Dealing with a Personal Crisis at Work
As a manager it is never easy to know how to respond when there is a personal crisis affecting one of your staff. It is even worse when one of your staff has an accident and is terribly hurt or even succumbs to their injuries. It is also difficult for an employee when one of their loved ones dies suddenly. This can be a trying time for their co-workers as well. Our first reaction might be to shy away from a personal response to such a crisis and try to maintain a sense of normalcy in the workplace. That may be part of the solution but there’s much more that can and should be done. more...





Mastering the Behavioural Based Interview
Q :We have come across an increasing number of candidates who fail to perform in the behavioural based interview. Can you give us some tips for success? more...

Performance & the Foods You Eat: Make the Right Choice
Q: We’ve heard that certain foods can boost your productivity, energy and efficiency. Can you provide some suggestions? more...

Organizational Culture and People
Q: How can we create successful environments where people are constantly evolving toward the long-term vision while dealing with today’s delicate details? more...

Firing for Dishonesty
As professional managers, you have no doubt learned through experience the following truth: firing an employee for just cause is hard. A just cause termination has serious consequences which is why it is referred to as the “capital punishment” of employment law. It can also be expensive since it often leads to a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against your company. When faced with such a lawsuit, the manager who “pulled the trigger” will often ask “Did I do the right thing?”, and more importantly “Will a judge agree with me?” more...

Abrasive Leaders: Mistakes You Make in Managing Them
Here’s a fundamental truth: Abrasive leadership is tolerated, even rewarded, almost everywhere. Chances are that in the course of your career as a senior leader, you too have allowed it to happen on your watch. Abrasive managers are often stellar (even brilliant) performers. If they weren’t, you wouldn’t keep them. However, their interpersonal conduct is excessively harsh. Often referred to as bully bosses, they exhibit poor emotional restraint, shouting, belittling, over-control and marginalizing. more...

The Value of Professional Certification
There has been a trend over the past decade to ask managers to accomplish more with fewer resources. To demonstrate “value for money” there is increasing emphasis on minimum standards for professional groups. With the 2012 Federal Budget and its concomitant workforce reduction, such pressures can be expected to accelerate. Managers of the future will have to meet accepted standards to ensure they are well-prepared to navigate their programs through challenging times. more...