Why do we instruct our kids to wear a helmet every time they ride their bike ? And why do we ensure our employees wear their PPE all the time ?

Simple. Because <more>

It’s 1993. I’m working at the electrical utility and we have a long standing supplier who has an innovative new product they’ve developed. We test a couple dozen for a few months and the account rep says, <more>

If you don’t care about your people, you can stop reading now. 

So here’s a question for those of you who care, "Do your people know and believe you care about them ?" 

Many of your people will fall into one of two very distinct categories <more>

Over the last 4 years I’ve had close to a dozen clients complete a certification program geared to being an effective corporate director. Without exception, everyone has raved about the program.

A couple weeks back, two clients who were part of the most recent cohort were talking and one says, "Did you hear about the final results ? A couple people failed the oral test (this is where candidates are assessed on their performance in a mock board meeting)." The other said, "I heard. I can’t believe it. That’s not good."

This was my cue to jump in <more>

You know how complacency and entitlement can creep into a culture and spread like wildfire ? If the answer is yes for your company or your division or your department, it’s time to take a serious look in the mirror.

“Who, me ?" 

"Yes, you. But don’t worry, <more>

In the world of business today, change has never been so prevalent nor so fast and we’ve never seen so much uncertainty. If you want a high-performing, people-first culture of excellence, you may be asking yourself, "How do I deal with all this uncertainty ?"

The answer is simple. Deal with what you know is certain <more>

There's some really exciting news about the Gratitude at Work Playbook (this is our DIY guide to more gratitude at work). Last week we released the most comprehensive update to the playbook which includes <more>

Last week I was talking with a colleague and he says, "I’m trying to get my head around the science behind what you do. There is science, isn’t there ? What are the top three proven benefits of gratitude ?"

I’m thinking, <more>

Recent Gallup research found for an average company of 10,000 people, that by doubling the number of people who are recognized every week, (remember, recognition is just one aspect of grateful leadership), the company could expect to:

• gain $92 million in greater <more>

We condensed the 25 blog post from 2023 into 25 one-liner lessons. The lessons are summarized in the brief video below - and if you watch to the end, we'll share how ChatGPT condensed all 25 blogs into one sentence. 

Happy New Year and all the best for 2024 !

As Nick and Stef were growing up, they would often complain as kids do. Especially about homework. I can still hear them, "I have so much homework. I’ll never have time to play with Sarah this weekend."

"Yes, Stef you’ll have plenty of time for play. As soon as you get your homework done we’ll drive you down to her place."

As parents, we eventually realized <more>

For 8 years in high school and university I worked part-time at a grocery store. Most of the job was spent working in the produce department but I spent time in pretty much every department in the store.

One of my jobs was as a cashier which happened when the store got busy. I have a vivid and rather odd memory of one particular experience on cash and I can <more>

We were doing a major renovation on our house about 10 years ago. When you start taking apart an old building, you inevitably find issues you were not anticipating. Subsequently, there were more delays and cost overruns than expected. As our move-in date approached, it was obvious <more>

I was facilitating a program for a leadership team last week and we begin the day using an exercise intended to strengthen trust within this 10 person team and to help them get to know each other better.

The exercise involves having each person <more>

Last month I was out of town for a few days. It’s 10pm and I get a text from my wife,

“Hi are you awake”

“Yes watching the game”

“I tried calling you”

After 38 years I know what this means, so I <more>

On September 22 there were 100 days left in 2023 and I felt compelled to make the commitment to stop drinking alcohol for the rest of 2023. 100 days alcohol-free. Don’t get me wrong, I love a glass of Pinot or Chianti but I have been noticing my sleep suffers terribly when I have a couple glasses of wine and I just don’t feel as well. I’m not a doctor but I think <more>

How do you have hope when all seems lost ?

Our 8-year old grandson Max has been playing little league baseball for 3 years now. This past summer he was in the league, where for the first time: they pitched, had balls and strikes and outs, and counted runs—although the kids always counted the runs from day one !

As we watched his last game of the regular season, we were amazed by how much fun the team had in spite of <more>

We had just returned home from a relaxing week of summer vacation and were looking forward to morning tea on the back deck. I slide open the patio door, take two steps, and I’m engulfed in a stench. I’m thinking, “I don’t know what that smell is, but we can’t have tea out here this morning.” So we have our tea on the front porch. 

We settle in and I say, “What do you think that smell is Hon ?” 

<more>

Last month I received a piece of insightful feedback on one of our foundational habit building courses. She said, “The simplest tasks can be the most difficult.” Referring to the simple practice of making a gratitude list, she is not alone. It is difficult for many people because life gets in the way. Whether it’s a project deadline at work, needing to clean things up before going on vacation, sick kids, whatever—life is going to happen and if you don’t have a system that ensures you maintain your Habitual Ritual (i.e. making your gratitude list), your simple gratitude practice will fall to the wayside.

The science behind behaviour change and building consistent habits that serve you is crystal clear—your success in building and maintaining a new habit is <more>

We all get knocked off our game at times.

While watching the US Open golf tournament a couple months back, an incident happened to one of the contenders who is normally calm cool and collected. Typically this guy saunters when he walks and he never looks like he’s in a hurry. As I turn on the TV, I see him storm off the green. I’m thinking, “I wonder what happened to him.”

It turns out <more>