Blog
Culture by Design or Default
Way back when, I did community development for the Town of Penhold, Alberta, where I lived. A big part of my role was something called Community Capacity Building, which is, in essence, working with community to build local resilience, autonomy and capacity when...
Don’t Let Fear Drive the Bus
Emily applies for her dream job. Jason starts a business in his garage. Corinna works on her plans to start a charitable foundation. Candace goes back to college after 20 years. All of them are, in essence, building a bus. A “vehicle” that can take them to their...
What Fingerprints are You Leaving?
Elvis Presley said, “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.” At first blush, this seems very true. And yet, as I thought about it more and really reflected on it, I wonder if it’s our values that leave the...
Is it True that Business Has No Feelings?
Once upon a time, I worked for a company comprised mainly of ambitious (aggressive?) men with fairly traditional (patriarchal?) views of business. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone on the leadership team say, “Business has no feelings”, it would have...
Happy Endings
Change. Endings. These two words can make us feel some things, like uneasy, uncertain or even fearful (unless it’s a dental appointment, in which case, you’re there for the change but looking forward to the ending!). This past season has been a little weird, and...
Whoooooo are you?
That song title, made famous by The Who in 1978, was then and is now, a very good question. Do you know? Judy Garland, an American actress, whose career spanned 1924 – 1969 (she’s Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz), famously said, “Always be a first-rate version of...
Let Go and Move On
Ending things can be so hard. Doesn’t matter if it’s a job, a business, a partnership, or a personal relationship, it’s often quite complicated. Not only are there usually practical matters to be wrapped up and dealt with; there are also emotions. Sadness, grief,...
End Well
You know it has to end. You’ve figured that out. You know what it is that must end, and you’ve determined the best time. Now it’s time to figure out how to end well. Whether it’s a business, a business relationship, or a personal relationship, none of us want to...
Have No Doubt: The Cheese WILL Move!
One of the best quotes from the book Who Moved My Cheese (which I have been covering throughout this month) has got to be: “Old beliefs will not lead to new cheese.” You might be thinking, what’s wrong with old beliefs? And who needs new cheese, anyway? What’s wrong...
How Can I Know What Needs to Change?
This month, I am rereading the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It’s all about change in business and how to move with that change. Lase week, I talked about how to know when it’s time to change., and you can go back and read that blog post here. ...