In the News

In a business world that frequently associates outspokenness with leadership, introverts are often misjudged, or even worse, undervalued for their leadership skills.  But it is not a matter of extroversion versus introversion that produces exceptional leaders.  It is how each person uses their innate talents to motivate and get things done through others. Read: Leadership beyond words: Four strengths introverts have that are key to success

For years, Merge has taught thousands of leaders that empathy is one of the most important leadership and workplace skills. But in her latest column in The Globe, Merge now says that it is no longer enough.  Turns out that “compassion” is what separates exceptional leaders and workplaces from the rest.  Read more: Empathy is no longer the most important workplace skill. It isn’t enough

The global pandemic reshaped our world, even in the workplace. As expectations shift, your leadership approach must follow suit. Leading with outdated methods simply won’t cut it. Merge’s latest article in The Globe and Mail — Workplace expectations have changed in six key ways and so should how you lead – gives you the six essential shifts you need to embrace in order to connect effectively with your team.

Taking the time to recognize, appreciate and thank your people generates a tremendous return on something that usually takes only a few minutes.  But there is an art to acknowledgement. Done incorrectly, it can come across as disingenuous. Even worse, your good intentions may backfire. In her latest column in The Globe, Merge lays out the four necessary factors,

Will AI steal your job?  Artificial intelligence tools are being used in many workplaces to automate tasks such as data entry, billing and collections, customer service and scheduling.  So it is possible!  But all is not lost. Humans cannot compete when it comes to gathering and processing data, but we can differentiate ourselves elsewhere.  Merge outlines the five main areas you should focus on enhancing your skills in, so that you are as relevant tomorrow as you are today.  Read AI may be coming for your job, but all is not lost

Workplace rituals create inclusivity and relevance for employees, leading to improved performance. But sadly, most leaders miss this opportunity to build and maintain team and company culture. Merge’s latest article in The Globe offers several simple practical ideas. Read Workplace rituals matter, more than you might think

Is it a good idea to give negative feedback to your boss?  The short answer is “It depends”.  Consider three factors as you decide whether or not to proceed.  And if you decide to go ahead, here are proven tips to deliver the message with tact and finesse, so that you get the outcome you want.

Are you getting tired of your current job? Moving to another one may not always be the best solution. If you’re not feeling the love for your job anymore, Merge’s latest column in The Globe gives you Nine ways to fall in love with your job again.

Post-pandemic, many organizations are giving their employees the option to work from home, either some of or all the time.  But just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should.  In Is working from home good for your career? Six drawbacks that point to no, Merge addresses the challenges and potential problems that come with working remotely. And the negative repercussions they could have on your career success.

After a hiatus of several months, Merge’s latest column is live on The Globe and Mail‘s site!!  And the subject is …. HiPos!  In Want to be the employee who gets promotions? Seven steps to gaining high-potential status, Merge outlines what HiPos (or high-potential employees) have that gets them noticed … in a good way.

The folks at Business Examiner Magazine did this short profile on Merge in their latest issue.  Read Entrepreneur Keeps Turning Managers Into Leaders

A great two-step process to unemotionally evaluate the criticism you receive so that you can decide what to do next.  Read: How to differentiate helpful from unhelpful negative criticism 

The meeting from hell! — no structure, too long, nothing gets accomplished, boring, irrelevant, adversarial. The list goes on. Yet productive meetings ARE possible. Merge’s latest column in The Globe is Three powerful rules to make every meeting productive.

Mixed messages are confusing and if you don’t get clarity, they can jeopardize your success.  In Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail, she lays out five specific detailed steps to get your priorities sorted out. Read What to do when you get mixed messages from your boss (or anyone else at work).

If you’re not sure whether you’re following the right career path, Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail should help.  Read Five clues you’re in the wrong job.

Sarah Dobson, editor of the Canadian HR Reporter, reached out to Merge for an article she was writing about how employers can boost employee engagement in a hybrid workplace. Read it here: How to boost engagement in a hybrid workplace.

Some people come by the gift of gab naturally, but most of us need to make a conscious effort to engage and practice conversation. In her latest column in The Globe and Mail, Merge gives you seven deliberate actions you can take to be a better conversationalist at work.

