Jul 13, 2010
It’s How You Do Things, Not What You Do: Results From The 2010 Canadian Corporate Culture Study
We’ve just released the results of our 2010 Canadian Corporate Culture Study. I’m going to go slightly off-path from the regular format of The Waterline to share a few of my thoughts regarding this year’s survey.
In my early days of executive search, I noticed a correlation between clients that were putting a higher weighting on candidates who ‘fit’ and placements...
Apr 30, 2010
TIME’s 25 Most Influential Leaders: Why Mark Carney Made the List
As you may have heard, TIME has named Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, to their list of the world’s most influential leaders.
Why did the magazine choosing Carney? Because he presided over a banking system that didn’t need to be bailed out and because he continues, to this day, to stay focused on the root causes of the crisis.
Through the tumultuous year that was 2009, Carney was the...
Mar 05, 2010
Stephen Harper’s Olympic Moment: Visible Leadership At Its Best
Didn’t Stephen Harper look genuinely happy while he was being interviewed by Brian Williams inside CTV’s Olympic studio last week? It was a glimpse into the softer side of our otherwise stony-faced PM; he could not keep the grin off of his face.
No kidding. And why not?
What a dream scenario for our prime minister: a genuine sports enthusiast gets the best seats in the house to watch our hard-working,...
Jan 15, 2010
It Takes Chutzpah: Leadership Predictions (or Dream Scenarios?) for 2010.
I thought we could have a bit of fun with this one…
If you could come up with a list of well-known Canadian (or, non Canadian) leaders and assign a specific task to each for 2010, what would that list look like?
Here’s what I’ve come up with (and I welcome your feedback):
Jim Balsillie: Resolves to take an interest in waterfront redevelopment, thereby undertaking the massive job of re-...
Nov 13, 2009
The Leadership Edge at Maple Leaf Foods: How Michael McCain Wrote The Book On Values-Based Leadership
I continue to be both humbled and amazed by Maple Leaf Foods.
As most of you know, the Toronto-based company returned to profitability this year after spending much of 2008 dealing with the perfect storm: rising commodity prices, an economic downturn and the fallout from the listeria crisis. Despite all of this, at the end of October 2009, they reported a net income of $22.5-...
Sep 15, 2009
Let Leaders Lead: Why the NHLPA Shouldn't Have Fired Paul Kelly
A few weeks ago, the National Hockey League Players’ Association fired their executive director, Paul Kelly. The secret-ballot vote took place in the middle of the night, following an 11-hour meeting, and produced a 22-5 result in favour of ousting Kelly.
Kelly was the NHLPA’s third executive director in four years.
What happened?
Details are still emerging, but one of the main sore spots for the PA...
Aug 12, 2009
A Mutiny on the Green: How the LPGA Will Move On From Carolyn Bivens.
Last month, the LPGA dumped commissioner Carolyn Bivens. Her fate was sealed by what Sports Illustrated referred to as a “gaggle” of the LPGA’s top players, who met over dinner to discuss amongst themselves what was wrong with Bivens’s leadership. In other words, the commish’s worst nightmare was underway – she had a mutiny on her hands.
With sponsorship dollars drying up, tournaments becoming few and far...
