Four Professional Lessons from Northern Italy
Italy is hot, beautiful and the home of some of the best food in the world. While renowned for its gastronomical delights, Italy also has plenty to teach us about our professional selves. After traveling there this summer, here are…
Three Career Lessons I Learned from Tossing Hay Bales
I grew up in a small rural community on Vancouver Island, British Columbia called Merville. When I was a kid I helped my dad help his best friend clear hundreds of hay bales from his field. When I was a…
Three Workplace Lessons from Canada Day Celebrations
All across the country, people are celebrating our nation’s birth today. Eclectic parades are rolling down streets from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Sidney, British Columbia. Folks are firing up their barbecues and grilling premium Alberta beef. Kids are screaming around…
Six Tips for Collaborative Presenting
We’re nearly two months into wedding season and this means speeches. Lots of ‘em. Sometimes you can get away with giving a speech or a toast solo. In many cases, giving a speech requires collaborative team writing and dynamic duo…
When Employees Win, Organizations Win
Career development within organizations is at its best when corporate culture, learning experiences and peoples’ individual growth align to serve the organization’s vision and values. Simply put, when employees win, organizations win. Vancity is one of Canada’s largest financial co-operatives…
Five Steps for Becoming a Great Listener
You and your partner are locked in verbal battle. No matter how you express it, they don’t seem to get it. Instead they seem to be waiting for the last word to come out of your mouth so that they…
What I Learned from a Week of Prototyping
Creating new learning experiences like onboarding programs, training activities, or youth employment initiatives requires many creative minds, the ability to work rapidly, and a willingness to learn from failures. At Vancity, where I work, our business model of member-led innovation…
Five Professional Lessons I’ve Learned from my Dentist
Going to the dentist is rarely an enjoyable exercise. It’s stressful, uncomfortable and sometimes painful. But while it is rarely pleasant, there are plenty of professional lessons we can all learn from going to the dentist. Here are five career…
Five More Professional Lessons from Superheroes
Superheroes! Last week Kurt kicked-off our two-part series about how the adventures of superheroes, like The Avengers, give us clues about what it takes to build a successful career. Exploring the DC Comics universe this time (because I watched the…
Five Professional Lessons from Superheroes (Part 1)
This May audiences across Canada (and around the world) will be flocking to theatres to see the Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s the latest superhero flick guaranteed to showcase a whole slew of fantastic, daring deeds powered by enough special…