Engaging Employees in Economic Uncertainty
The recent economic slowdown has created great uncertainty for businesses and, adding to the pressure, are the debates regarding how much oil and gas companies will be affected and in what way. What we can be certain about is that employers that consciously manage their work culture and employees during times of uncertainty will position […]
Personal Leadership: Learning To Lead Without An Ego
One of the ways you can be guided to your authentic self is to be attentive to stories that capture your attention. I’m drawn to stories that illustrate personal leadership – the capacity to inspire and influence others that comes from the identity and integrity of a person. A few weeks ago, while reading the […]
The Key To Building A Strong Organizational Culture
In my leadership development work I meet some amazing leaders all across the country. One of the executives in a recent program on Leadership Excellence validated my principles by expressing that there is more to excellence than setting high standards and achieving operational results. “Along with operational excellence, you have to have people excellence,” she […]
Be a Good Leader By Being A Good Person
John Coltrane, the great American jazz saxophonist and composer, once said that to be a better artist you have to be a better person. He could easily have been talking about leadership. My research and observation of leaders during the past couple of decades has demonstrated clearly that great leadership can’t be reduced to techniques […]
From Leadership Training To Leadership Development: The Duty To Care
I just got off the phone with my friend and colleague, John Knapp, Retired Deputy Minister of Alberta Agriculture and author of The Leader’s Practice Guide: How to Achieve True Leadership Success. John is one of the old school leaders with true character. But John was not only a leader with class, he was one […]
The Big Value Of Small
According to the Greek storyteller Aesop, a little mouse ran up and down a sleeping lion who awoke, grabbed the poor helpless rodent and opened his big jaws to swallow him. “Pardon, O King,” cried the little mouse, “Please forgive me. I promise never to climb on you again. And if you let me go, […]
The Roots Of Employee Accountability
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches… to one who is striking at the root.” – Henry David Thoreau Certain species of bamboo trees in Southeast Asia grow less than an inch in four years, but in their fifth year will grow over a hundred feet. An unseen root system develops below the surface […]
Supervisory Skills: Make the Journey Worthwhile
Do you ever worry that you do not have what it takes to be a good manager; that your supervisory skills fall short of your staff’s expectations? If you do worry about it, what are some of the things you can do to gain the skill and confidence to perform at a higher level? let’s […]
Triple Your Personal Productivity
Have you ever had the experience of looking back on your week with the sinking feeling that you didn’t get as much done as you’d hoped? When building a successful career or a business of your own, your time is perhaps your most valuable asset, and your income is a direct result of how you […]
Give the Gift of “Attending”
It’s always nice to receive an unexpected gift, especially this time of year. This week I was genuinely surprised by one of those presents. The staff of the Southeast Regional College in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, sat with me for a day and gave me their presence as I led them through a workshop on building an […]
