There are many different ways of gauging the price of a business for sale. Some of the more common include valuing the business based on profits, cash flow, assets or sector. But how do you ascribe a value to intangible assets such as customer goodwill, corporate culture, staff relationships, and brand, which are crucial ingredients in the lasting success of any business? (more…)

While delivering a series of leadership workshops across Canada this fall, I was surprised by the response some well-known companies’ vision statements elicited … laughter. (more…)

I make my living showing leaders the importance of keeping their priorities straight in both their business and their lives, so I was shocked recently to recognize how far I had allowed a current project to take over both my life and my business and cause me to lose sight of my own priorities. (more…)

I was just 19 when I had my first “career crisis.” I was completing my degree in psychology and was working as the assistant director of a student-crisis line. While I loved working with the volunteers, I didn’t like dealing with calls from students who had serious psychological issues – a bit of a challenge for my intended career as a psychologist. (more…)

What does it really take to motivate people to bring joy, along with their best effort, to work in a retail environment? Keep the following core principles in mind to remove the barriers that keep workers in every industry hovering on the distaste side of the equation. (more…)

I spent most of August on a self-styled writing retreat at a gorgeous house overlooking the ocean on Vancouver Island with the intention of completing the first draft of my book. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful or inspirational place to write. By the second week, however, I began to go a bit stir crazy (more…)

Everyone has blind spots…. Those wonderful places where how we see ourselves is in blissful ignorance of how the rest of the world knows us to be. Blind spots also exist in organizations, often as cultural black holes of denial that threaten their very survival. Yet survive they do.

Surviving, however, is not the same as thriving.

To thrive, it is important to recognize that blind spots can undermine the integrity of even the most well-conceived brands, eroding relationships with customers and employees in the same way that one’s individual blind spots erode integrity and relationships at a personal level. (more…)

This vid popped into our inbox and I think it summarizes the elation here in Canada. Congrats America, we look forward to visiting you again soon! (PS – thanks for this Hannya – as always you rock!)

American Prayer – Dave Stewart (Barack Obama Music Video)

As my understanding of open-source software, such as Linux, has grown, it has given me time to ponder the lessons organizations of all sizes can take from understanding its underlying philosophy.

In lay terms, open source software gives the public free access to source code for redistribution, modification and creation of derivative works as long as any changes are made available to others to use. The speed at which this allows evolution to occur is astonishing compared to the slow pace of conventional software development in closed proprietary systems.

What is most thought provoking, however, is that open-source offerings have grown (and continue to do so) primarily through a pool of passionate volunteers who freely contribute their time to improving the source code. In the 21st century knowledge economy (where speed to market and the ability to harness the full creativity, commitment and intellectual capacity of one’s workforce has been identified as a key driver of business success and sustainability) understanding what has inspired so many to contribute so much without financial compensation bears examination. (more…)

My mother is a sales diva. Whether it is selling homes, furniture, vitamins, makeup or water filters, she brings a wholehearted (almost evangelical) passion to her work, and a genuine caring for her customer, that allows her to excel at whatever she lays her hand to.

I didn’t always see this as a good thing. When I was in my teens she was bitten by the network-marketing bug … several times. At first I was too young to really care. I just kept switching products as she did – using whatever face cleanser or vitamins she was selling at the time. After graduating with a psychology degree, I was old enough to be enrolled in her latest venture. I was so caught up in her enthusiasm that I eagerly signed on the dotted line…to sell water filters. (more…)