On being the dumbest person in the room.

On being the dumbest person in the room.

"Sometimes it’s the dumbest things that end up being the most profound." Me (Erin), from episode #1 of podcast Weirdos in the Workplace In a world where social anxiety can overshadow our confidence, I'd like to stretch our thinking a little bit. What if feeling like the "dumbest person in the room" was not a disadvantage but an opportunity for growth and transformation? Today, we'll explore the role of the learner in a constantly evolving world, the advantages of being a generalist, and...

“Management” isn’t a dirty word.

When the whole world is talking about inclusive leadership, it feels like managers have been completely forgotten or worse... that management is a dirty word. Because we all know managers are bossy and directive and leaders are collaborative and visionary. Right? Ummm... that's not how this works in real life. We know how important leadership is, but most of us need to wear more than one hat and sometimes the way we talk about leadership it feels a little bit... privileged. As...

#ManagingMillennials – why transparency is so important

I could probably summarize this entire post in one word. Values. We were born in the 80s to mid-90s as the third industrial revolution was well underway; the evolution of the internet and communication technologies punctuated our young lives and as technology advanced, so too did we grow and mature. The more information we aggregated and shared, the more we recognized that we'd all been lied to. We'd been built into people who lacked faith because it was demonstrated over and over again that...

10 Questions for Business Agility in 2023

If your goal for yourself or your company is to thrive, not just survive, this year and long into the future, take some time to consider the following 10 macroeconomic trends when you're setting big hairy audacious goals this year. Here are some questions to consider now and in the future, to develop business agility, organizational sustainability and a thriving culture. Climate change and sustainability If you're a business operating in 2023, you have probably either intentionally or...

Developing an innovative culture.

Developing an innovative culture.

Holy hells bells, everyone wants to innovate these days, but guess what that means... innovative people. What are some qualities of innovative people? Innovation commonly comes alongside independence (gross!), passion (ugh!), emotion (nooo!), obsession (eek!), non-conformation (come on! is that even a word?), resistance to being managed (doh!), among a veritable kaleidoscope of other beautiful characteristics. If words like "intrapreneurship", "disruption", "revolutionary", "pace of change",...

Headshot of woman in plaid shot, arms crossed in a black plaid shirt.

HEY, I'M ERIN

Professional problem solver, business developer, coach, cheerleader and optimist.

Founder of The Positivist Group, a band of merry seasoned professionals transforming visionary organizations across Canada.  #people #culture #performance