of work you do?

I think a lot of people make assumptions about unions. And I can see it when I tell somebody who is not attached to the labour movement that I work for a union. Most people don’t know the full extent of the work we do. The reality is that we spend far more time working collaboratively than we do in conflict, and we do a heck of a lot more than strike and set unreasonable demands. Our members do amazing things in their communities and workplaces that continue to challenge the old-school perception of unions.