Make certain the odds are in your favour – think about what your business is or can be better at than your competition
“Which silver car is it?” Tony Kibonge shouted as I tagged a car and he raced by. This race to the silver car was a rematch on another race I had won one cold morning in Stuart Lake, when we had raced through the water up to my chest and Tony’s neck. While I had…
Will more money mean we sleep better at night, spend more time with friends and family, or contribute more to society?
There’s a story told that about a financial planner who was on holidays in Mexico. He was walking along the beach when he came to a fisherman sitting on a wharf, his feet hanging off the edge as he played guitar. “Is that your boat?” the planner asked the fisherman. “It is,” he replied. They…
How much more could you achieve in business and life if you just focused on doing fewer things?
I love to read. Ever since I was a young boy, learning to read in the arms of my parents, I have enjoyed the written word. I’m amazed at how the crafted phrase can capture my imagination and open my mind to worlds and ideas I’ve never explored or considered. I read for pleasure, entertainment…
In some organizations, teams and businesses, there’s no established chain of leadership. That leads to confusion
I experienced something about leadership recently that I had known for a long time but suddenly understood differently. I’m the assistant coach of a sports team. Our team lost its first two games last weekend against teams it could have beaten. As coaches, we were frustrated because our players weren’t playing to their potential. The…
Business leaders are often under extraordinary stress and they need support and counselling
Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of business leaders who have had breakdowns from the stress of owning or running a business or organization. The symptoms they’ve exhibited are very similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it’s very unlikely that a psychiatrist or psychologist would give them a diagnosis of PTSD. PTSD…
Recent sawmill closures have exposed a raft of problems in the industry and government failure to ensure long-term productivity
Recent sawmill closures in British Columbia have brought to light the need for renewed focus on the mismanagement of B.C. forests over the past decades and what to do about it. That mismanagement is having a significant effect on the B.C. and Canadian economies. If you live in the B.C. interior, where more than 820…
Take some time off for pleasure, don't hesitate when you need to fire someone and above all, play to win
Few politicians in recent history have polarized people the way Donald Trump has. Chances are you either love him or hate him. But whatever you think of him, there’s probably something you could learn from the American president. So what’s Trump doing that most business leaders could learn from? Let’s start with the obvious and…
Sometimes leaders get so caught up in the struggles of their enterprises that they don’t realize the impact they’re having
We were going 64 km/h in a 50 zone on our way to bury Larry when we got pulled over. When the police officer asked the reason why we were going so fast, we told him we were on our way to Larry’s funeral. As he marched back to his car with my wife’s licence…
Measuring shows our progress, provides targets for employees, gives us something to celebrate and helps us form strategies
I’m getting slower, there’s no doubt about it. I have been keeping track of my cycling times for the same routes for over five years and each year my times are slower. Since I turned 50, five seasons ago, my climbing is slower by a minute or two for the same hills, and my times…
A safe environment, fair pay, leadership and consideration for employees’ futures should always be at the forefront
I recently heard of a leader within an organization who was treating his assistant much like a slave. Not only was the leader verbally demeaning to the assistant, he would often bring his dog to work and expect his assistant clean up the mess his dog left in the building. Working in a non-unionized environment,…