When I was in a corporate marketing role, I was involved in a lot of strategic planning. I learned that it’s rare for people to successfully manage the process and make decisions about the content.

When in discussions about strategic priorities and direction, it’s easy to get caught up in the current crisis or day-to-day activities...

In formal mentoring programs, preparation and training for the participants is critical to the success of the mentoring partnership.

Mentoring is an intimate learning relationship that requires intentionality to make it work. Too often I hear about programs that weren’t successful and have resulted in formal mentoring programs getting a...

I was inspired last week after facilitating a workshop on “Diversity and Inclusion on Teams” for a class of engineering students at the University of Toronto. As part of the university’s Leaders of Tomorrow program, students can obtain a certificate in Team Skills. Engineering. Leadership. Team Skills....

We tend to have a variety of networks that serve various purposes. From growing our businesses to growing ourselves. From gaining a new skill to gaining visibility in the marketplace.

A developmental network is a special type of network defined as “a set of relationships an individual has with people who take an active...

Chaos. Not knowing. Confusion. Uncertainty. These are not words that we typically include in describing the environment we want to create to solve problems. More likely these are often the descriptors we are actively seeking to eliminate. And yet, it’s at the edge of chaos and order that innovation lives. It is also the exact place where...

On Sunday I ran a 10k race in beautiful central Ontario. When I picked up my kit bag, my t-shirt was men’s size small/medium which was the smallest shirt they had. Too big. Again. Not a big deal you say. Not really. Except that I have so many men’s t-shirts from running races that do not fit because they are too big and too baggy....

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make lasting systemic social change. There are lots of methodologies and best practices and training programs around that serve a good purpose and yet the problems they are intended to resolve are still prevalent, in some cases getting worse.

Last week I attended a Change Lab ...

What is so fearful about saying “I don’t know”? Who made up the rule that we have to know all the time? That there is something wrong if we don’t know?

No such rule exists. In fact, the more we can slow down and be ok with ‘not knowing’, the better ideas we’ll have and the greater progress we will make...

Recently I was in a meeting with a few colleagues talking about co-developing a customized leadership program for a client. When it came time to decide how we’d actually create the program, one person said “well we all know the best way to develop a program is to lock yourself in a dark room and write it by yourself.” I was...

I did it! Boston 2011! 

On April 18th I ran the 115th Boston Marathon. I achieved my really big goal. However, it didn’t turn out exactly as I anticipated. My finishing time was 4 hours 27 minutes – a full 30 minutes slower than my qualifying time!! And the weather conditions were perfect – 55 degrees and a strong...