Reconciliation begins long before we think we have the right words. September 30 is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For leaders, particularly those working in industries and communities across Canada, it’s a day that should encourage something deeper than a statement or a social post. Listening. Many organizations operate on or near lands where Indigenous communities have lived for generations. Those relationships carry history. They also carry present-

A strong finish shouldn’t leave your team too exhausted to start again. The end of a quarter can create some strange leadership behavior. Suddenly, everything becomes urgent. Targets that have been sitting there for months need to be hit in three days. Reports multiply. Meetings get added. And everyone hears some version of: “Let’s just push through.” Sometimes a push is necessary. But there’s a difference between finishing strong and dragging everyone across the line. Q4 s

Bad news gets safer when leaders make it safe to share. Some of the most important information a leader receives begins with words nobody particularly wants to hear: “We have a problem.” “I noticed something.” “This doesn’t look right.” “I think we should stop.” In mining, construction, manufacturing, and engineering, a near miss can be a gift, but only if somebody feels safe enough to talk about it. The real danger isn’t bad news. It’s bad news that never reaches t

Small problems are easier to solve before they become official results. Parents know the feeling. You think school is going fine, and then suddenly a report card lands in front of you, and you realize something has been slipping for weeks. Maybe the signs were there. A missed assignment. A little frustration. A subject that suddenly became harder. The lesson is simple: by the time the report card arrives, the story has already been developing for a while. The same is true a

If everything is a priority, something is already out of balance. The fall equinox is all about balance. Day and night are nearly equal, and for a brief moment, the year feels evenly divided. It’s a useful leadership metaphor as we head toward Q4. By late September, teams are usually moving fast. Deadlines are closer. Budgets are tighter. Vacations are mostly behind us. Everyone has a lot on their plate. That’s exactly when balance starts to disappear. Urgent work crowds o

What gets lost between people often becomes the problem later. In a relay race, the baton exchange can determine everything. The runners may both be strong. The strategy may be sound. But if the handoff is sloppy, the race can be lost in a second. Work is full of handoffs too. One shift to the next. Engineering to operations. Project team to maintenance. Office to field. Leader to leader. And a lot of problems don’t begin because somebody did poor work. They begin because