Blog Posts
5 Things a Leader Should Do to Set a Good Example
Originally posted August, 2015 I was recently listening to a group of teenagers talk about their summer jobs and most of the talk was a rant about the leadership style
Working with a Disengaged Team
I have been watching a friend struggle recently as she tries to manage a team of people who were not engaged. Read… ‘they really didn’t care’. The result is demoralizing
Every Strategic Plan Needs a Solid Core
I have a friend who loves to innovate. He loves to create new companies, products or services but he isn’t very successful. Whenever you get him talking about the next
Strategize with an Agile Mindset
This week’s post is an interview with Dan Watt, Sr. Director, Large Program Enablement at RBC. Dan is a real visionary and has always had a very unique perspective on
Please Stop Using the Town Hall Meeting!
I was watching the news last week that featured clips of the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, ‘performing’ at a series of Town Hall meetings he was conducting across
Do You Know Your Audience?
Whether you are selling to a client, trying to influence an internal decision, creating a business case or convincing a team of stakeholders that your project needs more time or
Do Your People Consider You to be Inspiring?
(This blog is an update on the first version published in 2014) I have been working through an article from Forbes.com this summer that listed the top 10 qualities that
Do you have a plan for 2019?
As I sit here during the first week of January, I can’t stop thinking about the exciting year ahead. I have some new adventures planned that will make this a
“You don’t lose when you lose. You lose when you quit.”
It is often easier, quicker and less painful to quit.
Plan Your Strategy in Sprints
As I transition my career these days to the strategy execution space, I’m amazed at how often I’ve run into organizations of all shapes and sizes who don’t have a
Innovate for Success – Now
Your career, your day-to-day approach to things, your contribution to your organization, your life: success will come from innovation and to the innovative.
Family Trumps All
On these days leading into Thanksgiving for our American friends and families, I wish you and yours my best wishes for a wonderful, family-filled celebration.
Have You Started Your Personal Strategic Plan?
(First published January, 2015) Every year my wife, Karen, and I sit down and start the process of revisiting our Personal Strategic Plan. This is something that we’ve been doing
Who is Your Greatest (Professional) Achievement?
Who is your greatest achievement?
Do You Have the Right Team to Execute the Plan?
You need the right people and the right team in place to make any critical plan work – especially if it produces change for the organization, its customers, key stakeholders and employees.
Delegation is a 3-Way Street
Delegation is not easy, but if we look at the benefits right up front, the effort it will take seems well worth it.
Strategy Execution – Without Organization-Wide Commitment – Don’t Even Try
“Targeted tools, processes and rewards will help you generate and nurture commitment from employees.
Synergy Drives Strategy and Project Execution
Synergy is linking it all together. It’s ensuring teams and units have the right infrastructure and structures to get the job done.
Clarity – A Key Element to Execution Success
The key to success? Well, there are many but one of the big ones is Clarity. Just like a project execution plan or a strategy execution plan, at the core, we need clarity.
What’s Holding Your Organization Back from Execution Success?
There was no one clear reason that everyone could agree on but what they did agree on was that strategies do fail, often, and that without care, attention and a lot of work, they will continue to do so.
What Is the Most Important Role of a Project Manager?
First published Feb 15, 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
How Do You Recover from a Screw-Up?
The new product is due for delivery within a few days. Right at the last minute you discover that someone on the team has really messed up. This mistake may
Managing Expectations – The Key to a Leader’s Success
Setting expectations is all about trust, communications and honesty.
Strategic Planning Does Not Work
…unless you have an execution plan. I was at a picnic recently on a beautiful island in Georgian Bay and chatting with an employee of one of the world’s most
What Does Accountability Look Like?
We can’t just hope and assume. We need to hold people accountable with review sessions, check-in points and simple offers to help. These touch points offer opportunities to support, praise and encourage.
Do You Know Your Limitations?
An exhausted, stressed-out, burnt-out, ‘meeting’ed’-out leader is no good to anyone. Don’t go there.
3 Steps to Good Judgement and Decision Making
Next time you have an important decision to make, step back, create a plan and execute well.
6 Tips for a Great Sales Pitch
It doesn’t matter what we do for a living, we all sell. We are all faced with that moment in time when we are standing (or sitting) in front of
Are You Ready to Take the Next Step to Leadership?
Now that the baby boomers are finally retiring – and doing so in huge numbers – we are facing a dramatic void in willing and able people to take up those positions. This is a problem for many organizations but an opportunity for many of us.
Is there a Role for Business Analysts in Strategic Planning?
Yes and the sooner we get them involved the better.