Speaking Up With Good Character
“Good intentions are the seeds of greatness, but they only grow when watered with action and consistency”Manuel Corazzari
Why are we talking about Character?In my over 35 years of working with leaders, it has been obvious to me that…
Speaking Up – Dealing with Bullying Behaviour.
Our theme for 2025 is Speak Up. There is a word we hear a great deal these days - bullying. Let's be sure you feel ready if this word arises in your workplace. If in the course of your discussions the issue of people feeling bullied arises…
“Speaking Up”. February – the Productivity Connection.
The Theme of 2025 Blogs is “Speak Up” – the Productivity Connection
This paragraph is from the January 2025 blog.
Oh Canada! What a challenging time. Given the gift of many decades on this earth I believe we are, for the most…
Speaking Up at Work – Now is the Time.
Oh Canada! What a challenging time. Given the gift of many decades on this earth I believe we are, for the most part, a decent people striving to do the right thing.
At the same time, we are experiencing workplace productivity issues¹,…
Getting my Leadership Team on the Same Page
The Case
A senior leader asked the following question. “Why is it that senior leaders compete with each other rather than support each other? This behaviour trickles down to their teams, which is destructive for our business. How do…
Working Together When Trust Is Lacking
The Case
A client wrote that they work with an untrustworthy peer. Promises aren’t kept, the person is demeaning, etc. Their leader doesn’t deal with the situation and in the past when the client tried to provide feedback directly, they…
Handling “Hit and Run” Behaviour in the Workplace
This year we have been soliciting workplace challenges and responding with a Character Intelligence Approach. The specific situations and suggestions of actual words (Putting it into Words) is being well received, so this format will continue…
What to do when a peer is maligning your reputation?
Happy New Year.
2024 is off to a rollicking start and it appears good character, collaboration and healthy cultures continues to be a point of focus.
This year the blog will be a little different.There have been many requests for…
What does AI and Webster’s Latest Inclusion mean for Leaders?
How quickly life can change and as leaders we have no choice but to keep up, on top of all your other responsibilities. Two potentially opposing issues are in the news this month – AI and the latest Merriam-Webster addition, authenticity.…
Leveraging character in a difficult situation.
We promised a blog on how to deal with people who undermine you. An example - a peer told you they heard one of your team members tell others that you are incompetent and you made poor decisions for the team.
The question is how…
Character Approach to Building Trust through Communication
In our July blog we talked about the importance of having One-to-One conversations with each of your direct reports.
Of course, this is the right thing to do, but the challenge is when something is said that surprises you, or you disagree…
Discussing Character Revealed Character!
So, you may be interested in knowing what happened after June’s blog focusing on good character in the workplace was released. Link to June blog.An online newspaper – Newmarket Today, published it as an opinion piece on their front page…
Why Character Matters
Why Character Matters – What the David Johnston situation tells us about the importance of understanding Character.
Watching what has happened to the Right Honourable, David Johnston over the past months has ignited a fire in my heart…
Engage with all the small moments.
Engage with all the small moments. After a couple of very challenging years, it is the Holiday Season and a New Year is around the corner. This year I have had the privilege of working with leaders as they…
The Age of Uncertainty – Episode 3.
The Leading with Character Series provides practical, topical information and concrete tips.Our foundational belief is that good character creates a positive, healthy culture which is the secret sauce to organizational success.The Age of Uncertainty…
The Leading with Character quick video series.
The Leading with Character Series provides practical, topical information and concrete tips. Our foundational belief is that good character creates a positive, healthy culture which is the secret sauce to organizational success. The Age of…
The Leading with Character 5 minute video series.
The Leading with Character Series provides practical, topical information and concrete tips. Our foundational belief is that good character creates a positive, healthy culture which is the secret sauce to organizational success. …
Positive feedback can increase motivation and engagement.
How to offer feedback to ensure your team is on track, motivated, and thriving!
The truth is -- one of the best ways to help employees thrive is to offer them feedback. It’s one of the most important tools leaders have to increase a sense…
Finding Joy in the Small Moments
I wish you peace, joy, love, and patience as we are once again faced with a very difficult holiday season. A few lines from Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper struck me as deeply true.
Last night, a dear friend said to me, “I wish I’d…
Just a little more patience and resilience…
Just a little more patience and resilience...
At this point in time, early June 2021, I am noticing that people are exhausted.Exhausted by the constant change driven by the pandemic results, relentless on-screen demands, social upheaval…
To Tell the Truth.
Recap -- about Civility
In our January blog, we talked about civility – the first behaviour from a list of 12 Leadership Engagement Behaviours outlined in my second book, Leadership by Engagement (see below for the list).
This blog…
Treat people civilly in our upside-down world.
Treat people civilly in our upside-down world In my book, Leadership by Engagement (published in 2009), I wrote about 12 Leadership Engagement Behaviours. Over the years, there has been terrific feedback on this list, which is…
Character Attributes for Leading in a Pandemic
This is my 27th year of owning a small business. Over the years I certainly experienced shifting requirements – and have had to pivot from facilitating to coaching, from in-person training to online learning models, and to a blended/hybrid…
Demonstrating leadership character, particularly during a pandemic, is an intentional choice!
Lately, there has been a lot of very important discussion about leadership character. What is it? How important is it? Can it be developed?Leadership character is competence balanced with authentic decency. You can be competent from a skill…
Building Trust Despite Constant Change
Change is the only constant in life. [Heraclitus]
Never has that quote felt more true for me. In Ontario, we hear every week from our provincial Premier, Doug Ford, about changes related to Covid-19. We are wondering what the changes will…
2 Powerful Questions to Reach the Next Step
What can we learn and how do we move forward?
It is mid-June-ish and we have gone from a near stand-still to a period of rapid transition. People have been working in a variety of different ways, or not working, for the last 13 weeks. And…
Be supportive and be kind…we are all in this together.
This is a time of great change and challenge for all of us. It is also a time to be kind and be supportive. We are all experiencing this watershed moment together, so let's find ways we can help and support each other, even from a distance.
Terry…
Give the gift of kindness
Every year, when I hear Céline Dion sing "So this is Christmas, what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun", I do reflect on what contribution I've made. Most of us want to leave a positive legacy; in my case, I want to contribute…
Strive to collaborate through differences
Most of us can relate to that uncomfortable feeling when someone begins espousing strong views that differ from our own. In social situations, there are a range of topics that might make us uncomfortable including politics, religion, the school…