Hayley Wickenheiser

I’ve had the honour of presenting with Hayley Wickenheiser at several events. She’s an incredible athlete, community leader, physician, and businesswoman who inspires audiences to give their best in everything they undertake. Regarded as one of the world’s best female hockey players, Hayley is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and has inspired young women and […]

Leadership When People Don’t Want To Be Led

As leaders, we impact people’s lives and it’s fulfilling when things go well. But things don’t always go well. So what do you do when someone isn’t engaged, is struggling or not showing up as you need them to? There’s no easy answer, but here’s a few thoughts about responding to a difficult team member: […]

Learning To Work With Anxiety – Not Against It

As a person who has struggled with anxiety most of my life, I’ve come to learn a few things about working with it. I define it for myself as “the attempt to control an uncontrollable situation in order to feel safe.” Getting worked up, nervously pacing, impatience, micro-managing team members, criticism, irritability, worrying, concentration difficulty, […]

Learning About Leadership vs Leadership Development

What’s the difference between learning about leadership and leadership development? Being in the leadership development field for many years has taught me that there’s a difference between learning about leadership and leadership development. It’s like the difference between reading a recipe and cooking the meal. Learning about something is very different than rolling up your sleeves and immersing […]

Volatility Does Not Earn Credibility

Years ago, I had a boss who was emotionally unstable. He was quick to anger and got annoyed easily. He would often get upset about the smallest details. He was prone to irritation and annoyance. He was well educated, talented, and bright, and when he was in a good mood, you couldn’t meet a nicer […]

What’s the difference between venting and complaining?

One of the responsibilities that comes with adulthood is to contain your emotions. Four-year-olds are unable to do this. When a temper-tantrum comes on, they erupt. They aren’t capable of taking into account how their actions and feelings impact those around them. Their emotions run their life. So when a forty-year-old acts like this, we […]

Town of Cochrane at their annual Health and Safety Day

This past week I had the good fortune of presenting to all the staff at the Town of Cochrane at their annual Health and Safety Day. These were a team of dedicated individuals who are committed to helping keep Cochrane an incredible place to live and visit. Thanks to all the Town of Cochrane employees […]

The Acclimatization Of Success

Climbers who have reached the top of Everest say acclimatization takes several weeks when you get over 3000 meters. The idea is to expose the body gradually to higher and higher altitudes, forcing it to adjust, and then returning to a lower elevation that the body is used to, to recuperate. Without acclimatization, even if […]

What’s the difference between learning about leadership and leadership development?

My experience in the leadership development field has taught me that there’s a difference between learning about leadership and leadership development. There’s a difference between listening to a TED talk, podcast, audio book, Youtube video or reading about leadership, and investing in a leadership development experience. This past week at our ninth Authentic Leadership Academy, […]

What is job security – really?

If you pay a visit to Crystal glass in Cochrane to get your windshield fixed or a window replaced, chances are you’ll meet Amanda. Amanda is one of the most positive, helpful, and enthused people you’ll ever meet. She’s always smiling, always ready to be of service. For a long time I thought she owned […]