Blog Posts
Drastic Times Call for Kinder Measures
“Two things stand like stone. Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own.” Adam Lindsay Gordon These beautiful words are inscribed over the fireplace in the building my Great Grandfather
When was the last time you said, “Why are we still doing this?”
Leaders at all levels, these days, are dealing with rapid change and uncertain times. This has brought a new reality to our planning and the execution of our plans. More
A Good Leader Has Three Plans
(first published in April, 2014 – three months into my blogging journey!) Good leaders don’t need just one plan – they need three! A organizational strategic plan A professional strategic
Do You Have a Plan B?
If I suggested to you that your current plan was going to fail somewhere down the road, would you be ready? The optimist would say ‘I don’t need a Plan
Leadership is Earned – Not Awarded
Respect, trust and loyalty are earned over time. We have heard this many times before. And then in walks the new boss and within the first few months it becomes
Does Your Organization’s Culture Support Successful Strategy Execution?
My friend Mona Mitchell and I published our book called “The 7 Elements of Strategy Execution” back in 2018. In the process, we interviewed a number of senior executives and
Good Decision-Making – Part 2
In my last posting, we explored the business of decision-making. Great leaders know how to make decisions logically and in a timely manner. In post #1, I suggested that good
Good Decision-Making – Part 1
Good decision-making skills are in my top 5 list of the most important leadership qualities. If you ask a group of employees about what they look for in a good
Project Management | Best Practices for Decision Management
Source: Project Management | Best Practices for Decision Management
5 Things a Leader Should Do to Set a Good Example
Originally published in August, 2015 I was recently listening to a group of teenagers talk about their summer jobs and most of the talk was about the leadership style that
Strategic Thinking Requires Strong Delegation Skills
I am swamped! I have a to-do list as long as my arm. Everyday I walk into my office, new stuff pops up. I feel like I am always fighting
Strategic Planning is the Fun Part. The Hard Work Starts After That.
When leaders start thinking strategically, the creative juices flow. What are we capable of doing? How far can we take this? What could tomorrow look like? What would happen if…?
5 Reasons Strategic Plans Fail
the majority of strategies fail in some way, shape or form.
Great Leaders Produce Great People
great leaders build great people
Strategic Thinking Starts in The Home
Whenever I present to audiences about strategy or strategic thinking, our minds always go to our organisations, divisions or departments – our corporate lives. But strategic thinking actually starts
Happy Thanksgiving
I am a Canadian, I live in Canada and I celebrate Thanksgiving sometime in October, like all Canadians. But this year, Karen and I decided to spend the month of
What About All The Other Projects?
(originally published March, 2018) I ran into a colleague recently who talked about a disastrous office relocation. It seems that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Knowing my
Get Out of the Weeds
One of the most difficult things we have to do as leaders, is to get out of the weeds. We’ve grown up in the subject matter space where we have
Who is your CSO?
If you want to get from here to there, successfully, you need a CSO – a Chief Strategy Officer. When my friend, Mona Mitchell, and I wrote the book “7
3 Ways to Say Thank You
(First posted October, 2017) When was the last time you said, ‘thank you’ unexpectedly to someone on your team? This past weekend was our Canadian Thanksgiving – a wonderful time
Are You Thinking Effectively?
Are you thinking efficiently or effectively? This is a question I heard posed by my friend, Wissam Al-Hussaini, during his delivery of one of the three modules in a new
Agile Strategy Execution
I was working with an organization last week who has a great mantra or mission statement: “Small enough to be agile, large enough to be global”. I loved it. I
Are you Emotionally Fit to Lead?
(originally published May, 2015) Forbes.com recently published an article called “5 Ways To Transform Yourself Into A Leader” in which it suggested that leaders need emotional fitness. How true. We
Are You Thinking Strategically About Your Career?
I have a family member who some people suggest is rushing her career. It seems that when you talk to her and ask her about her job, you not only
It Takes a Village
If you are a Canadian, you are most likely sharing in the excitement recently of the first Canadian to win a grand slam tennis tournament. As a country, we are
Honesty and Integrity – Key Elements for All Managers and Leaders
“The first step toward greatness is to be honest.”
Are You Ready to Bail?
Many will tell you that the sign of a great leader is a positive attitude, regardless of what is thrown at them. I prefer to suggest that the sign of
Are You a Champion of Change?
Back in 2016, a friend of mine, Roy Osing, wrote an article entitled: “10 Things Smart Business People Do”. In it, he suggests that smart business people, or leaders, make
Do You Have Strong Plan Around Your Strategy?
We don’t often see a good plan in place for an organizational strategy. This is wrong. Unfortunately, the execution part of strategic planning is either mismanaged or missed completely. The
Leaders are Committed – Day in and Day Out
I have been trying to think about leadership without commitment. I can’t. They simply cannot exist without each other.