Mary Oliver passed away last week.  For those who loved poetry and nature, Mary Oliver was a muse, an inspiration and a lyrical writer. Famously, and metaphorically, she wrote in her poem "The Summer Day", “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your...

This is a longer blog than I usually write, but it is a topic that has come up frequently in my coaching and consulting work recently. What follows is an edited extract from my book, "The Spark, the Flame and the Torch".   I live what, to some, might appear as...

There are angel cards, medicine cards, tarot cards, astrology cards, animal cards and an endless number of other cards that appeal to a wide array of interests. But in my work with leaders across the world, I noticed that no one had created a set of cards for business...

I wonder why we call the easy stuff—like technical skills, professional mastery and STEM subjects—the “hard skills” and the really difficult stuff—like inspiring other people and leadership—the “soft skills”. This seems upside down to me—the “soft skills” are the...

Business leaders are crying the blues about the so called, “shortage of talent”. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, where he teaches MBA students. says that when he began teaching MBA students they all wanted to work for...

On October 4th, 2018, MacKay CEO Forums is holding a one-day conference at the Hilton Toronto. The theme is “Embracing Innovation and Technology”. Keynote speakers include Peter Diamandis and Amanda Lange (see the agenda here), and if you want to know about blockchain...

A client recently asked me to support them in enhancing their culture and raising the performance of their team. Following our discussion they told me that they wanted to focus on “more technical and practical things” first— like, improved writing skills, better time...