05
Feb

DON’T Bring your Empathy & Sympathy to Work?

Do we really need to offer more of ourselves at work? Do we really need to add sympathy and empathy to our list of work tasks? Or, can we all benefit from a few kind words? “We are all adults here, time to suck-it-up!” There are many thoughts and/or comments surrounding “emotions” in the workplace. “We are all adults here, time …
08
Jan

No need to be AT work with a Mental/Physical Illness

A first glance, you might think that this blog is about telling people with mental and physical challenges to STOP working. This is not that kind of blog. I have a dear friend who has worked in the office jungle for many years. Also during that time, she has suffered from an anxiety disorder and an unrelated physical illness. She has never told her …
11
Dec

Why is this store SO HAPPY?

A retail store where EVERYONE is happy (including me as a customer)? How is this possible? On a busy Saturday in November (just when the Holiday shoppers are out-and-about), I encountered an assortment of Home Hardware Associates. ALL were happy, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They all took initiative, and seemed to genuinely take pride in their …
29
Oct

3 Ways to Handle a “Little” Unethical Problem

Is there such a thing as being a “little” unethical? Is that like being a “little” pregnant? Fraud, grand theft, discrimination based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation – are just a few examples of unethical behaviour. Why should supply stealing be any less important? I ask this because I did an informal poll, and found that some …
28
Oct

Reinvent Work Like Nenshi is Reinventing Government

Imagine an organization where the leaders were 100% transparent about what the organization was doing throughout a crisis. Imagine an organization where the leader placed compete trust in customers to do the right thing within their business. How about an organization where people feel so connected to the overriding purpose that they volunteer to help …
23
Oct

Leadership Lessons at 25,000 Feet

Sometimes it takes a crisis of some sort to teach us a lesson. This week, my friend Mark Gross had a small crisis in his business while he was flying from Montreal to Toronto to lead an event. He wrote a blog about it HERE, and this is my slightly abbreviated version and some leadership lessons (with excerpts from Mark’s full story). Mark …
16
Oct

Lack of Trust = Bodily Functions in Customer Experience

Organizational Trust is critical to high performance and success. On the other hand, if employees are treated unfairly as thieves and criminals, they will understandably become disgruntled, and have an impact on overall company success. The Bodily Function Story! Last week, I walked into a large department store. I had a large bag with me, a purse, …
14
Sep

To forgive or not to forgive – when TRUST is broken at work

Break in trust = Negative outcome. Questions: Have you ever had a boss or an employee break your trust? Have you ever lost confidence in the sincerity of a colleague? What is the fallout of broken trust? Productivity and employee engagement may be compromised. Tension can be prevalent throughout company culture. Employees could lose confidence in the …