You know how complacency and entitlement can creep into a culture and spread like wildfire ? If the answer is yes for your company or your division or your department, it’s time to take a serious look in the mirror.

“Who, me ?" 

"Yes, you. But don’t worry, <more>

In the world of business today, change has never been so prevalent nor so fast and we’ve never seen so much uncertainty. If you want a high-performing, people-first culture of excellence, you may be asking yourself, "How do I deal with all this uncertainty ?"

The answer is simple. Deal with what you know is certain <more>

There's some really exciting news about the Gratitude at Work Playbook (this is our DIY guide to more gratitude at work). Last week we released the most comprehensive update to the playbook which includes <more>

Last week I was talking with a colleague and he says, "I’m trying to get my head around the science behind what you do. There is science, isn’t there ? What are the top three proven benefits of gratitude ?"

I’m thinking, <more>

Recent Gallup research found for an average company of 10,000 people, that by doubling the number of people who are recognized every week, (remember, recognition is just one aspect of grateful leadership), the company could expect to:

• gain $92 million in greater <more>

We condensed the 25 blog post from 2023 into 25 one-liner lessons. The lessons are summarized in the brief video below - and if you watch to the end, we'll share how ChatGPT condensed all 25 blogs into one sentence. 

Happy New Year and all the best for 2024 !

As Nick and Stef were growing up, they would often complain as kids do. Especially about homework. I can still hear them, "I have so much homework. I’ll never have time to play with Sarah this weekend."

"Yes, Stef you’ll have plenty of time for play. As soon as you get your homework done we’ll drive you down to her place."

As parents, we eventually realized <more>

For 8 years in high school and university I worked part-time at a grocery store. Most of the job was spent working in the produce department but I spent time in pretty much every department in the store.

One of my jobs was as a cashier which happened when the store got busy. I have a vivid and rather odd memory of one particular experience on cash and I can <more>

We were doing a major renovation on our house about 10 years ago. When you start taking apart an old building, you inevitably find issues you were not anticipating. Subsequently, there were more delays and cost overruns than expected. As our move-in date approached, it was obvious <more>

I was facilitating a program for a leadership team last week and we begin the day using an exercise intended to strengthen trust within this 10 person team and to help them get to know each other better.

The exercise involves having each person <more>

Last month I was out of town for a few days. It’s 10pm and I get a text from my wife,

“Hi are you awake”

“Yes watching the game”

“I tried calling you”

After 38 years I know what this means, so I <more>

On September 22 there were 100 days left in 2023 and I felt compelled to make the commitment to stop drinking alcohol for the rest of 2023. 100 days alcohol-free. Don’t get me wrong, I love a glass of Pinot or Chianti but I have been noticing my sleep suffers terribly when I have a couple glasses of wine and I just don’t feel as well. I’m not a doctor but I think <more>

How do you have hope when all seems lost ?

Our 8-year old grandson Max has been playing little league baseball for 3 years now. This past summer he was in the league, where for the first time: they pitched, had balls and strikes and outs, and counted runs—although the kids always counted the runs from day one !

As we watched his last game of the regular season, we were amazed by how much fun the team had in spite of <more>

We had just returned home from a relaxing week of summer vacation and were looking forward to morning tea on the back deck. I slide open the patio door, take two steps, and I’m engulfed in a stench. I’m thinking, “I don’t know what that smell is, but we can’t have tea out here this morning.” So we have our tea on the front porch. 

We settle in and I say, “What do you think that smell is Hon ?” 

<more>

Last month I received a piece of insightful feedback on one of our foundational habit building courses. She said, “The simplest tasks can be the most difficult.” Referring to the simple practice of making a gratitude list, she is not alone. It is difficult for many people because life gets in the way. Whether it’s a project deadline at work, needing to clean things up before going on vacation, sick kids, whatever—life is going to happen and if you don’t have a system that ensures you maintain your Habitual Ritual (i.e. making your gratitude list), your simple gratitude practice will fall to the wayside.

The science behind behaviour change and building consistent habits that serve you is crystal clear—your success in building and maintaining a new habit is <more>

We all get knocked off our game at times.

While watching the US Open golf tournament a couple months back, an incident happened to one of the contenders who is normally calm cool and collected. Typically this guy saunters when he walks and he never looks like he’s in a hurry. As I turn on the TV, I see him storm off the green. I’m thinking, “I wonder what happened to him.”

It turns out <more>

If you recall from the post on April 19, Vantage Point Bias influences the way you experience gratitude. This bias is derived from your unique vantage point and is a reflection of the music you listen to, the type of work that brings you joy, the movies you watch, the food you eat, the people you hangout with, the leisure activities you enjoy—it is a reflection of <more>

Last month we went live with a new ERP operating system for my business. The new system has everything from CRM, finances, scheduling, email marketing, website engagement, document signing, file storage and more—it seems like it does it all ! There are still a few tweaks needed but I never imagined <more>

Recently, I was on a call with a client who was explaining all the reasons why they couldn’t do something their peers were doing because their situation was so different from that of their peers and they didn’t have the time like the others. As I listened, I realized <more>

We are just closing the chapter on a wildfire that ravaged the outskirts of the city. We used to live in one of the neighbourhoods affected by the fire and know many of the people evacuated and a few of the families who lost their homes.

On the day the fire started, I just happened to be <more>