Montreal first-time manager, leadership training, Montreal leadership intensive - Vis-à-Vis Leadership

The leadership "Hail Mary"

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:42:16 -0700

In a very few number of instances in my career have I witnessed a near 100% lack of trust and respect from staff towards leadership.

And, in most of these cases, the leadership is in denial and want to avoid discussion on the topic.

Ironically, the business can still be profitable, and staff stay out of financial necessity.

What I have seen is leadership avoiding necessary conversations, playing favourites or having different rules for themselves, micromanaging, making dismissive comments as feedback, and failing to take accountability over a long period of time.

In such a scenario, I believe there is very little leadership can realistically do to regain trust and respect.

Not because people are unforgiving, but because they’ve come to expect this reality and have learned to live with it.

And, of course, they have stopped believing change is possible.

So, in a few rare instances when I was asked, “What can a leader do to fix this?”

My answer was, “Not much.”

But if someone really wanted to try, there is one thing I would suggest, and I am not saying it will necessarily work.

It’s a long shot.

A true leadership Hail Mary.

Become radically, consistently unexpected.

If your behaviour created the current reality, then small improvements won’t change perception.

You need to be shockingly different, in a good way.

Not once.

Not for a week.

But consistently, over time, long enough to disrupt your brand and the story people have about you in their head.

This means possibly doing the exact opposite of your past behaviour in...Read More

Necessary versus great to have

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:40:10 -0700

I have spent over a decade having what I call “necessary conversations” with staff.

Because, I had to address what could not be ignored.

When you look at courses on the topic of having conversations with staff, they are often entitled “having difficult conversations,” and perhaps rightly so.

For me, conversations are not always difficult, yet I have found, they are often necessary.

You will also see many suggest the practice of coaching or mentoring and I am not averse to these at all.

Coaching and mentoring are extremely popular topics and with good reason.

When done well, they can help employees learn and grow and develop the acumen they need to succeed in their roles.

Although coaching can take a substantial amount of time, it can help build capacity, confidence and help a manager become a leader.

Mentoring can provide much faster operational results by providing tried and tested tools and techniques for people to apply without necessarily much effort.

To be, this reflects a normal state environment where trust and respect exist in all directions and even whereby the employee is already a solid performer.

In my experience, sometimes, things go wrong.

I have come across many instances whereby a staff member was purposely, consciously behaving in a manner or saying something that had a serious negative consequence on the operations, clients, other staff or organization.

This is when a more direct necessary conversation needs to be had.

A coaching conversation might be framed around curiosity, an openness to share, learn and develop.

A necessary conversation is different.

It is about...Read More

How much is enough?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:10:35 -0800

I’ve lost count of how many job postings I’ve read in the last few years that feel less like an employment opportunity and more like a wish list for a ‘Unicorn” employee.

30 “core responsibilities.”

Dozens of technical skills and higher education degrees and additional certifications required.

Ten years of experience in areas that barely existed three years ago.

Leadership. Strategy. Execution. Emotional intelligence. Project management. Content creation. Data analysis.

Oh, and don’t forget “other duties as assigned.”

All for a salary that’s either mysteriously missing or painfully low.

At some point, we must ask, “how much is enough?”

These postings often describe what looks like three full-time jobs wrapped into one.

They expect candidates to be endlessly adaptable, perpetually motivated, and deeply committed, while offering compensation that barely reflects one role, let alone several.

Not to mention the interview process that might span months and involve 4 or 5 rounds with numerous people and even panels.

I have personally experienced this myself a few years ago. A few peers of mine also told me they were required to travel for part of the recruitment process at their own expense just to be “ghosted” at the end.

What message does all this send?

To me, it tells people their time isn’t valued.

It tells them burnout is built into the job description i.e. “a fast-paced environment.”

It tells them transparency is optional on their part, and they are comfortable being in the position of power.

And then employers wonder why they’re struggling to attract or retain good...Read More

I don't need resolutions

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 13:00:37 -0800

I’ve never been good at New Year’s resolutions.

