Five Ways to be a Human Being at Work
Work puts too much emphasis on process, transactions, technology, outcomes, outputs, and the bottom line. Even though we work with people we really like and respect, we often treat our colleagues differently on the job than we do our friends. Somewhere along the way...
Time Management
Time management is commonly thought of as the ability to keep oneself organized in order to get as many high value tasks completed as possible. Time management is also the acceptance of what Oliver Burkeman calls "the finitude" of time and understanding the choices we...
Evaluating Two Iconic Christmas Carols
Christmas is this Sunday. Christmas carols are a cool part of the holidays. About a month ago, my oldest son’s music class was asked what Christmas carol they should perform for the school’s concert. He recommended “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC because he really...
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking Paternity Leave
This is my second week back at work after about three months of parental – or paternity – leave. I’ll use the term “paternity leave” going forward because this is a story for dads, or soon-to-be-dads, who are thinking about taking time off work to spend with their...
Six Ways to Support a Spouse Running for Public Office
This fall my partner ran for public office. It was a first time for us both. While she was unsuccessful, losing by a mere 300 votes, the experience was very instructive for both of us. Running for public office requires you to “put yourself out there” and invest...
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. I...
Three Ways to Sustain Thanksgiving Gratitude
Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday and it just happened. In addition to the spectacular food and drink (thanks, Auntie Sharon and Uncle John!), I love spending time reflecting with my community about what makes us thankful. Expressing gratitude enhances human...
Reflections from my Paternity Leave
This September I head back to work after a six month paternity leave. It’s been a great half a year full of plenty of morning snuggles, afternoon coffee meandering, rambunctious baby-time at the library, and more pool time than I ever thought possible. As this chapter...
Six Collaboration Tips from PAW Patrol
As a father of a toddler with a reasonable social network, I am becoming immersed in the world of the hit (I think) children’s animated series and consumer products juggernaut, PAW Patrol. The show’s premise is simple enough. Ryder, a “tech-savvy boy” with a passion...
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 in school. This week I’ll focus on...
Why You Should Spend Less Time on Social Media
Social media is a wonderful medium for connecting and informing communities. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, however, ask for too much of our time, erode our relationships, and often cause us to be addicted to the distraction of push notifications and...
Life Lessons I Learned from Flying with a Baby
I recently returned from a vacation in Europe. All told, my wife and 10-month old son managed to commute between Vancouver, Toulouse and Barcelona with six separate flights. Some were long, eight-hour hauls, while others were shorter. Flying with a baby isn't easy....
How to Transition into Paternity Leave
I started two-months of parental leave – or paternity leave – this week. Kurt has written some great stuff on how to get the most out of your paternity leave. This piece will focus on some of the things that have made the transition from full time work to full time...