Will hybrid work make it harder to get things accomplished? Will out of sight become out of mind? Will your career progression be negatively affected? Possibly. Unless you do something about it. Seven specific ideas in Merge’s latest column in The Globe is Tips for a hybrid workplace: How not to be out of sight, out of mind

It’s time to face the uncomfortable truth – we are never going back to the way it was before. Too much has changed – realities, expectations, technology – and whatever the postpandemic future has in store for us, it will not be “back to normal.” In Merge’s latest column – Things won’t ‘get back to normal’, but we can embrace ‘another ordinary’ – she outlines what this means for you and your people, and how to prepare for it.

Virtual, or at least hybrid work, will continue well into next year, and maybe even later.  If you’re not sure that you’re engaging online, then Merge’s latest column in The Globe should help. Zoom gloom? Here are eleven ways to make your online events more engaging

Empathy is a key workplace skill, yet harder in remote working situations.  Merge’s latest column in The Globe gives you four powerful ways to be more empathetic, in any workplace environment.  Read: How to display true empathy in the workplace.

A recent situation at a major hospital recounted to me by my therapist friend is what prompted this column in The Globe and Mail.  Read Manifesting ‘workplace courage,’ an important but underrated skill

When it comes to remote or hybrid teams, it takes more work to lead. Here’s what you need to do to make things happen!  Four principles for creating an effective hybrid workplace culture

People are getting Zoomed-out, Meet-maxed, and Webex-weary.  So what’s a leader to do?  Find a way to make virtual team meetings engaging and fun, of course! Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail gives you 10 specific ways to do just that!

Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global Magazine picked up the feature article that Authority Magazine published about Merge last month.  Read it here: “Be specific.” With Merge Gupta-Sunderji

“Good enough” often carries a negative connotation. But perhaps it’s time to celebrate its biggest advantage – adaptability.  Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail makes a compelling case.

This feature article about Merge by Penny Bauder from Authority Magazine answers this question and several others.  Read it here: https://bit.ly/37UR3To

Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail lays out the seven simple things that extraordinarily likeable people do, consistently and repeatedly.  Read: Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable

Are you a human bottleneck?  Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail offers some clues to whether you might be one, and some specific ideas to stop.  Read: Are you a human bottleneck, slowing progress in the workplace?

If you’re not yet ready to return to the workplace in the post-COVID environment, you may need to persuade your boss that you can stay/work at home. If you’re wondering how to do this, Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail lays out a few key points you should keep in mind to increase your likelihood of success. How to have a conversation with your boss about postponing your return to the office.

As devastating and difficult as the COVID-19 world has been, the one seemingly silver lining to emerge from this pandemic is the contagion of kindness. Ironically though, the world of work has often viewed being kind as being weak.  In Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail, she lays out five ways in which being kind can actually lead to significant career success.

In Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail, she discusses anticipated changes in three main areas, and the need to accentuate your interpersonal strengths to be successful. Read: In the post-pandemic workplace, the ‘new’ normal is just the ‘now’ normal

As a leader, how can you communicate unpopular decisions and changes that you know will not be liked or accepted, but while still maintaining trust and your credibility? In her  latest column in The Globe and Mail — How to communicate unpopular decisions and changes — Merge outlines the six things you must focus on as you craft and deliver your message

Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail explains the single deliberate action you must take to make working remotely a success; the six steps that will keep your long-distance relationship robust: How to maintain that long-distance relationship with your boss

The COVID-19 pandemic is a living case study of crisis leadership at its best (and worst). In What does it take to lead in times of crisis?, Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail, she gives examples and offers solutions.

If you hate your job, then it’s time to stop whining about it at the water cooler and to do something. In fact, you have only three options going forward. Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail is Hate your job? You have three choices.

Years ago, when Merge got her first supervisory role, she had her fair share of missteps.  It wasn’t until much later that she realized that all her early mistakes and stumbles were actually quite common for novice leaders. In her latest column for The Globe and Mail, she describes her unexpected (yet common) Five lessons learned as a first-time supervisor.

Respect at work is earned. Are you doing the right things, or inadvertently sabotaging yourself? Merge’s first column for 2020 in The Globe and Mail gives you eight ways to get the respect you deserve.

If you happen to work with an “extreme” narcissist, or even worse, for one, it can be a waking nightmare! In Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail, she offers several ideas to make your workday with a narcissist more bearable.

Part networking, part information-gathering, and part low-key self-promotion, an informational interview is a powerful way to get your next job.  In The informational interview – your secret advantage for your next job, Merge tells you how to make this work for you.

