Eight Professional Lessons from the Movie Chef
Last week I re-watched Chef – written, directed and starring Jon Favreau – on Netflix. The film is about Carl Casper, the head chef at a high-end Los Angeles restaurant who loses his cool, loses his job, loses a lot…
Three Professional Lessons from Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow is a science fiction action film featuring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and a bunch of scary aliens. The film tells of the story of Major William Cage, a public relations officer with zero combat experience, who…
10 Career Development Questions About The Last Dance
Like tens of millions of people around the world, I’m watching and loving The Last Dance. The story of Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls is one of realized potential amidst spectacular circumstances. For me, the viewing experience is…
Five Ways to Avoid Career Regret
CERIC is Toronto-based charity that is advancing career development in Canada. As Chair of the Board of Directors, I have spent the last few weeks speaking with career practitioners, policymakers, business leaders, and journalists about the profound regret that many…
Career Longevity Lessons from The Irishman
Martin Scorseses lengthy epic film, The Irishman, tells the story of truck driver Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, and his life as a mid-level enforcer for Russell Buffolino, played by Joe Pesci, and his Pennsylvania crime family. As…
What I Learned from Writing a Letter to my Future Self
This year I participated in Vancity’s Leadership and Exploration Development (LEAD) program with 90 other leaders from across the credit union. It has been a transformational experience. One of the things that made the journey enlightening was writing a letter…
Three Professional Lessons from the Fugitive
In the hit 90s film, The Fugitive, Harrison Ford plays Dr. Richard Kimble, a brilliant doctor falsely framed for killing his wife. After being convicted, a shackled Kimble is sent off to death row on a prison bus. During a…
Four Career Lessons from Training Day
Starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in their prime, Training Day tells the story of a corrupt cop Alonzo (Washington) who takes his new recruit Jake Hoyt (Hawke) on a hell of a ride for his first day working narcotics…
Five professional lessons from Fargo the Series
Netflix’s TV series Fargo tells the tale of a series of awful murders in and around Bemidji, Minnesota. After a fateful encounter with a ruthless hitman, local pushover Lester Nygaard finds himself drawn into a double life of murder and…
Four career building tips from Resident Evil
My wife and I love zombie movies and Netflix has one our favourites. Resident Evil is based on a zombie-hunting video game by Capcom. In the film, the Umbrella Corporation – a company of profound political and economic power –…