Blog
One thing I've learned over the years is that it's always better to be prepared than wait till the last minute and hope for the best. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with change and stressful work situations. In my last post I talked about the "bounce-back factor" and one ... Read More
A recent late spring snow storm once again reminded me of how resilient nature is, even when dealing with the unexpected. The branches of the cedar tress hung low from the weight of the snow and many low lying plants, including daffodils and rhubarb, were completely buried by the heavy snow by mid-morning. Some ... Read More
I came across another article the other day bemoaning the poor productivity of workers yet it made no mention of the fact that many North American workers do not even use up all of their allotted vacation. Maybe the poor productivity numbers are related to the fact that research has shown that cognitive ability declines ... Read More
There was a front page story the other day about a joint US-Canada study that looked at people’s behaviour in a series of experiments which found that, in general, the people who self-reported a higher socioeconomic status “are more likely than poorer folks to break laws while driving, take candy from children and lie for ... Read More
“You gotta be kidding me?”. The words echoed though my head as I sat listening to the voice coming through my headset. The person speaking was a senior manager describing the issues he was facing with his team and the performance problems he was plagued with. He had identified the problem as his people were ... Read More
Excluding Introverts from Your Leadership Mix Could be Costing You... It's interesting to note that in North America when it comes to business the concept of a strong silent hero leading the way and the one ultimately in charge, such as the characters played by John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in the movies, has been replaced ... Read More
The Value of Recognition for Performance, Productivity and Profits A little recognition goes a long way. I’ve never forgotten one senior manager who took the time to send me a card on the birth of my son. It made an enormous impression on me, especially since he had a reputation for being a somewhat ruthless manager. ... Read More
Something I often hear from project managers and team leaders is that everything would be so much easier if they didn't have to deal with people! And I know exactly what they mean! I hadn't been working very long when I was given the task of managing a summer student who had been hired to ... Read More
Listening to several people talking at a break at a recent meeting I realized what a headache it can be for people when they have to work with others. It was obvious that many of the people I was talking with were experiencing a great deal of stress because of others. It's interesting how much ... Read More
You may have heard of and laughed about the "Men are from Mars - Women are from Venus" concepts of why men and women have trouble getting along, but have you ever wondered how many projects flounder and sink under the weight of different perspectives? It never seizes to amaze me how many ways we ... Read More
