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Old habits die hard?
A funny thing happened this week. I was at work – actually at work, which is another story – and as I prepared to host a virtual leadership meeting, I absentmindedly went to twist my wedding ring around my ring finger and being surprised it wasn’t there. That would be a wedding ring I haven’t worn in 17 years – more years, in fact, than I actually wore it for. So what was that about? I remember when I first took off my ring being surprised at the dent in my finger. I was expecting the band of white skin… Read more…
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Six degrees
When I was in university, we played the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game. A take on the six degrees of separation idea, originally set out in the 1920s, we worked hard to connect actors or musicians of any stripe back to Kevin Bacon in just six steps. It was fun back then, and entertained us for many a beer-filled evening. Recently though, a series of seemingly coincidental connections has me wondering if it really is possible to connect anyone to anyone else in the world in just that few steps. And are coincidental meetings really coincidental? Through a colleague, a hospitable… Read more…
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I just don’t understand
I just don’t understand. In the last two weeks, the world has seen a bombing at a major European airport, a suicide attack in Bagdad as Eid celebrations were underway, a mass shooting in Orlando, individuals gunned down by police in at least two American cities and just yesterday, police shot in an apparently orchestrated manoeuvre in Dallas. I just don’t understand. People of spiritual persuasion, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and others I’m sure, espouse values of taking care of others. Of helping those less fortunate. Of sharing our wealth. And yet we close our borders, our pocketbooks and our minds. I just… Read more…
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Discomfort in a world gone mad
Paris. Oh, Paris. How the world is mourning with you after the latest tragic attacks on your beautiful city on Friday. We are shocked, horrified, saddened by the senseless deaths – so many of them – and pray for the safety of all Parisians as we work to uncover the hows and whys behind the attacks. Events like this draw people together and the best of humankind is in the spotlight as we react together with a strength of conviction that we will not let events beat us down. Hashtags like #prayforparis, #jesuisparis and #lovetoparis are filling my social media feeds. Social… Read more…
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Lament for innocence lost
Canada lost a little bit of her innocence this week. On two separate occasions in just three days, in two provinces, two military men, two lives taken. Add to that our Parliament Buildings breached, guns fired, people injured and a gunman shot and killed. Were they related? Were they related to Canada’s recent decision to join the international coalition launching air strikes against Islamic State militants? Homegrown extremists is a new phenomenon here. Or was today an unfortunate copycat by someone with a mental illness?I don’t want to jump to conclusions, as there is much yet to uncover. I’m sure… Read more…
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Looking to the future – with an sober nod to the past
I’m in Ottawa this week – Canada’s national capital – for an industry conference with a distinctly forward-looking theme. We’re looking at how we’re preparing our people for what comes next, whether it be through succession planning, training, engagement, innovation or other ways to stay ahead of the curve. We have an exciting agenda, fantastic guest speakers lined up and I’m genuinely excited to be a part of it. Coincidentally, Ottawa is also where I was fortunate to go to university, graduating with a Journalism degree in 1990 (gulp!), back in the day when I was a young, eager young… Read more…
