Good leaders notice who has to work harder to fit the process. Today is International Left-Handers Day. It’s a lighthearted observance, but it points to a useful leadership question: Who are your systems designed for? Most workplaces are built around defaults. Default processes. Default communication styles. Default schedules. Default tools. Default assumptions about how people work best. And often, those defaults work well for some people — while others have to quietly adapt

If the work stalls when one person is away, that’s a signal. Vacation season is in full swing. Someone is at the cottage. Someone is travelling with their family. Someone is taking a much-needed break. And someone else is trying to keep the work moving while half the usual people are away. That’s not a problem. That’s normal. But it does reveal something important. How strong is your bench? In mining, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and energy, too much knowledge of

Now’s the time to clear the noise before the pace picks up August has a funny rhythm. The work doesn’t necessarily stop. The projects keep moving. The deadlines are still real. The customers still need answers. But the people around the work can be harder to pin down. Someone’s away. Someone’s covering. Someone’s waiting on an answer from someone who’s finally taking a proper break. On paper, it still looks like there’s plenty of time. The days are long. People are trying to