Like a lot of Canadians, I haven’t always paid a lot of attention to what’s happening politically – either in Niagara or Edmonton where I now live.

In large part, it has been the result of my being unable to relate to “old boy” thinking and an emphasis placed on economic metrics. Politics too often seemed removed from my grassroots focus and passion for delivering social impact in our communities. 

But, Alison Redford, the first woman to be Premier in Alberta, has definitely ramped up my interest in politics these days, as well as garnered the attention of many… More Posted on 05-21-12

The Importance of a Cocoon of Warmth

I think my husband must have wondered where I had spent my day because when I arrived home I was bubbling with energy.

It didn’t help matters that when he asked me about my day I explained that I had spent most of it in a very long meeting that involved the challenge of selecting pilot communities for an innovative initiative focused on encouraging residents to invest locally.

When my husband continued to look at me with a quizzical and somewhat skeptical look, I struggled to explain, ultimately realizing that it was the group itself that was so special.… More Posted on 05-13-12

Playing by the Old Rules Means Losing at a New Game

As I sat down to write this piece, I didn’t have a starting point. Heck, I didn’t even have a topic.

Being good at procrastinating as well as being ready to be distracted, I checked my email.

And, wouldn’t you know, I found a message from a colleague in North Carolina who had sent an intriguing news video based on an article published by the National Journal entitled “In Nothing We Trust”.

The article presented evidence demonstrating that a trust deficit is building and eating away at the social fabric of American communities. Trusted icons like Walter Cronkite no… More Posted on 05-06-12

Its Bad When Being a Walmart Greeter Looks Good

I love my life, I really do.  But last week, despite being blessed with a dear and loving family, fabulous friends, and work that truly makes me happy, I’ve joined the ranks of an estimated 77 percent of workers who, in a recent survey by careerbuilder.com, reported they are sometimes or always burned out in their jobs. In addition to the high level of employees who report being burned out, 43 percent say their stress levels have increased over the last six months.

To be fair, in my case it may not be as much about the work as it… More Posted on 04-15-12

Five Innovation Personalities - Which one are you?

I’ve never really thought of myself as being an innovator. I do know that I work hard and am quite stubborn. Okay, so make that very stubborn. I’m also self-motivated and like to share what I’ve learned so others don’t repeat my mistakes. Yet, according to a recent study by Forbes Insights entitled Nurturing Europe’s Spirit of Enterprise: How Entrepreneurial Executives Mobilize Organizations to Innovate, those characteristics also help classify me as one of five major personalities crucial to fostering a healthy atmosphere of innovation within an organization. The five personalities were determined as a result of clustering the executives… More Posted on 04-08-12

Goodness, Grace and Gratitude

He felt a little off and thought he might be coming down with a flu bug.

Sturdy and healthy in his appearance, his lifestyle choices had improved greatly since he and my mother moved into together some twelve years ago.  He came to the relationship after losing his wife to cancer.  She, after leaving an unhappy marriage of 47 years.  He managed to resist her attempts to get him to eat vegetables – except for green onions, or give up his nightly drink of scotch or occasional cigar. But ultimately what was of most importance was that Joe and my… More Posted on 04-01-12

A Child of the Community

She referred to her son as a child of the community.

Participating in one of our community building workshops, the woman was responding to our question, “Where have you experienced community and why was it important?”

She went on to explain that the chronic, life threatening illness of her young son had meant that residents of her small, rural community had stepped up, and stepped in to their lives, by providing not only emotional support but also extensive, ongoing fundraising efforts to help with expenses. She said that she and her son were often stopped in… More Posted on 03-25-12

Are We Prepared to Manage Ourselves?

The disinterested look on her face and constant yawning made it apparent she was not with us by choice.

Unlike the others in the workshop who came across as being keen to learn more about our subject of community leadership, she was definitely not an engaged participant. I later heard she had been told to attend the training.

Clearly not a good choice for either her or the organization that sent her, it reinforced for me that it’s never a good idea to send people to courses they don’t want to go to.

Until an individual sees the… More Posted on 03-18-12

A Message from the Universe??

Last week as I was carefully stopped at a yield sign waiting for traffic to clear, I was rudely and forcefully rear-ended by a driver who clearly wasn’t paying attention. Ultimately it wasn’t a big deal as I wasn’t terribly hurt and the guy who hit me totally acknowledged that it was his fault. Additionally, the car just happened to be a van rented for a work-related road trip and since we had signed up for comprehensive insurance coverage there wasn’t even a deductible to pay. I simply drove back to the dealer and got a replacement van.

The… More Posted on 03-13-12

What Makes for Stellar Staff?

The truth is that I didn’t know it was Janet’s birthday. 

So who is Janet? While it may not matter to you that she’s part of our work team, it might matter that she personifies what it means to be a stellar employee.

While Janet may think I’m just saying that because I’m trying to make up for not remembering her birthday, the truth is it really did get me thinking. What exactly does it mean to be a stellar employee and what kind of impact does it have on a team?

For me, a stellar employee… More Posted on 03-05-12

Why Shouldn’t the Public Tell Government What to Do?

Always interested in the role of government in innovation, I decided to participate in a learning opportunity this week provided via teleconferencing. Taking centre stage was Don Lenihan, Vice President of Engagement at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa who is billed as an internationally recognized expert on public engagement, accountability, and service delivery.

Lenihan began by talking about the changes taking place in today’s world and how its growing complexity means that government can no longer do things on their own. Additionally, public expectations are higher and there are greater demands for transparency and accountability. As a result, he… More Posted on 02-26-12

What’s Good for a Marriage is Good for a Community…

Just as a good marriage needs direct and ongoing communication so too do communities.

This learning was first reinforced for ACE Communities by a woman who had lived in a small Alberta town for some 40 years. During a meeting held to determine community strengths and priorities, she said it was the very first time citizens had ever come together to talk about the kind of town they wanted to be.

The importance of communication was stressed again this week when another town shared a report from a series of community conversations they’ve been hosting. This particular community café… More Posted on 02-19-12

Jobs…Out with the Old, In with the New

My two delightful nephews are pretty busy kids. In addition to being great students, they play hockey, swim, are active as scouts, and take music lessons. Their latest interest, and one they will pursue at an upcoming March break camp at Brock University, is robotics. The week promises to deliver sessions that will involve the use of Lego to build and program intelligent robots that can sense and respond to their environment. Planned activities include building robot vehicles and designing theme park rides and animated characters. 

Despite what you may think, my nephews are not at all nerdy. It’s… More Posted on 02-12-12

Mobile Manners

Yesterday I sat in a workshop listening to a fascinating speaker. Entertaining, meaningful, and relevant, the man had the entire room glued to his every word. Until, that is, we were all startled by the loud ring of someone’s cell phone.

While it isn’t all that unusual to forget to turn off one’s cell phone, most people would have simply turned off their phone, and conveyed their apologies. But, no such luck in this case. 

Not at all embarrassed when everyone turned and stared, the workshop participant simply proceeded to answer the phone with a very loud, “Hello”.

It… More Posted on 02-06-12

Mentor Mutualism?

There’s a new man in my life.

While I’m not sure quite how to describe our relationship, I do know it’s an important one. He boosts my confidence and self-esteem, expands my comfort zone, and makes me think with greater clarity. In a deeply respectful way, he challenges things I’ve thought were true, and helps me grow.

Although I’ve yet to meet Rick Smyre face to face, we’ve spent hours talking, emailing, and sharing resources. He lives in North Carolina, is devoted to his wife of 45 years, and is the youngest 69 year old I’ve ever met. … More Posted on 01-29-12

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