If you’re thinking about taking the leap from employee to entrepreneur, then Merge’s latest column, published this morning in The Globe and Mail, will help you avoid a few speed bumps along the way.  Read Seven lessons learned as a first-time entrepreneur.

Merge’s latest column for The Globe and Mail published this morning.  In The better way to deal with criticism at work, Merge outlines a simple two-dimensional model leaders can use to first, evaluate the criticism, and then thoughtfully respond, based on that assessment.

In her latest column for The Globe and Mail, Merge debunks the common belief that “sucking up” to the boss is the only way to rise in the ranks.  In What does it (really) take to get promoted,  she outlines nine (other) ways to get ahead in the workplace.

In her latest column for The Globe and Mail, Eight steps to finding a mentor, Merge addresses exactly what you need to do to find a mentor who can help you further your career.

In her latest column for The Globe and Mail titled You need to cast off your shell if you want to continue to grow, Merge offers offers three specific ideas to stay significant in the rapidly changing world of work.

Writer Morey Stettner sought out Merge as an expert source for his story in Investor’s Business Daily on how leaders can admit mistakes to their peers, employees, board of directors, and others.  This published in the print edition of the magazine under their “Leaders and Success” page.

“Coping with disruption” will be Merge’s topic at the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta Elevate Your Mind Professional Development Conference being held in Calgary AB on June 7.  She was featured in the Spring issue of Dividends Magazine, going out to over 29,000 CPAs in Alberta.

In her latest column for The Globe and Mail titled Making the most of organizational politics is one of the keys to good management, Merge offers four specific ways you can turn organizational politics into a positive force that will work for you, rather than against.

There are things you can do today to position yourself as a future leader, in the eyes of those who can help get you there.  And in Merge’s latest column for The Globe and Mail, she lays out six specific steps you can take to get there.  Read: Six steps to take today, toward a leadership role tomorrow.

While your immediate manager and organization can certainly support you by providing feedback, advice, tools and resources, you are the only one behind the wheel of your future.  Which is why Merge wrote Nine easy ways to take charge of your professional development as her regular column in The Globe and Mail.

The reality is that sometimes you’re just going to have to work with people you don’t like and respect – it’s all part of being an adult in the world of work. Which is exactly the subject Merge addresses in her latest column in The Globe and Mail.  Read How to work with almost everyone — even those you don’t respect

Workplace trust is essential not only to establish your reputation, but also to build a strong network of people who will help you throughout your career. In Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail spells out five foolproof ways to destroy workplace trust.

Employee retention should be top of mind for leaders everywhere. Merge’s latest Globe and Mail column focuses on five ideas to stop your best and brightest from walking out the door.

The proliferation of flexible work continues.  For a variety of reasons, it is something that more employees want, but not every organization is open to the idea. In this morning’s column in The Globe and Mail, Merge outlines Five ways to make “flexible work” actually work.

Work-life balance is a myth, a non-achievable nirvana that few (if any) have realized. So it’s long past the time to let this obsolete idea go. In her latest column for The Globe and Mail published this morning, Work-life balance is a myth, Merge explains how to embrace work-life blend instead.

Generation Z started turning 23 this year, which means that increasing numbers of them are working in more than just fast food and retail.  In her latest column for The Globe and Mail, Merge explains why you shouldn’t make the grave error of thinking that Gen Zers are just millennials magnified. In How Gen Zers differ from millennials in the workplace she lays out five critical differences.

As Boomers leave organizations, they take years of undocumented, intuitive, experiential information about people, business processes and informal procedures with them, leaving huge gaps in cumulative intelligence.  In Bracing for the boomer brain drain, Merge’s latest column in today’s edition of The Globe and Mail, she offers five strategies to prevent the corporate amnesia.

Yes, just ask Uber, Netflix and AirBnB.  Merge’s newest column in today’s edition of The Globe and Mail is titled How to spot the warning signs of disruptive innovation, and in it, she lays out three specific actions leaders in Goliath organizations can take to ensure that they don’t become collateral damage when their market niche is disrupted by small David companies.

Merge’s newest column in today’s edition of The Globe and Mail lays out four specific things leaders can do to create engaged employees who act like they have an ownership stake in your organization.  Read What it really takes for an employee to be engaged.

When it comes to battling blunders and successfully moving forward, three essential actions separate the leaders from the managers.  Merge’s latest column for The Globe & Mail lays out the three essential actions leaders must take in order to recover from mistakes .  Read Why good leaders make grave mistakes − and still thrive.

