In 1500 words or less, each post will give you something you can use TODAY to build yourself, your people and your organization whether your organization is a "for-profit" or a "not-for-profit."
Rigidity doesn’t usually announce itself.
It shows up as discipline. As process. As “the way we’ve always done it.”
But underneath, it’s often something else entirely: fear disguised as control.
And the longer we hold onto it, the more it quietly limits what we, and the organizations we are part of, are capable of becoming.
This is a longer read than usual, but it’s written that way intentionally.
Because the way we think about accommodations, fairness, and performance in the workplace is often oversimplified, and those oversimplifications shape how people are supported, evaluated, and sometimes misunderstood.
If you’ve ever questioned whether “treating everyone the same” is actually fair in practice, this is worth your time.
Most people think hiring decisions are about choosing the best candidate.
They’re not.
Hiring is about removing enough doubt to say yes.
And once you understand that interviews start to make a lot more sense.
Every summer, organizations hire students to fill short-term roles. Few stop to consider that they are shaping long-term futures.
For many students, a summer job is their first real encounter with responsibility, accountability, and workplace culture. It is where reputations begin. It is where habits are formed. It is where confidence is either strengthened or quietly eroded.
For employers, hiring students is not simply a staffing decision. It is a leadership decision. It is a choice about whether to treat young people as temporary labour, or as emerging professionals.
When approached intentionally, summer employment becomes more than seasonal work. It becomes mentorship, community investment, and the foundation of someone’s career.
We move through and interact with dozens of organizations and people every day, healthcare, government, work, housing, commerce, and community spaces. Most interactions are brief, yet over time they quietly shape our sense of dignity, trust, and belonging.
This post explores a simple idea: a reasonable expectation of humanity in those interactions. Not perfection or special treatment, but clarity, respect for time, basic human regard, competence with humility, fairness, and accountability when things go wrong.
As you read, notice where these standards are present in your own interactions, and where they quietly fall away. And if you work inside an organization that holds power over others, consider how humanity is supported by design, not just individual effort.
As with most of my posts, this is a little longer than most, thank you for taking the time to read.
Point of view … perspective … life experience … and what we learn each day. The more I learn about other people, their challenges, and their resilience, the more I am determined to help illuminate what many of us do not see. Please take a few minutes to read this post and to share it; the people in all our communities who live with disabilities and barriers could really use our help.
When you can’t go forward, you can’t go back, and you can’t stay where you are; this is a horrible situation to find yourself in. Being stuck is something that happens to many of us in our careers. Today’s post is a short guide, based at least in part by my own experience, on how to become unstuck.
Culture isn’t built in meetings. It is built in moments – every minute of every day and in every action – culture can be nurtured, strengthened, and lived. The way we treat people when no one’s watching determines the strength of every business. Start small, stay kind, and keep building. It isn’t easy, it can be hard work, frustrating, fraught with setbacks; however, it is worth the time, and it is worth the investment … every time.
Consider this post to be an introduction, a starting point for building your team through one of the areas that is entirely within your ability to influence.
You might think I have something against managers … I am less “anti-manager” than I am more “pro-leader.” Our interactions with people matter and anyone aspiring to be a good manager should set their sights higher and pursue being a good leader. As a retail store manager, a consultant, a project manager, a board member, and now as a career advisor and coordinator I have seen the difference a manager who aspires to be a leader can make and I invite you to see how many of these tools you can use.
Becoming a manager of any type of organization is a big accomplishment for anyone. My challenge for anyone in this position is to strive to be more than a manager … become a leader … and most importantly become a servant leader. The road ahead for a new manager is full of danger and chances for failure; however, as an aspiring servant leader, your chances for success increase dramatically when you put serving your team ahead of your own aspirations.