Category: Blog
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Building a Resilient Team
Resilience is at the front of all of our minds these days. It’s a bit of a trite word, often used to try and capture a range of activities that organizations perform to protect their business. Sometimes it is an unrealistic idea that everybody should smile their way through a crisis. To clarify exactly what…
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The Japanese Concept of Ikigai
Okinawa, Japan On the island of Okinawa, Japan, there is a rural town on the northern end called Ogimi. This town boasts the highest life expectancy in the entire world, garnering it the nickname the “Village of Longevity.” What’s their secret? While Ogimis believe in living a healthy lifestyle which includes daily moderate exercise, eating…
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The Importance of Smaller Steps
Smaller Steps When it comes to achieving career goals or solving big problems, recognizing the importance of small steps is crucial. When all the pieces are already in place, such as skills, structure, and process, achieving a goal is like solving a problem. However, when change is needed, either at the individual or team level,…
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Defining Success
What does it mean to win in life? When do we get to confidently declare success? Many people go through life desiring some manner of success but never actually figure it out. The truth is that individual success is highly personalized. What constitutes success for one person may not be the same for another. There’s…
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Blue Sky Thinking in Business
If you’ve spent any time with a child you know they are the epitome of imagination. The simple act of going for a walk can be an elaborate adventure. Suddenly, you’re catapulted to an extraordinary new world. Don’t step on the grass! There are monstrous alligators living there that are invisible due to their magnificent…
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Leading with Empathy
Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” While you certainly need to demonstrate a threshold of competence in your field, it’s your capacity for caring that will set you apart from mediocre leaders. What’s the key? Leading with empathy. Imagine if you could reduce…
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The Overview Effect
The Overview Effect is a term coined by author Frank White more than 30 years ago. It refers to the cognitive shift in awareness that astronauts experience when they see Earth in its entirety for the first time. What he found was that this experience profoundly affects space traveler’s worldviews. What most of us know…
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Fighting the Fear of Feedback
Feedback. It’s a term that can fill many with trepidation. If you’re the one giving it, the thought of being critical to someone may make you extremely uncomfortable. If you’re the one receiving it, you may interpret the feedback as a criticism or a personal attack on your character. The result? Maybe you bear the…
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Why I am Quick to Acknowledge My Failures
One of the hardest behaviours to overcome as a leader is the compulsion to “be right” or “save face”. Candidly and plainly admitting one has failed is probably the most humbling thing one has to do as a leader and teammate. So much seems to be riding on avoiding being witnessed failing, but the instinct…
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Working in a Multinational Setting
Multinational environments can be a rich place of work. The imagery it can evoke is a tapestry where cultural learning and sharing of ideas and thriving. Yet it can also be an environment of cultural friction, tension, and frustration. Throughout my time in the Canadian Armed Forces I have worked alongside other nations in training,…