The construction industry in BC is facing a skilled labour shortage, compounded by the fact that young employees often don’t stick around long enough to develop any breadth of knowledge and experience. Merge will be hosting an open discussion on this topic on May 16, 2018 in Victoria.  More information here: Millennials, Xr’s, Boomers: Leadership and succession planning.

The focus in customer service has always been to fix an issue identified by the buyer. But in 2018, it is time to finally change that paradigm!  Merge’s column in this morning’s edition of The Globe and Mail challenges you to envision three progressive possibilities to maximize your competitive advantage.  Read Artificial intelligence is the next revolution in customer service.

Almost all leaders go through stressful periods when they struggle with being a leader vs a manager.  The only way out of this deteriorating pattern for a leader is to recognize the signs and act decisively to break the cycle.  But how is one to know what to watch for?  That is exactly what Merge addresses today in her column in The Globe.  Read  Five tell-tale signs leadership is slipping.

This edition of Merge’s regular Leadership Matters column in The Globe addresses how micro-managing harms your team’s morale, performance and productivity, and why you should stop!  Read  Guilty of micromanaging? Stop before it’s too late.

Provocative once again, Merge’s latest column in The Globe and Mail makes the case for why performance reviews are archaic and obsolete, and need to be replaced with something more worthwhile and more collaborative.  Read It’s time to get rid of annual performance reviews.

Then get recognized as a high-potential employee.  Here are seven things you need to do now in order to rise in the ranks, Merge’s latest column for Canadian Accountant.

Merge makes her predictions for the five employee-related trends that will gain the greatest momentum in the upcoming year.  Read The five top leadership issues in 2018.

Merge’s column at The Globe & Mail has a new home!  Effective today, Merge’s columns will now be featured in the TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday) section of the paper on (you’ve guessed it!) Mondays.  As before, Merge’s contributions are usually every four weeks or so, with the next one expected on January 1, 2018

Sears and Amazon – two retail giants with remarkable track records of financial success – yet one is now at the doorstep of demise and the other is on a trajectory that seems only to be moving upward.  Traditional retail is being replaced by options that promote less interaction with people and more interaction with systems. In What it takes to thrive in a shifting retail industry, Merge looks at the career skills needed to adapt and thrive.

he unfortunate, widely held sentiment about millennials is that they cannot be counted on to stick around for the long haul, nor ever be loyal to a company. But this point of view is flawed. I explain why in Is workplace loyalty dead in the age of the millennial?

hen get real. Learn how in Five ways for CPAs to build a kick-ass personal brand, Merge’s latest column for Canadian Accountant.

Four sensational thought-leaders and three industry titans at one power-packed day on November 15, 2017 in Calgary.  Find out more and register for your table at the Customer Service Leadership Summit before it sells out!

Imagine a world in which you don’t receive any work-related e-mail except during working hours. That’s right: no beeps, bells or buzzes on your smartphone announcing the arrival of e-mail either overnight or during the weekend. None, nothing, nil, nada. It’s not as impossible as it might sound; it’s happening right now in Germany!  Read: A Moratorium on Office E-mail?

Once again, Merge is proud to partner with CPA Alberta to deliver eight full-day leadership and workplace communication programs in Edmonton and Calgary over the next six months, all open to the public.  More information here.

Find yourself humming the classic tune You’re So Vain around a certain colleague? Got a boss who’s absolutely arrogant? Here’s what you need to know about dealing with narcissists on the job. Merge’s insights and advice are included in Egomaniacal Employees in the July/August issue of CPA Magazine.

Every few days, there is another headline news story about a senior executive (who should have known better) saying or doing something sexually inappropriate to someone junior in his organization. And that is exactly what prompted Merge’s weekend column for The Globe & Mail.  Read: Harassment and the C-Suite.

Bean-counters, number-crunchers, pencil-pushers — merely three of the common monikers often used to describe those in the accounting profession — and none of them complimentary.  Merge’s new column for Canadian Accountant takes on this thorny subject, and offers five keys to breaking free from accounting stereotypes.

anadian Accountant is Canada’s independent news source for the accounting profession focusing on informational, motivational and aspirational content relevant to accounting and finance professionals.  But not just for accountants!  There will also be plenty of content that is relevant to anyone who just works in the world of business (profit as well as not-for-profit).  Merge’s inaugural column is titled 5 Reasons Why Accountants Make Great Leaders.  If you’re an accountant, it’s necessary reading, no excuses! And if you’re not, you should as well, if for no other reason than to argue the point 🙂 !

