Upcoming leadership training programs in Calgary in February
For four years, I have been privileged to partner with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta to deliver high-quality leadership training programs for their member professional development. The really cool thing about these programs is that you don’t have to be a member of CPA Alberta to attend these programs.
Often, I am asked by people whether I hold “public” events that individuals from any organization can attend, and my answer is usually “no”, because almost all my work is with intact work groups in client organizations. However, these leadership training programs with CPA Alberta are the closest I get to “open-to-the public” events. You don’t have to be a member of CPA Alberta to attend, and if you are looking for high-quality training at a fraction of the price that is usually charged by other vendors, then you cannot go wrong with these options. Continue reading
Celebrating my 5-year anniversary with The Globe & Mail
Next Wednesday January 23 marks a very special day for me – exactly five years ago on this date, my very first column for The Globe & Mail published that morning. In How to be the boss when your co-workers are your friends, I laid out seven steps to ease this difficult transition. I’ll be honest, this was (and still is) a very exciting day for me! To be invited to contribute as a thought-leader for one of Canada’s most respected and widely-circulated national newspapers is a huge honour. Not to mention a validation of the leadership development work I have been doing for so many years.
Back then, I was a contributing columnist to The Globe’s Leadership Lab series, published primarily online, but also occasionally in their print edition. Today, five years later, I write a regular column in their Report on Business print edition, every four weeks on Mondays, under the loose banner of “Leadership Matters”.
Thank you The Globe & Mail, I am gratified to be amongst the ranks of your respected writers.
Notable columns
My most popular column ever was Four things millennials hate about you, garnering more than 50,000 views, over 4,000 “direct” shares, and comments and re-tweets numbering in the thousands in just three days. It was my first taste of “going viral” and while pretty exciting, was also a little scary! Continue reading
Leadership training programs in Alberta – get your 2018 professional development points before you run out of time!
For the fourth year in a row, I am so pleased to be partnering with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta) to deliver high-quality cost-effective leadership training in a series of ten “public” programs until March 2019. The first two sessions happened in October, but I now have three more events coming up in December in Edmonton and Calgary. If you belong to a professional association that requires you to complete a specified number of professional development credits annually, then these one-day programs will most definitely qualify (and may be one of your last chances to get your 2018 requirement met).
You don’t have to be a member of CPA Alberta to attend
Even if you aren’t a member of the CPA Alberta, these are “public” programs which means that they are open to ANYONE from ANY organization … you DO NOT have to be a member of CPA Alberta to register. These one-day sessions are very reasonably priced at a fraction of what it can cost through some commercial vendors, and if you register early, you can get even more savings. Add in a continental breakfast and a light lunch, and the fact that we get to spend the day together … how could life get any better?
Here are the dates!
Edmonton:
- Productivity Skills for Leaders – Wednesday December 5
- Just for Leaders: Project Management 101 – Thursday December 6
Calgary:
- Just for Leaders: Project Management 101 – Monday December 17
Click on any program link above for further information or to register directly at the CPA Alberta site. You will need to create a secure account on their system in order to register; it’s a quick and easy process.
Let me know if you register for any of these events. That way I know to watch for you there!
Leadership lessons from ants!
As regular readers of the blog know, I am continually inspired by the lessons in leadership that come to us from the animal kingdom. In the past, I’ve written about bald eagles, sea otters, goldfish, and penguins, among many others. Today’s leadership lessons come to us from ants!
Ants don’t admit defeat
Have you ever watched an ant carry what appears to be a gargantuan load? Science indicates that ants can actually carry ten to fifteen times their body weight. And they do – repeatedly – in order to provide for themselves and their nestmates. Which got me thinking … if ants aren’t daunted by the sheer magnitude of what they sometimes have to carry, is there a lesson there for us as leaders?
In the workplace, we are often faced with what seem to be insurmountable obstacles in our leadership roles – looming deadlines, challenging employees, missed opportunities, apparently unattainable targets – which could, if we let them, cause us to give up and admit defeat. Continue reading
We’re back! Another series of “public” leadership training programs in Alberta
I am so pleased to announce that for the fourth year, we are partnering with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta) to deliver high-quality cost-effective leadership skills training in a series of “public” programs. Many of you who follow the blog already know that most of my leadership training programs are for specific client organizations, which means that only their employees can attend. However, these “public” leadership training programs are open to ANYONE from ANY organization. Which means that if you work in a smaller organization that doesn’t have the budget to conduct an onsite leadership training program, this is your chance to invest in yourself and your leaders’ competency and skill development!
Anyone from any organization can attend these sessions!
Starting later this month, and until March of next year, I am delivering ten full-day leadership and workplace communication programs in Edmonton and Calgary. These programs are available to anyone from any organization … you DO NOT have to be a member of CPA Alberta to register. These one-day sessions are very reasonably priced at a fraction of what it can cost through some commercial vendors, and if you register early, you can get even more savings. Add in a continental breakfast and a light lunch, and the fact that you get to hang out with me for the day … how could life get any better?