Not because I lack discipline or ambition, but because resolutions often start from a place of needing to fix something that you might consider is not going well.

My approach has always been about more productivity and better habits and more learning.

Over time, I have come to learn that real leadership, in my personal and professional life comes building on strengths and recognizing those that are already inside us.

So, this year as in previous years, I will try to do more of what I genuinely love.

I want to build around the energy that I have and my curiosity.

That said, this is challenging as my energy levels can vary yet my curiosity is always there.

So, given this constraint, I ask myself, what matters to me most?

And for this, I have a process.

On a weekly basis, I conduct a form of debrief.

What worked well, what did not work well. How were my energy levels in those instances.

The interesting thing is that even when things don’t work well, it does not mean I did not apply effort and energy, the result was just not a good one.

It does not mean I won’t try again, in fact, I have come to learn that if something is important enough, I need to try again even if things don’t work well the first time.

My energy is linked to my passion.

And, when I am working on something I am passionate about, I am not cognizant of time.

This is a pattern I have noticed for myself.

When I am not passionate about something I am working on, I look at the clock.

I also look for themes.

It begins with recruitment and clarity.

In recruiting, start with roles, responsibilities, and clear expectations.

When people know exactly what they are responsible for, what they own, what success looks like, and how decisions get made, they don’t need tasks assigned to them on a daily basis.

A hire that is resourceful and proactive does not need to wait for explicit direction.

They don’t waste time, they simply start learning, practicing and working.

Clear roles indicating who does what creates a form of natural work assignments.

It should not feel like a leader passing off work they don’twant to do, it should reflect what a person was hired to do and what they want to do.

A hire that chooses the work, job, position, title and yes, pay, may naturally take ownership and not need to be assigned.

In this sense, autonomy gives room for people to thrive, they have purpose and interest and the tools, training and support to get things done and most importantly, have success.

When staff truly own their work, they have autonomy and delegation becomes less important if not obsolete.

Building a work environment around autonomy is much moresustainable rather than an environment around delegation which in my view is a short-term, short-sighted tactic.

Yet, when I have asked team members to elaborate as to what they mean when they say “communication” very few people have been able to give me precise and concrete descriptions.

This does not mean that good communication is still not an issue, they know it, they feel it, they just can’t describe it.

And, for that same reason, they don’t have an elegant solution to address and improve it.

I personally believe that like the word “trust,” “communication,” is a heavy and high-level all-encompassing word; perhaps too big to address with one simple elegant solution.

Yet, left unaddressed, poor communication can cause substantial ambiguity, stress and conflict.

In some ways, a lack of a smooth day-to-day flow of communication can hinder progress.

This can take the form of quick conversation, email messages, the use of team collaboration tools and formal messages such as with memos.

I personally have never had anyone give me any orientation on organizational communication methodologies or philosophies.

For what I have observed, those in leadership incorrectly assume good communication is the responsibility of staff and not for them to set the tone.

I have even seen some leaders attribute poor organizational communication on “personality problems,” of staff.

You might even hear them use the now over-used terms of “responsibility and accountability,” transferring the ownership on others rather than themselves.

And, when this happens, the normal response from staff might be to do the opposite of taking responsibility and...Read More

Fast-Paced Environment or Not

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:06:33 -0700

You’ve seen it a thousand times in job descriptions:

“We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment.”

It’s one of those job description clichés that’s supposed to sound exciting, like you’ll be joining a team of movers and shakers, sprinting toward success.

Yet, let’s be honest, often, it’s code for:

“We’re disorganized, understaffed, and constantly putting out fires.”

The problem with the phrase isn’t just that it’s overused, it’s that it says nothing meaningful about the work.

Fast-paced compared to what?

A Formula 1 pit crew?

A hospital emergency room?

A small nonprofit where the Executive Director is juggling ten roles with three volunteer staff?

Every workplace has its rhythms and pressures.

The pace itself isn’t the problem; it’s how the organization manages that pace.

In my perspective, when Human Resources (HR) professionals use vague phrases like this, they miss an opportunity to articulate what matters.