You’d have to be under a rock or in a dark cave some place to have missed the firestorm that is United Airlines which ignited in early April.  After all, it’s not every day that an airline literally beats up its customer!   This unfortunate United Airlines incident is destined to become a textbook case of how a leader should not act in a state of crisis (particularly in the age of the Internet).  In her April 19 column in The Globe & Mail’s print and online editions — Lessons from the United debacle — Merge outlines five leadership lessons that any CEO should take to heart so as not to find themselves in a similar shaky scenario at any point in the future.

Sure, this statement generates a great deal of controversy, but believe it or not, when it comes to employee motivation, money isn’t as important as you might think.  This is exactly the topic Merge takes on in her first column for 2017 in The Globe & Mail.  In Why money is not an employee motivator, she makes the case, and perhaps more importantly and practically, explains what it means to you, the leader, so that you can inspire your people towards excellence in the workplace.  Update: as expected, this topic caused a fair amount of controversy, and went on to publish in The Globe’s Report on Business two days later on February 1.

Love it or hate it, there is a movement afoot in workplaces across Canada to shift to the open-office floor plan.  Some say this direction is driven by lower costs, others deny it vehemently and say it encourages teamwork.  Whatever the reason, it is happening, so Merge decided that it was time to talk about how to make it work in her latest column for The Globe & Mail, rather than continue to debate its merits and drawbacks.  Six rules for the open-office environment got so much online traffic that it was subsequently published in The Globe & Mail’s Weekend Business print edition a couple of days later on November 5.

16 Ways to motivate your employees without spending money is the title of Merge’s latest column for Profit Magazine‘s online portal.  In it, she offers up (yes, you guessed right) sixteen zero- or low-cost ideas to reward your employees on a shoestring budget.

Eight full-day leadership and workplace communication programs in Edmonton and Calgary over the next six months, all open to the public.  More information here.

In order to better service our west coast clients by being more “local”, Merge has now established an office in Victoria BC. Today’s technology allows us to keep our telephone numbers and other contact information exactly the same, but expect Merge to be even more available to you if you’re one of our present (or future) clients in British Columbia and the western U.S.

Sometimes you will have to make decisions that will not be liked by your staff.   But there are things that you can do to help your team understand and accept the new reality. And that is the topic of Merge’s latest column for ProfitGuide.com.  In The right way to communicate unpopular decisions to your staff, she offers five ideas to deliver the message, yet soften the long-term impact.

Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way you planned. In Merge’s new column for Profit Magazine‘s online edition — How to Break Bad News to a Client — she lays out seven steps to telling your customers the unfortunate truth without jeopardizing your reputation and credibility.

In Merge’s latest column for The Globe & Mail‘s Leadership Lab series – Forced employee ranking is a foolish approach – she makes the controversial case for why bell-curving and forced numerical ranking have absolutely no place in high-performance workplaces.

The 5 Rookie Mistakes New Leaders Often Make is Merge’s latest column for Profit Magazine‘s online edition.  In it, she lays out the five most common gaffes made by leaders, and how you can steer clear of them.

Merge’s first column for 2016 for ProfitGuide.com is titled 5 Practical Ways You Should Invest in Yourself.  Most leaders consider it hugely important to invest in others – staff, peers, and their organization – but many forget that their capabilities as leaders is determined by what they have available in their own fuel tanks, which is why it is critical for them to invest in themselves first. Leaders can’t help anyone else if they’re running on empty!

Executive coaches often encourage CEOs in growing organizations to work “on” their business instead of “in” their business. So far, that’s pretty good counsel, but it’s the frequent follow-up conversation that causes Merge concern.  She explains further in her column Why CEOs should not take a vacation for The Globe & Mail.

Have you ever given what you thought were crystal-clear instructions to an employee, only to discover later that they didn’t quite get it? In her latest column for Profit Magazine’s online edition, Merge lays out five specific steps to give directions in a way so that your employees understand and act – the first time.  Read How to Give Instructions Your Employees Will Actually Follow.

Policies are NOT rules, they’re just guidelines!  Blasphemy or good business judgment?  Merge offers three perspectives in her regular column in The Globe & Mail to make the case for why corporate rule books were put together to offer guidance to leaders, not to handcuff and prevent them from using and applying good judgment. Read Three reasons to ignore your company’s policy manual.

