Blog Posts

Should You Ignore your Weaknesses and Leverage Your Strengths?
Our local newspaper here in Toronto carried an article recently by Harvey Schachter entitled “Ten Flawed Leadership Gems”. He was quoting from a blog by Dan McCarthy out of the

I Only Read the First Three Sentences!
First published May, 2016 We all read a lot of long documents: proposals, reports, stories etc. Or at least we are asked to read them. The truth is we often

What Is a Project Execution Culture?
Over the many years of my involvement in project management, I eventually learned that project success comes from more than just good people, processes and tools. Lately I’ve been very

Do You Have a Mentor?
I have a brother who was a senior lawyer and managing partner at a Canadian law firm. A few years before his retirement, he mentioned that he had a coach

Humility is One Attribute That No Leader Should Do Without
I woke up this week with an ego that I was not happy with. It was getting me into trouble, making me argumentative, putting special relationships at risk and generally

You Are Now in Charge of The Vaccine Distribution Program
Some people thought I was a little harsh on Agile last week in my post Agile is Not Replacing Waterfall. If you didn’t read it, I suggested that Agile was

Agile is Not Replacing Waterfall
I had a good friend challenge me this past week about Agile and why everyone is getting so excited. He thought that I would be able to explain and justify

Agility – The Key to Organizational Success
I took over as the Chair of the Board of Directors of a not-for-profit organization called Magic of Children in the Arts, about a year ago. We provide art classes

Leadership is About The Collective
After reading this article in the Globe and Mail this week, I was driven to post this video blog. “Leadership… is about the collective. It’s about hiring and maintaining the
When Was The Last Time You Wrote a Letter?
When was the last time you wrote a letter… to a friend, a fellow worker or an employee? Great leaders and great managers and good friends write letters – for

Persuasive People are Likeable People
I read a great article today from our National Newspaper in Canada, The Globe and Mail. It was entitled “Want to be more persuasive? Become more personable” by Merge Gupta-Sunderji.

You Have to Be Different to Stand Out In The Crowd
First published September, 2017 Many people, young and old, often wonder why they’re not getting the next promotion or that new job. My question back at them is always the

5 Tips for Great Virtual Presentations
Who would have thought that presenting virtually would become the new normal? The truth is that this is both a curse and an opportunity. For those who don’t like

4 Steps to Becoming More Resilient
(first published Aug 12, 2015) I recently heard a popular leader referred to as ‘tough as nails’. She is famous for being in difficult situations and finding a way out

RIP Bob Prentiss
Bob Prentiss passed away on September 14, 2020. He was a leader in the BA community, a speaker at many of our conferences, and a recent influencer in the area

What is the Most Important Role of a Project Manager?
Originally published February, 2017) That answer is easy. Produce great schedules! Don’t be too shocked please. This is not what I really think but that is what many people think

Are You Good at Delegating? You Should Be!
(First published on this Blog in May, 2015) Let’s start this discussion with a look at two young companies. Wedonotdelegateverywell Inc. was started by an entrepreneur who had an idea


Be the Best Version of Yourself
This interview was very special. Bob Prentiss tells us the of his critical life lessons and explains why talking about them now is so important.
Championship Communications
Skip Weisman is a professional speaker, author and consultant specializing in team communications. I sat down with him to pick his brain about the keys to great communicating. He reviews

The Science of Communicating
Communicating is a science and an art. Prepare, deliver well and follow-up

Project Managers Need to Think Beyond Their Projects
I was chatting with the senior project director at a large local organization recently and he made a very astute observation. When it comes time to find his next senior

Empathetic Leadership
The Globe and Mail published a great opinion piece today, July 8, 2020, entitled ‘Changed, changing and will change: adapting to our new and ever-evolving world of work’. I was

To Lead or Manage
I had a chance to sit down with an old friend recently, to talk about lessons learned in the project management business. Lou Breithaupt is a PMP with 25 years experience

Persistence – The Key to Success
I have a friend who has been very successful in her life. Education, experience, connections and the right place at the right time. She will tell you that all of

Project Managers Need to Step Up and Step Out
How can project managers be more successful in their careers? By stepping up in their role and doing more than just ‘build it on time and on budget’ and by

Three Steps to Managing a Crisis Like This One
Bruce Harbinson is a Regional Chair with TEC Canada. TEC offers a peer advisory board for CEO’s and business owners with one-to-one coaching, expert speakers, fast-paced learning and global networking.

Are You a Micro-Manager?
Last published in this blog November, 2017 I am sure that if I posed this question to a group of 100 managers and leaders, barely a few will put their

Now is the Time to Find Your Coach
Well, actually it was time to find your coach a long time ago. But that’s alright. There’s still time. They figured out many moons ago that professional athletes needed coaches.

Do You Have a Sense of Humour (Humor)?
(Originally published April 2014 but always worth a re-read) Let’s start by getting over the spelling thing. For my readers south of the border, read ‘humor’. Everyone else, read with