An Accountability Haiku
(To) Be accountable. Culture of failing, learning. Growth, not punishment. - A haiku about how communities - companies, schools, families - cannot have a culture of accountability without first fostering a culture of learning (because if every mistake is met with...
Your Wellbeing Battery, Emoji, or Number
We start every day with a certain amount of willpower (or energy or vitality), which we can use to make a consistent commitment to our health and wellbeing. We can also use willpower to cultivate safe, helpful, diverse, energizing, reciprocal, compassionate, and...
Three Ways to Rebalance Power in Meetings
Meetings are a necessary evil in most workplaces. Even though meetings are supposed to enable information sharing, facilitate decision making, and foster meaningful connections, we probably feel the soul-destroying experience of poorly managed meetings at least once a...
My Coaching Philosophy
Coaching unlocks potential. From my perspective, all leaders should have a coaching philosophy because coaching is on of the best ways to cultivate self-awareness, unleash empathy, and foster personal accountability for taking action. Whether I am coaching my kids'...
Three Reasons to Embrace Co-opetition
Embrace Co-opetition Co-opetition means working together to achieve mutually beneficial results and this article will explore three reasons to embrace co-opetition in your business, community, school, and life endeavours. For example, co-opetition amongst business...
Three Reasons Why the Future of Work is Cooperative
Workers around the world are in search of a better deal. The ability to work from anywhere has arrived. According to Lisa Taylor, President of Challenge Factory, “one in three Canadians would rather quit than go back to an office.” Where and when we work is just one...
The Usual
Being asked "the usual?" in your favourite coffee shop or restaurant, I think, represents an achievement unlocked. The barista (and a co-owner) of a café near my office used this phrase yesterday and my response was "we did it!" Earning "the usual" combines knowing...
Seven Reasons Why the ‘John Wick’ Universe is Probably Co-operative
It’s Co-operatives Week in Canada and I wanted to share a theory that’s been on my mind for a few years. I think that the hit action movie franchise John Wick is a story about an assassins’ co-operative. From unique currency exchanged by members to serious rules about...
Five Career Development Trends Impacting Organizations
I wrote this article in January, 2020 (pre-pandemic, but just barely). What has changed? What's stayed the same? How do these career development trends hold up? John Also, register for Cannexus23 today! -- Career Development Trends Next week career practitioners and...
Strategy
The best strategies are democratic. When it is designed and decided by executives and consultants a strategy's potential is limited. When there is no process, but an unequivocally and monomaniacally clear purpose, strategies emerge from everywhere - work folks are...
Five Lessons from Camping Adventures for Your Worklife
The Horn Family had an awesome summer. Part of what made it great were three weeklong camping trips with family and friends in some of the most beautiful spots that the West Coast (possibly the world) has to offer. At our most boisterous and ridiculous, our community...
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Last week Michelle, my lovely wife who is her own person, and I signed our revised wills and power of attorney documents. Life maintenance and adulting are important, after all. The phrase "serve egg salad sandwiches" is in my will. It's in reference to what I'd like...
Seven Ways to Make Time for Learning
The ability to learn is arguably the most important skill for human beings to develop. Futurist Heather McGowan argues that the rate of technological and demographic change means that we need to learn – not to mention unlearn – at spectacular rates. For me, time, or...