We are interested in your voice. Please accept my invitation to fill out our Women in Leadership Survey. Please note that we would like all genders to contribute. We will publish the results from this survey and review them at our upcoming Women in Leadership Conference in Winnipeg, March 19-20, 2020 Working for equality in the workplace is not just about … Read More

[Excerpt from The Culture Question] One often-overlooked strategy for creating a culture where people like to work is to consciously and consistently develop employees through mentorship. Investing in staff in this way creates opportunities for meaningful relationships, shows employees that they are valued, and allows them to develop their abilities, which will ultimately help the organization. A mentoring culture may … Read More

When I started as ACHIEVE’s Managing Director, our workplace culture was unhealthy. Our CEO was aware of this and wanted to do something about it. During my first week, he said “Eric, I know something is wrong with our culture, and your first job is to help us get healthy again.” Nothing like a good challenge to start a job … Read More

You have probably heard a lot of buzz around being trauma-informed as it’s a term that is becoming increasingly embraced. Many organizations are actively seeking out ways to ensure their programming and services are fit for this label, which means they are engaging in the following pillars of trauma-informed care: Awareness of the prevalence of trauma, and how common it … Read More

In my work as a school board superintendent, I had the great privilege of leading and participating with many teams. Consistently investing time on the front end to clarify the why, what, and how of our work was well worth the time. Team members need to be clear about the purpose for which the team exists (the why), the nature … Read More

In search of some inspiration for this article (and because of a writing deadline), I went for a walk to our neighborhood coffee shop. The barista engaged me in conversation by asking about my day and work – I told him I write about workplace culture. Then I asked him what he thought made a great workplace culture. Without missing … Read More

This past weekend, my sister-in-law told me a family story I hadn’t heard before. When she was 16, she had a minor car accident. She hit a tree lining the driveway when backing the family car out of the garage. Her mother told her that she would have to tell her dad what she had done when he came home … Read More

[Excerpt from The Culture Question] It’s often said that an organization’s people are its most valuable resources. Though it is well understood that a key role of a good leader is helping employees develop their skills, we often overlook the importance of character development for both leaders and employees. We all want to be good at what we do, and … Read More

Too often, I see people at work trying to avoid feelings of discomfort or pain, or showing others that they don’t feel difficult emotions. I believe this is a critical mistake. Our emotions – including pain – allow us to become vulnerable and build trust with each other. Our office recently gathered for a session on reconciliation, prompted by our … Read More

This week I have been thinking about the influence workplaces can have on our emotions. Our environment influences how we feel, which, in turn, affects how motivated we are to tackle the challenges of our work. Just as you can pick up accents or vocal quirks from being around certain people, you can also pick up others’ emotions. Emotions rapidly … Read More