Blog
-
Speaking of Language
I once worked for a brilliant leader... whose mother tongue wasn't English. To my horror, I discovered that he didn't always understand every word that I spoke or wrote. With increased diversity and a more global business environment, expect this to happen more and more frequently. The challenge selling a [More]
-
Preboarding
No, it has nothing to do with Airline strategy. When you start a new job, honeymoon period. Then reality sets in. Employees will either thrive (good hire), disengage (walking dead), or become journeymen (consistently average work.) What can we do to improve employee engagement, reduce start-up stress, and improve retention? [More]
-
The Corporate Work-out?
I was remarking the other day how crowded my fitness club was, and I was reminded about the semi-annual migration that tends to happen just after the holiday season, and just before the bathing suit one. For those who have figured out how to embed fitness into their weekly routines, [More]
-
Work yourself out of a job
What would happen if you planned for your own obsolescence? What if you changed your job so that you were no longer required in that role? As an optimist, the possibilities are exciting: You wouldn't be considered as "critical", and therefore could be considered for other positions. With the extra [More]
-
A Different New Year’s Resolution
Now that the new year is here, it is time to be thinking about all of the "resolutions" that you are going to make. For many people, the top resolution is to do something about their job: get that promotion, work on a special project, ask for a raise, achieve [More]
-
Can tigers change their stripes?
Today, I appeared on two very different radio shows. The first was CKTB in St. Catherines, a local market, where the host had a number of specific questions he wanted answered. It was a fast-paced Q and A format on the lunchtime talk show. The second interview was on CBC [More]
-
Plant a seed and something will grow
If you are reading this on the day that it is published, then I have a secret to share with you. I came up with the idea for today's tipsheet last month. Then, about two weeks before "today", I wrote the Tip. I edited it the next week. And then [More]
-
Vacation Stress
If you're counting the minutes before you go on vacation, you probably aren't alone. You're looking forward to seeing family, taking some long-needed R and R, and recharging yourself for the new year. But halfway through the vacation, you start to experience "vacation stress": that insistent worry about your return [More]
-
When Opportunity is Lost Instead of Weight
Have you ever been given one of those cube-shaped paper pads, with corporate advertising on the side? They are very convenient, and a clever way to get your name in front of your market. Not too long ago, I was at a trade show where Weight Watchers had a booth. [More]
-
Ability
Have you ever had an athletic injury, and found yourself on the sidelines? Interestingly, this happens off the field too: we let a professional "injury" shunt us to the sidelines as well. Athletes quickly learn that a leg injury just means a renewed focus on the upper body. So should we [More]