What makes a prospective employee valuable? Is it their training? Whether they have a university degree? or something else? I believe that what makes an employee valuable to an organization comes from their aptitude rather than their credentials. I know a few people who are currently applying for jobs but have been discouraged to see how many positions list a … Read More
Leadership Lessons from Movie Night
Friday is date night for my husband and me. Typically we order takeout, play a round or two of cards, and then watch a movie. The sign of a good movie is when I go to bed and can’t stop thinking about it, which was the case for me this past weekend. My husband and I watched The 33 (2015), … Read More
How to Handle Office Romance
[Excerpt from The Culture Question] If you have worked in an organization with more than a few people for long enough, you may have witnessed an office romance – or maybe you’ve been part of one yourself. Statistics vary, but a quick web search pulls up multiple sources suggesting that approximately 40 percent of workers have dated a coworker at some … Read More
7 Ways to Create a Productive Workspace
When I started working at ACHIEVE a couple of years ago, I gave little thought to how my space was set up. But now that I’m working towards completing an interior design program, I have learned just how much influence your environment can have on productivity and stress levels. Here are seven tips for optimizing your desk area so that … Read More
3 Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Leadership Practice
When it comes to leading others, there is a barrage of tips, theories, practices, and models from which you can gain inspiration and guidance. These consider every angle of leadership, from motivating employees to generating shareholder value. However, one perspective on leadership that is less sought out is the practice of mindfulness. Many leaders may not think of mindfulness as … Read More
Three Ways to Deal with Cliques at Work
[Excerpt from The Culture Question] Although we want to encourage relationships, we also want to actively discourage the formation of cliques in our workplaces. When cliques do form, leaders need to deal with them promptly and effectively. Cliques are exclusive groups of people who share common interests. They are surrounded by thick relational walls that are difficult to penetrate. Cliques … Read More
When Teamwork Isn’t the Answer
“Dream a dream, form a team.” This was the mantra at an organization where I used to work. Teams were the answer to every question: Have an idea? Form a team. Need to solve a problem? Form a team. Want to create an event? Form a team. Need to change the coffee filter? Form a team. Although I have great … Read More
Six Tips for Work-Life Balance During COVID-19
By now, many of us who have been lucky to continue working through the COVID-19 pandemic have transitioned to working from home. Those of us who aren’t frontline workers have had to make the quick transition to what was and continues to be a relatively uncertain work life. Nobody was sure back in March 2020 how long this “new normal” … Read More
Pink Shirt Day – Let’s Put an End to Bullying
Wednesday February 24th, 2021 is Pink Shirt Day. A Canadian initiative, the idea began at a rural high school in Nova Scotia when a grade 9 boy was harassed for wearing a pink shirt to school. Two senior male students decided enough was enough, and launched the first Day of Pink to invite folks to take a stand against discrimination … Read More
How to Increase Focus and Productivity at Work
I’m always interested in trying new ways to increase my productivity. In my last blog, I wrote about how to focus on your work, so this time it seemed appropriate to talk about productivity. After returning from a much-needed break over the holidays, I was struggling to keep up with the growing list of things I needed to do. After … Read More
