He was a man of great compassion, ingenuity and philanthropy, particularly during difficult times. Can you or your business do the same?
Milton Hershey had a couple of failed attempts at business before he founded and built the empire of Hershey Chocolate Co. If the story of Milton Hershey ended there, he would have been seen as a success and an inspiration to many. However, there’s much more to Hershey than just a successful business, because he…
Identify the fear, consider its possible outcomes and their impact on your business, then develop a plan to tackle each outcome
Like most people, I’ve been really scared a few times in my life. You know the feeling – the adrenaline rush that hits when you believe you’re about to lose something. It increases your heart rate, tightens your muscles, shortens your breath, and narrows your focus on the moment and your surroundings. If you think…
We need leaders who are smart, recognize people’s needs and do something positive to meet them
News about the COVID-19 virus has gone viral. Media coverage, ever-changing and often contradictory, screams at us from all directions. It inundates us as we work from home, self-isolate or have isolation thrust upon us. At times like this, we would do well to remember that life continues beyond the pandemic, even if the current…
In the face of the coronavirus, keep perspective. Focus on what matters and what you can control. Strive for a sense of well-being. And stay busy
I remember writing about personal and leadership resilience during the financial crisis. I guess the good news is, until now, we haven’t had an event so universally significant and impactful to test us. But here we are again. Unlike the financial crisis, where it was (just) about money, this time it will be – at…
How one endorsement could change the federal Conservative leadership race, pushing MacKay into the background
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney endorsed former Veterans Affairs minister Erin O’Toole in the federal Conservative leadership election on March 5. Quite a few political observers were surprised by his decision. Some wondered why Kenney did it so early, since a new leader won’t be chosen until June 27. Others were puzzled why he backed O’Toole,…
Are you a manager who feels trapped, underappreciated, struggling with no sense of ownership or purpose? You’re not alone but there are solutions
How often have you seen management who look like they would prefer to be anywhere else but at their desk? Lately I’ve been working with a couple of managers of different organizations who are exactly in this position. They lack energy, having worked to exhaustion for the company. They’re starting to be short with their…
Toronto is a perfect example of a municipal system out of touch with effective policing. More money and new processes don't result in less crime
Police services are once again hard at work preparing annual budget submissions for the next fiscal year. The cost of policing continues to mount year after year, and the justifications seem to repeat year to year as well. The budget for Canada’s largest municipal police force, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) now exceeds $1.2 billion,…
Leadership is complicated. Character counts, as do vision, competence, judgment and the ability to persuade or inspire. The PM misses the mark
Looking at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the ongoing blockade fiasco, it’s difficult to avoid comparison with how his father, Pierre Trudeau, dealt with the 1970 October Crisis. Faced with the revolutionary FLQ’s kidnappings of British trade commissioner James Cross and Quebec provincial cabinet minister Pierre Laporte, the senior Trudeau moved decisively as prime…
Every day in every way, continuous improvements can have significant impacts that will make us better people and better organizations
When I was a child, Mother (who either believed she was on the cutting edge of learning and psychology or just hoped we would grow up quickly) made my brothers and I repeat daily the phrase: “Every day in every way, I will get better and better and better.” Because we were often in trouble…
Owning a business is usually very hard work. We don’t have one boss – we have many
I should have paid more attention to the fact that my parents and their friends were rather tipsy from the wine they were drinking when they proposed an idea for a new product. However, being 21-years-old, having just finished my business program at college, full of energy and looking for a world of excitement in…
A really good question is fuel for our reflection, awareness and insight. We like to solve our own problems and good questions invite us to do that
Questions are one of the most powerful tools we have in our arsenals as leaders, professionals, parents and humans. One of my favourite stories about the power of a question comes from an interview. My final interview for a job I really wanted was with the CEO of the company. After peppering me with questions,…
If an entrepreneur wants to manage their business and increase their profits, they need to focus on three types of customers
A few years ago I was talking to a clergyman who was struggling with declining church attendance. We had a discussion about the reasons for that and I was telling him that there was not much difference between a church and a business. To overcome his skepticism of my argument, I put it to him…
Understanding how you feel about tears and having a plan to deal with them will make crying less awkward and intimidating
I don’t know if I have an innate ability to make people cry but it seems in the last week, I faced lots of tears. I had clients crying, members of a company where I was working crying and members of the basketball team I coach bawling their eyes out. In 30 years of business…
There are many great teachers who instruct us on how to achieve true happiness and success. You're just not likely to find them in popular culture
I often reflect on where my beliefs come from. I can see they’ve changed significantly over time. As I’ve altered who I listen to, my thoughts and beliefs have changed, and I’ve changed for the better. In my teen years I was strongly influenced by popular culture. I loved the Who, the Rolling Stones, the…
The good news is strategic thinking can be nurtured
I once started working with a leader who suddenly found herself on the executive team. A corporate restructuring resulted in skipping a level and now she is sitting around the table asking, ‘am I strategic enough to do this job?’ Her question is not unique. Twenty years of developing leaders has taught me there are…
Milton Hershey had a couple of failed attempts at business before he founded and built the empire of Hershey Chocolate Co. If the story of Milton Hershey ended there, he would have been seen as a success and an inspiration to many. However, there’s much more to Hershey than just a successful business, because he…
