Category: Social Responsibility

The knocking on your door suddenly wakes you up; you glance at the clock; it’s 2:13 am. You knew this might happen but hoped it wouldn’t. As you open the door, you see more cruisers in the street, lights flashing, and officers knocking on your neighbor’s doors. Your heart is beating rapidly. It’s the police; they quickly say the fire has turned towards town as the wind changed directions. You can see the glow on the dark horizon and smell the smoke. … the officer says you and your family have one hour to evacuate.

Paul Wagenaar

Wildfires, floods, tornados, hurricanes:   Are you prepared? In the past twelve months in Canada, we have experienced extreme wildfires in British Columbia, Alberta, the Northern Territories, and Quebec. Nova Scotia and Ontario have experienced record-breaking […]

Teaching People How to Fish

Paul Wagenaar

s a volunteer, I have presented workshops and seminars to people of all ages on “how to find a job” and “how to keep a job,” for more than twenty years.

Eight months ago I was fortunate enough to be hired by an Employment Agency that specializes in assisting job seekers who experience barriers to employment. The time has been a revelation, the people I work for and with have taught me so much that I did not know about resilience, perseverance, and the resources that are available to help, often with no cost. I invite you to read and to share this very brief introduction to things many of us do not know about employment agencies.

No one is where they were supposed to be.

Paul Wagenaar

Are we just the sum of our good and bad decisions? Labels and simple equations do not begin to adequately describe us and how we became who we are. In a world that increasingly uses simple rhetoric to explain how to solve our problems; we need to understand the complex interplay of variables that shape all of us.
If we can understand and appreciate, then we can begin to tailor individual courses of action.

One of the hardest things we do …

Paul Wagenaar

Finding a job or reinventing yourself after leaving a job can be one of the most difficult situations we face in life. Help is available in virtually every region. There is also a focus, a series of steps, something similar to Abraham Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs, that can help achieve your goals.

This post is a little longer than normal, but it is worth the extra few minutes. Please use it, share it, and please add your suggestions to help people who are struggling.

The “HOW” of better meetings

Paul Wagenaar

Your people are your greatest resource.

Facilitating great meetings will encourage them, teach them, provide them with opportunities and the tools they need. You need to listen to them, inspire them, and train them. Running good meetings is a “learned” skill that few of us every master completely. Done well, your meetings will create the conditions for growth and efficiencies, regardless of the type of organization you are part of.

This is a place to begin.

With Freedom Comes Responsibility

Paul Wagenaar

Politics and elections is more than 10 second sound bites and popular slogans. We seem to have grown apathetic towards our democracies and take our rights as something we will always have.

Most of the world does not live the way we do … if we are not careful our rights and democracy could disappear while we are watching.

Read this as a beginning, ask questions, become interested, become engaged, and vote whenever you have the opportunity.

More than doing just one thing …

Paul Wagenaar

I began as a good manager but a poor leader. I benefited from good mentors and people who believed in my potential and through hard work, and many missteps, I have become a better manager and a good leader. In a small way, I hope this post repays their faith and helps you.

Success does not result from a single action, success is the cumulative result of hundreds of small intricate actions and decisions; but most importantly success comes from treating your people well.

Employment Common Ground

Paul Wagenaar

What does it take to get a job? The answers are as varied as are the number of careers and opportunities. There are however, some universal ground rules that transcend virtually very sector.

We all struggle with decisions sometimes

Paul Wagenaar

Recognizing key opportunities, considering different doors to open or ignore, and making difficult choices are learned skills.

We have all struggled to learn the skills necessary to make better choices. This approach was shared with me, and it helps, see if these tools will help you or someone your know.

Paul Wagenaar

We all want to make a difference, from the most senior to the most junior, the need has never been greater. Use this as a starting point for your own contribution, add/subtract as you wish, but please start now.