While this story begins with talking about depression, don’t be too quick to turn the page. It is also a story of hope, inspiration and the power that living an authentic life has for building a network to support your success.

First, the bad stuff. Depression and stress disorders represent the fastest growing category of disability claims. They currently account for more than $9 billion in disability claims, or 30 percent of the estimated $30 billion that disabilities and presenteeism (the problem of employees being at work but not fully functioning) cost Canada’s economy each year (as reported by the BC Business and Economic Round table on Mental Health).

One of the most disturbing things about this increasing trend toward depression, stress and other mental-health related disabilities in the workplace is the fact that, while 80 to 90 percent of people with these disorders can be treated successfully, only one third of them actually seek help. (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 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…)

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…)