Procrastination: where you put off doing stuff until it becomes critical, vow that you’ll never put yourself in that situation again, but of course, finding yourself exhausted from the last sprint to the finish line find yourself in exactly the same condition yet another time!  As part of Productivity week, Merge penned this column as part of Profit Magazine‘s panel of business experts.  Read A 9-Point Plan for Overcoming Procrastination.

Merge was invited to write a piece for The Globe & Mail‘s Commentary & Analysis section following a New York Times‘ story about about Amazon’s “bruising” work culture where only the fittest survive, and the rest are discarded as collateral damage along the way. Amazon’s leadership forgot that ‘how’ is as important as ‘what’ offers an insight into what really went wrong within the senior leadership ranks at this company.  If you are unable to view this article online, you can also read a pdf version here.

Merge’s latest column for The Globe & Mail‘s Leadership Lab series clearly struck a chord with many, garnering thousands of hits on their site and going viral in just a matter of hours.  In Five foolproof ways to destroy employee morale Merge lays out what some managers do to completely destroy their employees’ self-confidence, drag down team motivation, and create a negative working environment.  Here is the definitive list of five things leaders should never do!

In How to stop doing employees’ work for them, Merge addresses the classic leadership trap of  “reverse delegation”, the natural tendency  that leaders have to offer assistance by taking back a task they’ve assigned to another member of the team.  This columns shows you how to respectfully and effectively push back when it occurs.

“Whitewash” is a communication blunder that many managers make where they seek to address a problem behaviour by issuing a broad edict to many, instead of being direct and specific with the particular employee who is the concern. Not only does whitewash not achieve the desired outcome with the problem employee, but perhaps more damaging, it is demoralizing to the high-performers on the team. This article lays out the five key steps to structure your dialogue so YOU DON’T whitewash. Read it here: Got a problem employee? Don’t whitewash.  This online column was subsequently published in the print edition of  The Globe‘s Report on Business on June 26.

In How to stay focused by managing workflow interruptions, Merge’s latest column for ProfitGuide.com, she offers three strategies to minimize distractions, maximize productivity, and get more done.

ProfitGuide.com is the online version of Profit Magazine, a Canadian business magazine aimed at entrepreneurs, focusing on how to find opportunity and seize it, management practices, case studies and access to peer groups. Profit Magazine is published by Rogers Media, the same publishing house that puts out Canadian Business, MoneySense and Macleans, so Merge is excited to be in such distinguished company.  Her inaugural column is titled How to become a persuasive triple-threat and explores what it takes to get more people to buy your ideas.

If leader’s don’t have zero-tolerance for negative workplace gossip, then the only outcome will be the rapid demise of teamwork!  In her latest column for The Globe & Mail — Take the toxins out of office gossip — Merge offers insights and strategies for leaders to manage this important challenge.  This online column was subsequently published in the print edition of  The Globe‘s Report on Business on May 15.

The company rumour mill is unavoidable, so smart leaders make it work for them!  In Make the company grapevine work for you, Merge offers some insights into “how”.

Leaders: Get rid of the ‘Mother may I?’ mindset addresses Merge’s contention that one should not ask for permission, rather for forgiveness.  This online Leadership Lab column was subsequently published in the print edition of The Globe‘s Report on Business on January 12.

On January 1, The Globe ran a retrospective on the Top Ten Leadership Lab columns in 2014, and two of Merge’s columns made #1 and #2 on the list!  Joe Natale, Executive VP and Chief Commercial Officer at Telus Corp; Sherry Cooper, former chief economist at Bank of Montreal; and Karl Moore, associate professor at the Destautels Faculty of Management at McGill University are three other noted columnists who made the top ten. You can read the entire Top Ten list at Top leadership tips of 2014 on The Globe‘s site (and access each of the articles there as well).

Why do smart managers do stupid things? is the provocative title of Merge’s newest contribution to The Globe‘s Leadership Lab series.  This online column was subsequently published in the print edition of  The Globe‘s Report on Business on November 7.

Merge has done it again!  This column garnered over 30,000 views and 24,000 direct shares in just three days online.  Why are so many managers useless as leaders? went on to publication in the print edition of  The Globe & Mail‘s Report on Business on October 10.

Are your employees overloaded and overwhelmed?  On October 8, Merge will be leading a live online event in which she’ll give you the tools you need to help your overextended employees meet their goals AND reduce their stress.  For more information, or to register, visit our detailed information page.

