An Epitome of Autumn Haiku
Fall is awesome change. Epitome of autumn. Hard transformation. – A haiku that both underscores and understands the transitions of Fall; also my dad also reminds me every year about the epitome of autumn and what it means to feel…
Three Types of Culture Practices Your Organization Needs Today
Values describe the culture you want. Rituals reveal the culture you have. Strategy says “we will innovate responsibly.” Culture is what happens when someone proposes an unfamiliar, yet creative, idea in a meeting. Strategy says, “we are one enterprise!” Culture…
Reward Hacking
Whether you’re a software developer or an Artificial Intelligence (AI) vibe coder, you are probably familiar with reward hacking. Reward hacking happens when an AI model earns high scores or positive feedback by exploiting loopholes, shortcuts, or poorly designed rules…
Spider-Man, the Punisher, and New Masculinity
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most popular movie of all time. Some people think it slaps harder than The Odyssey (for the record, I need to rewatch each film before deciding). A positive focus of the film is the…
Play Without Fear
The FIFA World Cup concludes this week. It feels like Canada’s Men’s National Soccer Team has been out of the tournament for months. Even though we lost badly to Morocco, the experience was rewarding because results do not always tell…
No WIFI
I spent most of the last 10 days in the wilderness of Vancouver Island. Where there is no WIFI. (No – or very limited – cell service, either). The no WIFI constraint engendered two noticeable changes in the adults. First,…
When Losing is Winning
Simone Sinek wrote a pretty good book about the infinite game, which explains how “winning” in work and life is different than winning at a board game or a sport or a spelling contest. When winning isn’t zero sum –…
Productivity
If you want to trigger me, answer “things are really busy” when I ask what is new and interesting at work or what problems you are solving today. Busyness is not the same as productivity. Full calendars, constant messages, and…
Why You Should Have an End of Work Ritual
Lately I’ve been struggling with time management. Following a recent promotion (mine) and a recent leave (an awesome manager who is having an awesome baby), I temporarily have a lot of people are reporting to me and the complexity of…
Why You Should Laugh at Yourself
What if I told you that laughing at yourself might be the most underrated leadership skill nobody teaches in business school or the campus career centre? Let me paint you a picture. You’re in a team meeting. Someone makes a…