Instead of “fast-paced,” describe the reality:

Do priorities shift quickly?

Are decisions made on tight timelines?

Is the environment a collaborative one, or is it based around more independent work and assignments?

Real leadership communicates clearly, not with buzzwords but with honesty and transparency.

People don’t mind pace; they mind chaos disguised as cool culture.

So, for all the HR professionals, the next time you’re tempted to write “fast-paced environment” in a job posting, STOP.

Say what you mean.

The employee mindset and the leadership mindset.

And, titles and positions don’t necessarily dictate which someone will have.

Allow me to briefly describe the two and you can decide if you agree or otherwise.

An employee mindset is about contribution and getting things done.

It can be task oriented or what I call transactional, and at times, there can be a great deal of volume at a high level of frequency.

You might also see someone with the employee mindset waiting for direction, and/or needing a great deal of guidance on a regular and consistent basis.

These individuals help ensure daily operations run smoothly, consistently and provide the reliability organizations need.

You might even see great quality work and expectations being exceeded.

This is all very good things.

Conversely, a leadership mindset is about vision and responsibility.

Great leaders think beyond their own tasks, considering the bigger picture as it were.

They tend to be self-motivated and not necessarily needing constant guidance and instruction.

They consider impact of decisions on others, the organization and clients alike.

Long-term relationship building and value are at the forefront of their thinking.

And, of course, leading others and building people up is in their wheelhouse.

The reality is that most organizations need both mindsets to succeed.

The important part is to recognize the mindsets and ensure the right people are in the right roles.

Timing is indeed everything

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:10:46 -0700

I have worked on many projects over the years from one with a budget of millions of dollars to projects that just involved time, effort and energy.

There is a natural tendency for projects to start with passion and energy and then fizzle towards the end.

That said, throughout the project, one of the most important elements I have found is to capitalize on momentum.

If you do a process improvement initiative brainstorming session, try and make the changes immediately.

If people are available and hungry for work or to be assigned tasks, give them important and even challenging things to do without delay.

Far too many times I have seen people spend time analysing data, even to the extent of spending years on the analysis and interest disseminates.

Or months are spent writing charters or setting up the project plan and no action is taken.

And implementation ends up being an afterthought and whatever has been built or developed, stays on the shelf and the benefits are never realized.

Now, you might be wondering how you can spot momentum and that would be a good question.

From my extensive experience, here is what to look for.

When momentum is in full force, ideas will be flowing.

People are engaged and talking about the project.

You might even have strong differing of opinions and disagreement which can be great as this is an indication of engagement and much better than apathy.

There is a forward energy that is hard to stop and might even feel a bit scary.

People will talk and act with confidence and won’t be shy to step up for assignments.

And, perhaps most importantly, the fear of change that...Read More

One size does not fit all

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:29:01 -0700

I have taken many courses in my life.

I have been very fortunate to not have paid for them all myself.

Among those courses were Lean, Scrum and Agile.

At first, I was taken by them.

I soon came to realize that they don’t necessarily or easily fit or work in all environments.

There are concepts in all of them that make sense and that have had real impact in many organizations.

This cannot be denied.

That said, as the old adage goes, context matters.

If you are in a tech startup or a manufacturing environment, these might make sense.

The concept of continuous improvement on its own also very logical.

We need to be innovative and iterate as fast as possible, or maybe not.

Rapid iteration is not always possible.

I can tell you from a very personal level of experience, in highly regulated or rigid work environments, change can take a substantial amount of time.

No matter how brilliant your PowerPoint presentation is, you can’t necessarily drastically impact the pace of change in your workplace.

Compliance in addition to regulation can require a substantial amount of data and documentation.

Organizational or cultural tradition might also need to be respected and even strongly adhered to.

If the organization culture is not ready for these frameworks, the programs might fall flat.

You can’t ever really force people to do things a certain way unless you want to punish for non-compliance at the same time.

These methodologies require extending trust, open communication, and autonomous teams.

This is not...Read More