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Story + Goals = Strategic Plan
Story + Goals = Strategic Plan We all know it’s not that simple. But, when you boil it down, a strategic plan is all about tying your organization’s story to your organization’s goals. Let’s unpack that. Strategic plans contain many terms that can be confusing, and...
Michael Kostka
Michael “Mike” Kostka is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Ottawa Senators. Upon retiring from professional hockey,...
A Guide to Returning from Parental Leave
"A Guide to Returning from Parental Leave” is exactly what I wish I had one month ago, when I returned to work here at MacPhie, a management consulting firm in Toronto. When I returned to work after my first mat leave, I wasn’t so much “returning” to an old job as...
From Strength to Strength: How Diverse Work Backgrounds Make Organizations Better and Stronger
When I graduated with a PhD in English literature, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. Sure, I was an expert in British and American literature from 1860-1918 (you can watch a short video about my dissertation here), but what did that mean outside of the walls of...
How to Rebuild Team Trust After Layoffs
In planning for a major restructuring or series of layoffs, it’s essential to think about your remaining team. In this blog post, we share our best tips for rebuilding team trust – and strengthening your team – after layoffs. There is no way around it: layoffs are...
How to Do Great Work from Home
With “social distancing” underway, many people are finding themselves suddenly working from home. This can pose a huge challenge, as people struggle to establish a productive working routine from the comforts of home. I know firsthand how tough working from home can...
How to Build Team Unity and Strength During the COVID-19 Outbreak
There is no denying that these are frightening, challenging, and largely unprecedented times. And, you would be forgiven if team building wasn’t exactly top of mind…but it should be. Right now, with many teams working entirely remotely for the first time, and people...
Decision-Making for Difficult Times – Leading in a Time Of Crisis
How can we ask staff to work from home when our technology is unable to meet the demands? How do we retain employees as our revenue declines? If we need to make cuts to OPEX, where do we start? How do we reassure employees in time of crisis? These are just some of...
Taking Smart Risks and Making the Right Decisions
Full disclosure: I do not consider myself to be a risk-taking individual. When I was in Queenstown, New Zealand (widely known as the adventure capital of the world), I chose to visit a maze, rather than skydive, zipline, or bungee jump above some of the most beautiful...
The Most Effective Team Building Activities
We all know that teamwork, or effective collaboration, is a “good thing.” Teams that work well together – and that trust one another – are more likely to produce high quality work, and organizations with interdependent workstreams and structures benefit from improved...