A Turn the Temperature Down Haiku
It's too hot these days. Politics. Planet. Culture. Leaders turn it down. - A haiku about listening more than we talk, seeking to understand and find common ground, and probably riding bikes and walking around a little bit more.
Seven Ways the Cooperative Model Enables Career Development
July 6, 2024 was the International Day of Cooperatives, which celebrated the world’s most equitable and adaptable business model with the theme of “building a better future for all." Sustainable, impactful, and meaningful work is at the intersection of cooperatives...
How Agile Methodology and the Co-operative Model Complement Each Other
Earlier this year I took part in two different learning experiences. The first was some pretty standard classroom training that introduced Agile Methodology to employees at Vancity. The second was not standard because I traveled to Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region...
Star Wars vs. Harry Potter
Over the last week, my oldest son - he will be referred to as "The Oldest Boy" - has been fascinated by the age-old question of who would win in a battle between Star Wars vs. Harry Potter. Not only has exploring, and debating, this question generated super-fun family...
Five Ways to Build Psychological Safety on Your Team
I have an awesome colleague named Lindsay and we trust each other. Something that helped us get to where we are is psychological safety. One of the ways that I know such a thing exists is because Lindsay felt comfortable telling me that my articles on this website are...
Bring Doughnut Economics to Your Community
In 2018, Oxford Economist Kate Raworth introduced the world to a different sort of doughnut. This doughnut is a visual representation of a sustainable economic system that balances the needs of people and the planet. The inner ring represents the social foundation,...
Three Examples of Innovation Inspired by the Pandemic
The novel coronavirus pandemic is a global tragedy. At least one million people have died from the virus. The International Monetary Fund is predicting that the pandemic will cost over $28tn in lost output. How we live and work will never be the same. Consequently,...
Five Things That Being Allergic to the Sun Teaches me About Inclusiveness
Spring is arriving in the Northern Hemisphere. For many folks – especially those of us on the dreary West Coast – the long, sunny days generate plenty of positive vibes. For me, the sunnyness makes me feel quite the opposite because I’m allergic to the sun. This...
The Value of Interdisciplinary and Cross-functional Thinking
Nearly a decade ago I wrote this book review for Active History (reposted below). The idea was for academic books to be reviewed by non academics. While my review holds up okay, I want to underscore the idea that interdisciplinary and cross-functional thinking brings...
Five Ways to be a Better Career Influencer
Last week I joined my fellow CERIC board members in a planning session that focused on the future of our charity, which is purposed with advancing career development in Canada. We fund and publish research, share learning and build community at our annual Cannexus...
Learning Styles Do Not Exist
Learning styles do not exist. Given that many educators and students have long believed in the concept of learning styles, this probably feels like a bold statement. The idea that individuals have fixed preferences for how they absorb information - you might be a...
Five Ways to Connect Your Workplace
The purpose of so many organizational teams, like innovation labs, and startup ecosystems, like Silicon Valley, is to disrupt the status quo. I’ve written about why we need to disrupt our workplaces and how to do it. The thing is that when the status quo is disrupted...
Nervited
When humans feel the combination of nervousness and excitement we are nervited. Our team was feeling nervited last week because we delivered a conference for 600 employees that blended inspirational speakers, peer-learning, good food, and digital creativity. We felt...