How often have you been in a team or group meeting of some sort, conflict flares, and before you know it, there’s too much talking and not enough listening? Summer before Fall Summer before Fall is a (non-gender-specific) technique to cool things down when tensions rise in your group. The technique promotes active listening […]
Summer before Fall: A technique to cool things down when team conflict gets too hot
November 19, 2018 by · 3 Comments
Pass to Receive: Using sports as a metaphor in communication skills training
November 9, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
As a youth, I often played pick-up football games with my buds. We’d meet in the local park, pick teams, and away we’d go. When it was my turn to be quarterback, I loved calling a ‘long bomb’ passing play. When it went well, my pass was “right on the money”, and my friend caught […]
Behaviours bring values to life
September 12, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
This week, I’ve been reflecting more on the relationship between “values” and “behaviours”, especially organizational values and behaviours, in preparation for some fall workshops I’m delivering. Behaviours bring values to life Values represent our intentions. That’s different from our behaviours, actions, which are how we reveal ourselves to others. Behaviours bring values to life. Valued […]
Our relationship with orcas (killer whales) is transforming us
August 27, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
When I moved to Victoria in the early 1990’s, one of the first things I did was go to Sealand of the Pacific, to watch the orcas, “killer whales”, perform. Sealand, in my neighbouring municipality, Oak Bay, was barely a kilometer from my home. Today – Sealand is no more – though a landmark orca […]
Peninsula Co-op: A business that primes local connections, economy and community
August 20, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
It’s summertime. Setting aside the smoke from distant forest fires that currently hover over my city, summertime is a usually a good time to head out-of-town. When gas is involved, my go-to gas station is Peninsula Co-op. Why Peninsula Co-op? I’m a Peninsula Co-op member, which makes me a part owner. In co-operatives, members are […]
Small Business Owners: How to Build and Sustain a Collaborative Workplace
August 7, 2018 by · 1 Comment
When you envision your small business five years from now, what do you see? Whether your business has two or 50 employees, your vision more than likely includes growth. A proven pathway to sustainable business growth is through effective collaboration – people working well together – for mutual success. Collaborative Workplace Benefits Positive, collaborative workplaces […]
When should your business bring in a collaboration specialist?
July 25, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
It’s lazy of us to only deal with a known challenge after its knocked on our door. If we know the challenge is coming, why not be proactive, and prepare for it? For example, if you run a small business, you know that as you grow your business, and/or face big change or opportunity, getting […]
Island Good – Major Vancouver Island food retail competitors collaborate for VIEA pilot project success
July 19, 2018 by · 1 Comment
Suppose someone asked you to “prepare a meal using only food products grown, produced or manufactured locally”. Could you do it? What foods would you include? What about if you were asked to prepare meals, using only local produce, for a day, or entire week? That’s the challenge that was undertaken a few years ago […]
Cultivate a ‘critical thinking’ mindset to improve the quality of your work and life
July 9, 2018 by · Leave a Comment
In the 2018 RBC Royal Bank report, Humans Wanted: How Canadian youth can thrive in the age of disruption, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, and reading comprehension are at the top of the list of “projected skills demands, for all occupations”. IMHO, of those top four “most important” skills, critical thinking doesn’t get enough attention, […]