Merge’s column in The Globe & Mail on Boomers on the verge of retirement caught the attention of 1310 News Radio Ottawa’s popular talk show host Ed Hand.  He invited Merge to be on his weekday morning show Talk to the Hand.  You can listen to the conversation here:

Talk to the Hand – Wednesday September 3, 2014

After the runaway viral success of Merge’s last three columns about millennials in The Globe & Mail, her newest column has gone in another direction, focusing on a different demographic — Boomers on the verge of retirement. If you have an employee who is either doing an adequate job but no more, no less; or one who has mentally already left the building; then you will find How to motivate the close-to-retirement employee of great value.  This column was subsequently published in The Globe‘s Report on Business print edition on August 29, 2014.

The interest in generational differences in the workplace continues to resonate with audiences everywhere.  Following Merge’s three very popular columns in The Globe & Mail, The Bill Good Show on CKNW 980 NewsTalk Vancouver invited Merge to be a guest on their show.  You can listen to the conversation here:

The Bill Good Show – Wednesday June 18, 2014

All three of Merge’s columns on generational differences in the workplace for The Globe & Mail went viral.  Here are the links to all three:

• June 10 — Want respect, millennials? Here’s how to earn it
• April 30 — Don’t gripe about millennials at work, appreciate their talents instead
• March 31 – Four things millennials hate about you

After the viral success of her last column (Four things millennials hate about you) in The Globe & Mail on March 31, Merge continues the conversation with her latest missive Don’t gripe about millennials at work, appreciate their talents instead.

Writer Deanne Gage asked Merge for insights on how to manage several types of anti-patterns — dysfunctional behaviour that manifests repeatedly in the workplace — for the April issue of CPA Magazine.  CPA Magazine is read by over 180,000 of Canada’s most influential and foremost business decision makers.  Learn how to deal with cookie lickers, mushroom managers, credit grabbers and hammerheads in Nailed! Knock out unhelpful patterns of workplace behaviour.

Even if you consider yourself a good communicator, the odds are still high that you’re committing a few of the cardinal sins of communication without even realizing it. On April 30, Merge will be leading a live online event in which you’ll learn, in detail, how you might be inadvertently sabotaging your efforts to communicate with clarity, confidence and professionalism. She’ll give you practical actionable steps that you can take to become more effective in what you say and produce the results you want. For more information, or to register, visit our detailed information page.

Following the viral storm created by Merge’s column Four things Millennials hate about you in The Globe & Mail on March 31, several radio stations interviewed Merge.  Below are links to some of these interviews:

• The Gary Doyle Show on 570 News Radio in Kitchener/Waterloo
• John Moore on Moore in the Morning on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto
• Ed Hand on Talk to the Hand on 1310 News Radio in Ottawa
• Chris dela Torre on Alberta Morning on CBC Radio Canada
• Paul Ladd at the World Christian Broadcasting network (shortwave worldwide)

Merge’s latest column (March 31, 2014) in The Globe & Mail is on fire!!  Over 50,000 hits and 5,000 shares in its first two days, it’s causing quite a commotion. Find out why for yourself (and join in the discussion) – Four things millennials hate about you.

A quick primer on the four generational demographics – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials – found in today’s workplace! This easy-to-use reference guide is illustrated to help you find information quickly; you’ll be able to compare and contrast, in a glance, the differences among the generations. Designed specifically to help leaders build better working relationships and accomplish more with their teams, it’s sure to become an indispensable part of your leadership toolkit.  To view sample pages, or to purchase copies, visit our Leadership Book Store.

Merge’s kicks this off with her inaugural column titled “How to be the boss when your co-workers are your friends“.  Focusing specifically on how to ease the awkwardness of supervising friends, this short-action oriented article offers seven specific ideas on making the transition from peer to boss.   Merge’s columns will be published approximately once a month from now on.

The Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary featured Merge “front and centre” in their Alumni spotlight – the electronic display wall in the main entrance to the business school. The “wall” is used to showcase alumni who have influenced and shaped the worlds of business, politics, education, environment and community. Other honorees are featured in the school’s website. The business school has approximately 3,000 full- and part-time students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, and executive education programs, and stays connected with its 20,000 alumni in 60 countries worldwide. Merge graduated from the HSB in 1988 with a Masters in Business Administration Honors.

Designed specifically for those in their first formal leadership role, or those thinking about making the jump into supervision, this audio specifically addresses the issues and challenges faced by first-time leaders. Learn more.