Three Career Building Tips for Recent Graduates
Congratulations. You’ve graduated and want to start a successful career. As a recent graduate, you’re leaving the meritocracy of higher education and are about to enter a highly competitive workforce and try to build a successful career. Not only does…
Five Negotiation Tips Learned the Hard Way in Thailand
Last month I had the good fortune of travelling through Thailand. It was a fascinating experience that got me thinking about how different cultures negotiate. In Thailand, there aren’t many fixed prices when negotiating with the locals, especially when it…
How to Lead Without a Title
Let’s say you want to find some leaders to learn from, so you jump online and Google ‘great leaders’. The first result is images of Ghandi, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. So hey, no pressure, but…
Three Professional Lessons from Being a New Dad
Here are three professional lessons from being a new dad. I recently returned to work after nearly three weeks of amazing family time and bonding with my wife, Michelle, and first child, Miles. As the dads behind this blog, this…
Three Better Questions than “So what do you do?”
“So what do you do?” Recently, I read an article by 99u’s Sarah Kathleen Peck called, “Answering the Dreaded ‘So what do you do?’ Question.” Amazing. For nearly a decade, Kurt Heinrich and I have pioneered a micro-social-engineering initiative designed…
How Being Positive Enhances Career Potential
When I was younger I had a negative outlook on life. I was lonely in high school and lacked friends and self-confidence. I looked around enviously at the “cool kids”. The loneliness created bitterness, which fed negative, cynical and depressing…
Dare to Compete: Hillary Clinton Inspires Vancouver
Hillary Clinton Inspires Vancouver On Wednesday, March 5, 2014 I participated in history in two ways. First, I attended an event that was the largest in the 127-year history of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Second, while I appreciate everything…
Enhancing Potential in the Canadian Workplace
Enhancing Potential Earlier this year, the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) released its Career Development in the Workplace: National Business Survey, which describes strategies for enhancing potential in the Canadian workplace. In addition to there being a…
Career Development Take Aways from House of Cards
A few weeks ago Netflix debuted season two of its popular show House of Cards. There are some powerful career building lessons to be learned from Vice President Frank Underwood, who ducks, dodges and damages his foes as part of…
How Drawing Together Enhances Creativity
Collaborative drawing is a great way to build trust and foster creativity on your team. This article demonstrates how drawing together enhances creativity. A few weeks ago Vancity’s Learning and Development team worked together to create an impact map of…