Three entrepreneurial lessons from Made in America
Made in America tells the fictionalized (or Tom-Cruise-ified) story of Barry Seal, a maverick TWA pilot who, in the 1970s, gave up the monotony of flying commercial planes to fly missions for the CIA in Central America. In the film,…
Seven Ways to Embed Co-operative Principles in Your Organization
Co-operatives are an underutilized model for running an enterprise. October 16-20 is International Co-operatives Week and I work for one of Canada’s pre-eminent co-ops, Vancity Credit Union. I am quite biased in my thinking that the world needs more co-operatives….
Six Lifelong Learning Tips from The Internship Movie
Last weekend I was prompted by Netflix’s algorithm to watch The Intern and The Internship movies. Both movies got the juices flowing in terms of what so many co-op students and former interns are thinking about now that they’re back…
The Potentiality’s Summer Podcast List
Last month our team shared a summer reading list that blended awesome works of fiction and non-fiction literature. The thing about books is that they aren’t easy to consume on road trips, which is a very awesome summer past-time. For…
Seven Collaboration Lessons from Shipping Containers
Shipping containers fascinate me. It’s an invention that human civilization agrees on more than anything else. Around the world, people who disagree on politics, Internet access, fashion, art, and what side of the road to drive on. No matter how…
Seven Tips for Thriving in the Gig Economy
The gig economy is where hundreds of millions of people around the world are making their living. Folks from Bangalore to Berlin to Burnaby are working as part-time consultants, contractors, designers, and temporary adders of value with countless other titles….
Three Ways to Win an Internal Job Application
Many positions and new job opportunities are internal. According to Time Magazine, an increasing number of companies are looking internally first to fill their talent gaps. Organizations like to foster leadership from within where possible. It’s great for employee morale…
Five Professional Lessons from a Negative Customer Experience
For my family, 2016 ended with a less-than-pleasant travel experience with BC Ferries to my family home in Merville on Vancouver Island. We encountered poor customer service a lot and, as we consider the service that we deliver in our…
Three Tips for Achieving Mid-Holiday Productivity
It’s in between Christmas and 2017 and you’re staring down the business end of a messy home and counting the days before New Years Eve sucks up a lot of your energy. Here are three tips for achieving mid-holiday productivity…
Four Tips for Dealing with Awkward Holiday Conversations
Holidays bring families from all over the country and world together. This can sometimes be recipes for awkwardness when your gun-toting, freedom loving, conservative uncle breaks bread with your gay, socialist brother. The inevitable train wreck of a conversation…