The one simple skill all leaders must harness

Taking a breath allows us to be more resilient when chaos looms

The one simple skill all leaders must harnessThe circle on the screen kept spinning. I stared, slowly feeling my heart rate rise as my mind raced with anxious thoughts: “How do I undo this update? What if I’ve been hacked? I’m not a tech genius!” With deadlines looming in the morning, 9:30 p.m. was not the time for my laptop to stop…

Turning a difficult year into a year of business innovation

Businesses that adapted during the pandemic while allowing their people to be people are now better equipped to respond rather than react

Turning a difficult year into a year of business innovationIn conversation recently with women business leaders, authors, mental health advocates and corporate management leaders across Canada, there was a common thread: 2020 was a hard year. It was also a year of innovation. A year of seeing business being done differently. From transitioning from already-booked in-person galas to online events to learning how to…

‘Any kids yet?’ and other minefield networking questions

Networking is crucial in business these days. But what happens when we break rapport before we even start?

‘Any kids yet?’ and other minefield networking questionsNetworking in business has spawned books, articles, podcasts and videos. You name it, there’s content out there for a business owner looking to rock their networking. The best advice I’ve been given is to simply be curious. Go in, look to have one or two conversations and just ask questions. Then listen. But what happens…

Three questions to ask when you’ve been disrespected

Is it disrespect, miscommunication or misaligned values that are harming your business relationships?

Three questions to ask when you’ve been disrespected“My client doesn’t respect me!” my colleague vented through the phone. It’s a feeling every entrepreneur has felt at one point or another in their career. It’s one I certainly empathize with. As I listened, it became clear that the client wasn’t being disrespectful. The two parties simply had disconnection in their communication styles, coupled…

Why price can no longer be the sole factor when buying value

Discover why value is more than cost in sales conversations

Why price can no longer be the sole factor when buying value“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” My colleague, a strategic adviser who helps reduce business costs, shared this nugget of wisdom as we talked about difficult money conversations. As the world continues to transition out of the cost-cutting corporate strategy of the 1980s and 1990s, 2020 has forced businesses to look…

What happens when businesses become people, too

Businesses are more than a place where we work. A business is a whole, live entity. How can you fuel it as such?

What happens when businesses become people, tooIs a business a person? It’s a question I’ve asked companies for the last decade when supporting their brand development. After all, a defined brand includes adjectives to describe a company’s personality. Think fun, bright, and engaging with Google. Or professional, communicative and articulate for LinkedIn. Diving deeper into the actual definition of a corporation…

How to create an impactful brand for your business

Our guide to ensuring your brand captures who you are and who your customers believe you to be

How to create an impactful brand for your businessBranding is an extremely overused word – quickly followed by sentences that include “we need a vision,” “we need a mission” and “we need our values, ASAP!” Of course, businesses need those things. The challenge with these branding pieces happens when leaders don’t understand what they are by definition, over and above inspirational sentences, what…

Growing with ‘fake it until you make it’ as your motto?

Think again. Why showing up with an honest, open mind is where real success lies

Growing with ‘fake it until you make it’ as your motto?“Fake it until you make it.” This is an entrepreneur motto that gets some people motivated, up and out the door (so to speak – COVID-19 protocols and all), and committed until they’ve become the person, business or thing they set out to be. But this sentence makes me cringe every time I hear it.…