Here are the dates!
I have two programs coming up at the end of this month in Edmonton:
- 25 Best Zero- and Low-Cost Ways to Motivate the Troops – Monday October 29
- How to Communicate with Confidence, Clarity & Credibility – Tuesday October 30
And then, here are the remaining eight programs scheduled until March 2019. Continue reading
Social awareness is a necessary component of emotional intelligence
I have long championed that emotional intelligence is a fundamental and necessary skill for leaders, and I repeatedly see evidence of that (or lack thereof) in my leadership development practice. A conversation with my husband last weekend reminded me specifically of one significant component of emotional intelligence. Namely, social awareness – the ability to sense others’ feelings and perspectives and to accurately read emotional cues.
This manager lacked social awareness
Last Friday, my husband and a co-worker were, as he puts it, chest-deep in preparation for a senior management meeting scheduled for early Monday morning when a manager from another area walked into the room.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked with a smile.
“Trying to get all the materials together for the Vice Presidents’ meeting for Monday morning,” said my husband.
“And it’s an absolute mess. We’re going to have to push until literally the last minute just to make sure that all the required data is there, and to also put it in some semblance of order,” added his colleague. “I have a feeling that we’ll have to work late tonight, or else we’ll have to come in over the weekend to finish it.” Continue reading
4 steps to finding a personal brand
Last month, reporter Sarah Ovaska-Few from Financial Management magazine reached out to me for an article she was writing on what it takes to find and build a personal brand. As regular readers of the blog know, I have spoken and written on this subject before (see Five ways to build a kick-ass brand) so I was delighted to see if I could be of value to her.
Taking time to reflect on your personal brand can help focus your career goals
Here is a link to an online copy of her article which published earlier this month:
4 steps to finding a personal brand
In it, Sarah interviews not only yours truly, but also Dima Ghawi, an executive who went through a personal branding process. The premise in this article is that if you refine your personal brand, it can help you weigh your career options, highlight your skills, and thus eventually focus your career goals. Definitely worth a read if you’re thinking about where and how you want your career to grow and progress.
What are your thoughts? What advice do you have to offer those who are seeking to define their own personal brand? I would love to hear about your experiences and decisions.
Could artificial intelligence replace accountants (or any other profession)?
Just this past April, in my regular column in The Globe and Mail, I put forward the premise that artificial intelligence is the next frontier in the evolution of customer service. But of course it isn’t just customer service that is being impacted by artificial intelligence (AI); just about every profession and business process is affected. Which led to the subject of my latest column for Canadian Accountant – How to prosper in the age of accounting robots.
Professionals should embrace (rather than fear) artificial intelligence
Given the significant proliferation of artificial intelligence into the world of accounting, the question being asked by many accountants is whether the accounting profession itself is being threatened. Could accountants be replaced by automation, just like the switchboard operator, the film projectionist and the elevator operator? And if so, what can accountants do to not only protect their careers, but prosper in the age of the accounting robots? Continue reading
What does it take to be recognized as a high-potential employee?
Last month
, I told you all how excited I was to be one of the featured speakers at the Elevate Your Mind conference presented by the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Alberta in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre on May 14, 2018. This is an organization that I have partnered with for several years on a variety of learning events, so I am very excited that they are welcoming me back to “elevate
the skills of professionals in any stage of their career. My session on May 14 is titled Are you a HiPo?, and I am looking forward to giving attendees specific high-energy and fast-paced ideas to get recognized as a high-potential employees in their organizations.
Registration is open now
Registration is open now, so if you’re thinking about attending, don’t delay! This link will take you directly to the registration page. Even though this event is organized by CPA Alberta, registration is open to anyone from any organization. If you belong to a profession that requires ongoing professional education credits, then this may be a perfect (and fun!) way to get a head start on 2018’s requirements. Here is a link to the Conference Agenda page, with additional links to more information.
Wondering what a HiPo is?
P.S. In case you’re wondering, HiPos are those employees who have been tagged as the Continue reading
Are you a high-potential (HiPo) employee? Don’t miss this upcoming event!
Earlier this year, my regular column for Canadian Accountant covered specific ways to get recognized as a high-potential employee. In it, I laid out seven ways to become worthy of high-potential employee status. Well, the topic of the high-potential employee got so much attention that I have now been invited to speak on this very subject at an upcoming conference.
Are you a HiPo?
I am very excited to announce that I will be one of the featured speakers at the Elevate Your Mind conference presented by the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Alberta in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre on May 14, 2018. As our Alberta blog readers may already know, I have partnered with this exceptional organization for several years on a variety of learning events, and so I am thrilled to be working with them once again. Elevate Your Mind is a full-day conference offering a variety of engaging and targeted speakers and sessions to “elevate” the skills of Alberta CPAs at any stage in their careers, and on May 14, I will be presenting a fast-paced high-energy session titled Are you a HiPo?