DO WE KNOW WHAT SEEMS CLEAR AND OBVIOUS?
Last Friday, some of the most dramatic live news coverage I’ve seen since 2001 flowed out of Boston. As the manhunt for the surviving bombing suspect unfolded, the moment-to-moment media coverage demonstrated how difficult it can be for reporters to stick to what they truly know. Read More Read More
STATISTICS TELL WHEN OUR BEST YEARS ARE BEHIND US
Like many people, I spent a fair portion of the past weekend following “Another Major Golf Tournament That Tiger Didn’t Win” (known more widely as the 2013 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia). It occurred to me that one thing sports does well – depressingly so – is Read More Read More
YAHOO FOR GOING BACK TO WORK
In a news week in which B.C.’s Liberal Party committed suicide (again), Senator Mike Duffy proved that reading comprehension isn’t a requirement for journalists, and astronaut Chris Hadfield surely did something-or-other in outer space, it was an internal company memorandum which stole the media spotlight. When Yahoo! issued a memo telling employees they’d be expected to... Read More
DEAR GOD: I QUIT
Approximately 1.2 billion Catholics woke up this week to the news that Pope Benedict XVI has given two weeks’ notice of resignation. The Vatican Radio’s website reported the 85-year-old Pope said his health is the reason for the surprise announcement. Read More Read More
DECISION-MAKING, ON THE BRINK
For those who are interested in organizational dynamics, and decision-making in particular, there could be no better real-life example than the so-called Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962. Perhaps at no other time in recorded history have the fortunes of so many rested in the deliberations of so few. Read More Read More
THIS COLUMN IS, LIKE, INCREDIBLE… LITERALLY!!
A while back, I wrote a column entitled, “Use Writing As A Tool, Don’t Be One”. The point of that item was to encourage business people (myself included) to adopt some basic steps to improve their workplace writing. As I said then, even with all the technology at our disposal, the written word is still our primary mode of communication. It is important for us all – employers... Read More
PASSING OF AN UNSUNG CANADIAN HERO
Some people say that “things tend to happen in threes”. That saying came to mind last week when I read of the death of John Sheardown. Just last fall, Canada announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with Iran and the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from Canada. That caused many, myself included, to reflect back on the so-called “Canadian Caper” involving the Canadian-engineered... Read More
A FEW THOUGHTS OF NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT
In the immediate aftermath of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, one of my predominant feelings was of helplessness. When something this awful happens, especially at such a great distance away, it’s difficult to know how to react or what to do. Read More Read More
CONCEIVE OF THE INCONCEIVABLE
When B.C.’s government suggested, recently, that its objective is a 10-year collective agreement with unionized teachers, many scoffed at that prospect. After all, the recent bargaining relationship between government and teachers has been fractious, to say the least. Read More Read More
WHO ARE THESE GUYS, ANYWAY?
By the time this column is printed, the N.H.L. collective bargaining dispute may be resolved. What won’t be clarified is the precise labour relations status of the relationship between the league and the NHL Players Association. Early on in the dispute, the NHLPA applied to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for a declaration that the owners’ lockout was, in that jurisdiction,... Read More