Four Project Management Lessons from Our Major Renovation
This summer we began a major renovation in our home. Over the course of a month and a half, we worked closely with a contractor and a range of tradespeople as they gutted, tiled and rebuilt - from the cement floor up - our brand new kitchen and bathroom. Earlier this...
Five Collaborations Lessons From Minority Governments
British Columbia is in new political territory. This week the BC Greens and BC NDP political parties announced that they will collaborate to govern the province for the next four years. Minority and coalition governments are my favourite kind of political leadership...
Five Tips for Successful Paternity Leave
For the past three months I’ve been on paternity leave. Heading into it, I was nervous about how I’d happily fill my days with a six-month-old. Boredom - sometimes exhausting boredom - seemed a distinct possibility, especially because I so value a busy and engaging...
Five Tips for Having Difficult Conversations
The difficult conversations in our work and personal lives are challenging. Sometimes it is easier to veil the truth of what you want to say in generalizations to soften the blow and sometimes people outright avoid a conversation altogether. Being able to directly...
Six Professional Skills Developed by Traveling with an Infant
Over the past month, I’ve traveled by car, train, boat, and plane with my now seven-month old son, Miles. Successfully traveling with an infant requires some luck, and it also requires a diverse set of skills, many of which are relevant to your career. Here are six...
Professional Lessons from Popular Board Games
We all have our favourite board games. The professional lessons from popular board games like Monopoly, Risk, Settlers of Catan, Clue, and Scrabble can have a powerful impact on your career. For example, while almost all board games involve chance, many also require...
The 10 Qualities of People with Amazing Presence
Amazing leaders have amazing presence. People who possess this simple, but rare quality are naturally able to put their colleagues at ease, take charge during chaos, and instill confidence when things are changing. Based on my own experiences– as well as research from...
6 Tips for Being More Mindful (and More Effective) in your Life
We’re surrounded by stimulus and many of us live in a go-go world where we’re balancing multiple commitments, demands and stresses. It can be exhausting. With this in mind, increasingly there has been a growth in the interest of “being mindful”. While many of our...
Contagious Enthusiasm and my Signature Word: “Awesome”
My name is John and my signature word is “awesome”. People often ask why “awesome” passes through my lips so frequently and finds its way into my blog posts so easily. I thought I’d take a moment to explain why and also outline three reasons why you should celebrate...
Top Ten Leadership Lessons from Chris Hadfield
In his book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life, Commander Chris Hadfield, weaves relevant suggestions for leaders through the story of his life journey as an astronaut. While some of these lessons are pretty obvious, others fly in the face of advice of renowned self-help...
11 Ways to Win Your First 90 Days at College or University
You've probably heard of how to thrive during your first 90 days at a new job. This article explores 11 ways to win your first 90 days at college or university - if it isn't totally relevant for you I wager that it will resonate with a student in your life. University...
Building Community with #theGoodMoneytalks
Today is Vancity Member Day at The Fair at the PNE and I’m excited to focus this article on building community with #theGoodMoneytalks because you can experience them at the PNE today! Inspired by dinner table conversations, #theGoodMoneytalks are focused on sharing...
Five Ways to Make Your Next Meeting Terrific
In a world where collaboration is increasingly encouraged, knowing how to run effective meetings is critical. If you get it wrong, you can waste your time and your colleagues’ time. As you feel your team losing focus during meetings keep in mind that you are losing...