by Jeff SkipperI don’t know about you but some of these days are EXHAUSTING! And while I maintain a balanced diet of COVID news interspersed with human interest stories and humour, some days still leave me feeling weary from incessant negativity and the dumb things people say…including me. Here is a routine I have found extremely helpful […]
by Jeff SkipperSometimes cookies are the solution. At a recent family get together Theresa was talking about her study habits as she prepared for medical exams. “It’s hard to say focused. Sometimes I put a cookie in the textbook every 10 pages. No cookie until I finish studying each part!” Certain activities excite and awaken our passions […]
by Jeff SkipperIt was a full class at the gym Saturday. A colleague with a barbell across her back in front of me shuffled over so I could get a clear view of myself in the mirror as we performed synchronized squats. In many training areas – from ballet to bootcamp – there are walls of mirrors present to reflect […]
by Jeff SkipperWhen I worked at Suncor, the company would physically re-shuffle people periodically to bring teams closer together. A couple days before our group’s move, bins showed up at our desks to kick off the process of sorting, purging and packing. It’s amazing how much crap (aka, vendor knickknacks) you can accumulate over time. Even after […]
by Jeff SkipperWhen I finished my last degree, I decided my brain was big enough. The Master’s program for Organizational Psychology featured a large volume of dense reading in addition to lengthy lectures which distilled decades of knowledge into a firehose. I loved those days, devouring the writings of great thinkers like Argyris, Beckhard and Bennis who […]
by Jeff Skipper“Before you start, let me remind you that you are expected to obey the rules of the road.’ And with that final word from the organizer of Royal Rally – a travelling scavenger hunt that would cover 750km in a single day – we were off. As fifty supercars, tuners and a monster truck […]
by Jeff SkipperDawn has some fantastic ideas. She is the regional GM for an IT services company, having fast-tracked from a tech role in just four years. She figures she can add another $2M to the company’s bottom line if they add two service options that clients keep asking for. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? But […]
by Jeff SkipperWhen I worked for one of Canada’s big banks, we had an executive that insisted on final signoff for all training. That was fine, but she regularly wordsmithed the work sending us back several stages in our development effort. The feedback was not considered ‘value add’ and instead indicated a lack of trust in her […]
by Jeff SkipperWhile preparing for an executive review at The Salvation Army, we took a brief pause and the CIO said, “Jeff, I thought you’d want to know that I heard one of my managers tell his team that he was going to exit a call because he wasn’t needed. They could handle it without him.“ Another […]
by Jeff SkipperCheryl Bachelder is an extraordinary leader. While CEO at Popeyes, Cheryl led the franchise to new heights, growing market cap from less than $300 million to over $1.3 billion. As Ms. Bachelder drive higher performance and success, employees paid ever-closer attention to all she said and did. One of the more memorable moments was being […]
by Jeff SkipperWatching professional sports reveals that players move, skate and dribble with their heads up to anticipate the next play and keep an eye on the goal and incoming threats. Focusing solely on the puck or ball invites someone else to clobber you into next week. Successful organizations have a tendency towards strategic ossification. Success breeds […]
by Jeff SkipperAt the end of the summer I decided to improve my fitness level. Crossfit is a great conditioner, but struggling to breathe after 10 minutes is a serious wake up call as the rest of the group keeps swinging kettles and flipping tires (those big tractor ones). As I shared my frustration in trying to […]
by Jeff SkipperThe person best equipped to praise your brilliance is you! Sure, we’d love other to do it for us, but if we don’t equip them, how can they? In my first take on this topic we looked at 5 ways to demonstrate the great things you’ve done. Feedback was great so here is the flipside […]
by Jeff SkipperI live an hour from the mountains. They are a gorgeous site…when I stop to look. Many people allow their surroundings to fade into the background. It becomes too familiar. This is a normal attribute. We have a Propensity to Attenuate (PTA) for things that don’t change. They become invisible and automatic (do you remember […]
by Jeff SkipperHave you seen an energy addict? They walk with eyes aimed low, tablet or phone in hand, scanning walls one foot off the ground looking for an outlet. The ultimate energy opportunists, they plug in as soon as a power source is available, even with a battery at 95%. We find them hanging out by […]
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