Many people who are involved in recruiting are familiar with the classic 3 areas of discovery: can they do the job, will they do the job and will they fit. In these days of skill shortages and low unemployment, some companies seem to be tempted to gloss over the latter 2 areas just to fill an urgent vacancy. But, there are 2 additional areas that...
Read MoreThere is undoubtedly a bit of a major transformation of the working world going on. Some say it's a "clash” between old school and new school management. Unemployment has never been lower, the number of job vacancies has never been higher, and yet there are more and more people choosing not to work – or not do paid work. And this leads to greate...
Read MoreIn the northern hemisphere spring has sprung. In my part of the world, spring seems to last but a week as we quickly move from snow-covered fields and bare trees to warm summer sun. Leaves burst forth and flowers bloom and, very quickly, we are into summer and the world has found a new equilibrium.
Read More- Great Uncertainty needs Exceptional Strategic Thinking - This war is creating LOTS of uncertainty, and in times of uncertainty, some good strategic thinking is the order of the day. I have written before about the effects of uncertainty (Insidious Uncertainty); we humans, and I include business owners in that, really dislike uncertainty. When fa...
Read MoreIn the last two years, the world has been turned upside down, firstly by Covid, even more so in the last two weeks with the appalling events in Ukraine. Business leaders, having pushed through the Covid restrictions and adjusted to a “new normal,” are now challenged with another storm of change - a geopolitical one.
Read MoreOn this Tuesday we are reminded of an old song by Sting. He crafted the song ‘Russians’ at the height of the cold war in 1985 - four years before the Soviet Union collapsed under the autocratic weight of corruption and mismanagement. A recurring lyric in that song is “Believe me when I say to you, I hope the Russians love their children too”. It wa...
Read MoreLast week, Andrew wrote about the 3 stages of growth that a company experiences. While a company needs to adjust what it does as it grows, it also needs to change what it is, and this parallel change in being is a cultural journey. Your culture is created by the people within your company. Cultures often naturally drift and evolve over time, but...
Read MoreI am a great believer in the value of a company being in touch with its values. And I am greatly saddened when I see those values distilled into a mere list of words that are written on walls and published in websites. And you know some of the words I'm talking about: Communication, Respect, Integrity and Excellence are a few of the common ones...
Read MoreMy name is Graham Birkenhead and I am a procrastinator. I'm not alone, I'm not even in the minority. It is estimated that 15 to 25% of adults are chronically affected by procrastination, and up to 75% of adults procrastinate on a regular basis. Not only does it mean that you put off doing tasks and activities that need to be done, but the knowled...
Read MoreEach year I mentor a student in the Telfer School of Business at the University of Ottawa. This year the woman I am mentoring has been asked to participate in their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. A truly noble cause. But… I am reminded of the great experiment underway at the moment to encourage the vaccine hesitant to rethink their opp...
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