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I was watching the 2018 Netflix documentary “Quincy” recently and in it, Quincy Jones credits Count Basie as teaching him to “learn to deal with the valleys and the hills will take care of themselves”. In case you don’t know who Count Basie is, he was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. He …
Two weeks ago, I called the furnace guy to come and perform annual maintenance on the furnace. “The furnace is working great” I told him. “It just needs a little TLC to make sure we have no problems over the winter. Maybe bring along a new filter.” We set a date and time for service. …
The mighty Athabasca River, with its headwaters in the Columbia Icefields of Alberta flows purposefully northeastward to its mouth at Lake Athabasca in Saskatchewan.
So much has been written in recent months about the “New Normal”… whatever that means. TV is talking 24/7 about the pandemic, politics, the economy, racial tensions and violence. I have grown weary of the news, mostly because it can feel like there is nothing good happening. I want to focus on the positive and …
In the future, when we look back on 2020 we will remember many things. No question there has been much uncertainty and pain for many people, but there have been positive things that have come out of this period that are life changing, and we would do well to remember them and keep them close. …
On March 13, 2020 the world as we know it was turned upside down. The declaration of a state of emergency by our government and the resulting shutdown of large parts of the economy precipitated a decline in business that for a time had no end in sight. It has been a very unsettling and …
Many years ago, I took a walk with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. We were talking about an opportunity and I was expressing my concern that I would not be a good fit for the role being offered. He was a bit shocked that I had anything to worry about and he told …
Everywhere I turn recently I meet people who are totally engaged, extremely interesting, broad-minded and adventurous. Just yesterday I met a seventy-year-old bus driver who was 8 years into his second professional and athletic career, enjoying an active lifestyle, and loving life. Last week I played tennis against an eighty-three-year-old man and a seventy-seven-year-old woman, …
Wow, it’s been quite a holiday season and now that we are through that time of year when we all stress about what gifts to give, who to give them to, how much to spend, and how our gift will be received, perhaps it’s a good time to reflect on things and think about how …
I’ve been thinking about the difference between accountability and responsibility for the last while. Well, truthfully, I think it’s always been on my mind, or at least in the back of it. I really started pondering what the difference is between accountability and responsibility several years ago while working at a company where there was a …
I have been reading a lot about how something must be done about climate change. We all hear politicians talk about their plans to address it. Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate advocate from Sweden has become an overnight sensation for standing up for the planet. This all makes for good headlines, but what is the …
Hey there, My blog is back after taking a brief respite in August. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I wrote about my granddaughter Izzy’s graduation in July, and now it is September. This got me thinking about the importance of time. The days go by quickly and there never seems …
It was the middle of June in Toronto. One of those rare beautiful days with a few fluffy clouds, a light breeze, and lots of sunny breaks. But not too hot. For those of you who have spent time in Southern Ontario, you know what I’m talking about. Sherry and I were sitting outside on …
Here is some big news for you: Life is not fair! I got thinking about this the other day when I was at game 6 in the Toronto Raptors series against the Milwaukee Bucks. I attended that game with an American friend who knows the sport very well, played at the college level in the …
It was a long winter and the month of April seemed to last forever here in Toronto, with lots of clouds, grey cold weather, rain and snow. I am generally a really positive person and I know better than to let the weather get me down. After all there is nothing we can do about …
Let’s have a good argument. When I was a kid, I loved to argue. I would take the other side of any subject just to get into a good, spirited exchange with my parents, schoolmates, teachers, and friends. I think I enjoyed the sport of arguing, but I never really gave any thought to why …
Lately, when I am watching TV or listening to the news, it occurs to me that a lot of the information I am being exposed to is potentially fake. Or, if not completely fake, then at least presented in a way that is biased towards a particular belief or viewpoint in order to appeal to …
Have you ever heard or seen something that caused you to just stop and think: “Wait… what?” It seemed too incredible and improbable that it stopped you in your tracks and made you think “Did I hear that right?” and it prompts you to dig deeper to learn more. When pretty much all we hear …
Every month I sit down to write this blog, and every month I struggle a bit with what I will write about. I really don’t know how those who write for a living do it. And this blogging exercise has given me an increasing admiration for the skills and capabilities required to communicate through the …
I have been thinking about this idea of “going the extra mile” and wondering what does it mean and what does it really look like? When I consider the little things we do for our customers and colleagues, I came to the realization that it’s a good idea for us to challenge ourselves about whether …
Have you ever walked into a store and wandered around a bit, looking for what you wanted, and ended up walking out empty handed? Did you ask yourself why? Was it a positive experience? Or did it pretty much suck? Do you want to go back again, or would you rather go somewhere else?
These days, it seems more and more people are emailing and texting in an attempt to save time and get things done. This is easy (maybe even a little too easy / too good to be true). Email and texts appear to be a convenient way of conducting business but it is not a particularly …
There are two types of leaders. People who lead by telling others what to do (directive style), or people who lead by listening and collaborating (collaborative style). A directive style leader surrounds themselves with “yes” people; people who suck up to them and agree with them on everything, making the leader believe they are always …
Dan Aykroyd, the famous Canadian comedian and actor, once said “Being Canadian really does mean always having to say: I’m sorry. But I myself haven’t yet figured out why we do this. Perhaps Canadians apologize all the time because we live in a country that has so much more going for it than almost any …