One of my favourite children’s stories is the story of the “Little Engine that could”. I remember loving it when my parents would read it to me, and in time when I read it too. It is a story of persistency, consistency and mindset. Now admittedly as a child, I just thought it was cute and I just wanted to cheer when the little train was victorious, but through the years that have followed it has shown me a much more important realization …… that when all is said and done, if we choose ... it is possible.  In my almost three decades of working with business owners, C-Suite leaders and emer ..read more

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to be taken out on a private plane for my very own flying lesson. It was an impactful moment that has led me to yearn earning my private pilot’s license. During the lesson, I learned a great deal about instrument rating (which enables you to legally fly in the clouds). When you’re flying with zero visibility, pilots call it flying in the soup.  So often as leaders, we often feel like we’re flying in the soup of changing expectations, overwhelming calendars, cultural shifts, and untested technologies. It is like leading in the clouds. The ..read more

Our lives are busy with so much still to be done. And it got me thinking: “busy” should be added to the list of four-letter words! Let me tell you why I think “busy” should be a word that causes moms all over the world to reach for the soap: 1. Busy focuses on the wrong thing. One of Webster’s dictionary definitions of busy is “full of activity”, and it is easy to be active without getting much done. When we focus on activity, we can be busy. But when we focus on accomplishment, activity matters far less. When you stop and think about it, busy is a four-letter word because it’s a seductive way ..read more

A client once shared this with me … let me know if you can relate? I sat down at my computer to do some writing for a report that was due at the end of the day – lots of time I though. Then I realized my coffee mug was empty. I went to the kitchen to make myself another cup. While I was in the kitchen, I loaded some dishes into the dishwasher and wiped down the cabinets. I headed back to my home office with my fresh mug of coffee and sat down at my computer again. It was time to write. So, I checked my Facebook. Then I checked Twitter. Then I responded to a few emails. I must focus! So, I open ..read more

I am often asked to speak to groups, or offer webinars, on such topics as conflict resolution, stress management, communication, work life balance and emotional intelligence. While all of these area fall under the umbrella of Personal growth, there are three things I try and keep in mind (and maybe you could too) especially as we continue to launch forth into 2024: PERSONAL GROWTH REQUIRES US TO MOVE OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE. I often like to say “staying put does not take us forward.”  Not growing does not help us to overcome obstacles. It does not lead to progress. You’ll never get a ..read more

Welcome to 2024, a brand new year brimming with potential and opportunity. In these first few weeks of January, people are joining gyms, buying planners, and making bold claims of sweeping change in their New Year’s resolutions—a time-honored, but often fruitless tradition. Unfortunately, the reasons people resist change, and why resolutions often fail, are nuanced and many. Some of us have a difficult relationship with change. Some don’t see their goals clearly enough. Some have trouble managing their priorities to make change happen. And for some, it’s a complicated mix of all three. But for ..read more

Approaching year-end is like reaching the last few pages of an excellent book; there’s that bittersweet feeling where you’re excited to see how it ends but also sad that it’s almost over. That’s where we are in 2023—it just so happens that this is also the perfect time to reflect, learn, and plan. It is why we focussed this month of December on Refect, Refine and Ramp Up. If December 2023 is like the bittersweet ending of a great book, then January 2024 represents the crisp blank pages of a book we’ve yet to write. Empty but overflowing with possibility. We must recognize that it’s not always ..read more

Michael Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA. But he only won 6 championships. Does that mean that the other nine seasons were failures? Absolutely Not! There are days of success and days of struggle. Some days we win, and the other days we learn! Some days it’s your turn and some days it is someone else’s turn. But every experience offers you a chance to learn lessons, re- evaluate goals and instill better habits. There is no day that is a failure. The question should never be - Am I failing? The question should be am I improving? With every set back or unmet expectation, am I getting bet ..read more

Deadlines, and a to-do list that seems to get longer each day, often make us boldly trying to fulfill goals to “manage time better,” “be more productive,” and “focus on what matters.” Time Management seems to be an enduring dream, and a very real nightmare for many. It is true that time is your most valuable, non-replenishing resource. You can always make more money, but you cannot make more time. You must learn to manage your time wisely.  It is equally true that poor time management results in well intentioned leaders who consistently allow the urgent to overwhelm the important. Th ..read more

We honour our veterans and take a moment to appreciate their sacrifice and how their service stands for our freedom.  They died for us, for their homes, families and for a future they believed in but didn't get to experience.  On Remembrance Day, we honor their courage, sacrifice and acts of heroism.    A few amazing lessons that we can learn from our Veterans: Be Resilient: Veteran's are no strangers to setbacks.  Their perseverance both during combat and when they returned home is an example for each of us to not give up when things get difficult. Be Adaptable ..read more