Hello friends! As December ramps up with its mix of celebration, deadlines, and dizzying to-do lists, I want to offer you two pieces of grounding wisdom for the month ahead. First, remember that presence is more powerful than productivity—pausing long enough to notice a moment often gives you more energy than racing through ten of them. Second, cho...

Have you ever wondered if your car is smarter than you?I had that feeling yesterday when I was on a work trip with a rental car. I heard a pleasant "ding", and then noticed this graphic come up on the dashboard: "Consider taking a break"I had been driving just over an hour, and I'm not sure what my car sensed about me, but the message was clea...

Have you ever written an email when you were frustrated and realized afterwards that too much emotion leaked through the words of that email? And now it's a permanent record of how you were feeling in that moment, something that the recipient will read and analyze a hundred times, parsing every word, and coming to their own conclusion as to what yo...

We had a package arrive at our place over the weekend.  What struck me was the words on the box, "Caution Fragile! Please handle with Care!" Ironically, the box itself was damaged during transportation all around those words.  Thankfully the product survived intact as the box took the brunt of the impact.  But it made me th...

The story is told of a seasoned leader perusing the bookshelf behind the desk of a young leader. When asked if he was looking for anything in particular, the older leader responded, "I'm just seeing when you died." That got the attention of the younger leader. "What do you mean, when I died?" The response stopped him up short. "I'm seeing when you ...

 My wife Jeanne shared an interesting learning from work this week. She recently picked up a candy jar and filled it with treats for her teammates when they come into her office.What was interesting was the difference of the lid. When the lid was off, Jeanne discovered people came in more often and took more than one candy at a time. Lid ...

Do you have people in your life who are a few steps ahead on the journey but always make space and time to share what they are learning and show interest in your most recent lessons?I am so fortunate to have several of these people in my life, and their value is incalculable.Scott Cochrane is one of those gifts for me.I first met Scott in the ...

My son Weston turned 18 this summer. 18 seems like a big year, and I wanted to share with him some insights that I feel will be helpful as he steps into these new chapters of life and adulthood.Three things immediately came to mind, and I feel they are valuable not just for an 18 year old, but for all of us in life and work.1. Be grateful...

 Put your pen at the end and work backwards. That trick works when you are trying to find your way through a maze. Instead of starting at the beginning and muddling your way through, put your pen at the end and you'll see the pathway unravel itself as you work backwards to the beginning. It's also the way I start every leadership workshop I ha...

"If you arrive on time, you're there for yourself. If you arrive early, you're there for others." My friend Jeff shared this with me a while back. I have never forgotten it. I watch as Jeff lives this out everyday. Earlier in my career I had a tendency of thinking I could squeeze one more activity, one more call, one more email, one more check off ...

 If you made a list of the people who influenced your life the most, would you be able to settle on the person at the top of that list? For me it was my dad. . . and today, April 21st, marks three years since we lost my dad very unexpectedly. This is more of a "human" post considering the audience and purpose of LinkedIn. And yet I believe one...

What Refills Your Energy Tank? I was thinking of all the things in my life that need "recharging". My phone, laptop, watch (yep it's one of those). I need to pull my car into the gas station at least once a week to get refueled. Our fridge empties and needs to be refilled. Every night we "recharge" our bodies with sleep. We can't operate without th...

 "Some of the most important things in life are the least urgent, like calling a friend, that's not urgent. There's always something urgent that can take preeminence over some deep, important relationship." This piece of wisdom came from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who I was not familiar with as a leader (his company of course), until I listened ...

As my teenagers set out into their first real jobs, I've been reflecting back on my first job as a 14 year old, a janitor at BC Tree Fruits Fruit packing plant in Kelowna. Most Friday nights and Saturday mornings you'd find me cleaning lunch rooms, scrubbing washrooms, emptying garbages, tidying offices. It was an important maturing experience for ...

"What's it like to be on the other side of you?" This question stopped me in my tacks when I heard a friend ask it recently. I don't think there was a specific agenda or situation they were asking it about, but it's a fantastic question (which I believe may have come from the insightful speaker & author Ryan Leak https://lnkd.in/gdSUseMC) The t...

Have you been asked to be a reference for someone lately? I feel it's one of the highest honors to help a job seeker in this way. I just got a note from someone who I did a reference call for last month . . . she got the job! It wasn't because of the reference, but I believe the reference solidified the decision. We can play important roles in thos...

 It doesn't take much to make someone's day better. I was out for a walk today over lunch, just observing the hustle and bustle of the world around me. And I got thinking about the power we have to impact other's lives. Three things came to me, easy things, that I can do to leave a positive impact on each person I come in contact with. A smile...

Something I've learned over the years is the best time to clean up a mess in the microwave is right after it happens. Before it hardens. Because the longer you leave it, the more scrubbing you're going to be doing. I shared this personal story last night in an online Leadership Essentials class that I am facilitating through Okanagan College on Man...

 If you looked around your house, you would notice a ton of "filters". You'll see them in your clothes dryer, in the water purifier in the fridge, in your furnace, your coffee maker, filters in your vehicle, just to name a few. A filter stops some things from getting through, ideally the harmful particles, the impure ones, those that can damag...

I love facilitating "aha" moments, and often the greatest aha moments are ones that land on me, based on the wisdom of the group I'm with. That was again the reality recently when I led a workshop on Conflict Management for a dozen Okanagan College staff members. There was such a vibrancy to their participation and idea sharing. The attached image ...

 Have you ever noticed that it is often the disruptions of life that force transformation? Right now we're dealing with a strike at Canada Post 📫 . Many are finding it more than an inconvenience, it's actually a disruption. But through it we are forced to transform, to figure out new ways of operating. I know one friend who is responsible for ...

 I had a short Zoom call today with someone who had asked my opinion and advice for a certain situation. I love moments like that, because I really want to add value to those who are doing good work. It wasn't a long call, maybe 20 minutes. At the end the person said to me, "I appreciate you taking this time. I'd like to make a donation on you...