Three Professional Lessons from Barber Shops
I go to Uptown Barbers in Vancouver’s (Mt. Pleasant ‘hood to get my hair cut every six weeks or so. Marco and Ben – the two barbers who I most often visit – deliver haircuts as good as the banter…
The 10 Qualities of Respected Rebels
Years ago, one of my mentors, Brian, told me about a powerful professional persona called “The Respected Rebel”. A respected rebel thrives as a benevolent disruptor and innovator while honouring the chain of command. To be one means pioneering bold,…
Three Tips for Creating Thriving Communities
Happy communities are more inclusive, productive and sustainable. Logically, great leaders should put happiness and well-being at the centre of any strategy for building positive communities at work, at school, and in their neighbourhood. Here are three tips for creating…
How to Ask for (and Act on) Feedback
This article is about how to ask for (and act on) feedback. Because one of the best ways for people to realize their potential is to receive and act on feedback. Unfortunately, human beings are fairly terrible at accepting praise…
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…
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…
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…
How We Will Realize Our Potential in 2017
Every January our team at The Potentiality engages in our New Year’s tradition of making public commitments about how we will realize our potential. For 2017, here is how Godfrey, Michael, Kurt, and I are leveraging our talents and stretching…
7 Professional Lessons from The Greatest Generation Podcast
Kurt and I are two guys who like Star Trek, but we’re kind of embarrassed that we listen to “The Greatest Generation”, a Star Trek podcast hosted by two guys who are kind of embarrassed to host a Star Trek…
Seven Professional Lessons from Star Wars
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is playing in theatres across the galaxy. It’s all that people can talk about and, if you’re like me, then you might even be more excited to see Star Wars than for Christmas! With seven…