Dear Clients & Friends,

With a strong finish to 2011, I am enthusiastically preparing for my annual vacation. The office will be closed from 7th December 2011- 2 January 2012.

It was gratifying to see Workplace Happiness as a recurring theme in client interaction this year.  It would appear that the term happiness has graduated from a warm and fuzzy term to a priority in securing full team engagement.

As the Holiday Season is drawing near, I thought to share my 3 (decades old, yet still hard to practice) cumulative exercises to achieve personal/professional happiness:

• Practice active Gratitude: Bring mundane fortune to conscious awareness. Good examples are the presence of electricity; running water; a flushing toilet ; a successful computer boot-up; a call from a friend; working limbs/good health; a vehicle that starts - What would our day look like if one or more of these items were not present?

• Celebrate Individuality: We are so often tempted to compare ourselves with others – Constant marketing and social pressure does not make it easy to be content with who we are and what we have.

Most days I force myself to recall the well known line from Desiderata: “There will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself!” Accepting that reality, allows me to experience moments of real pride in my life achievement. My own insignificance in the grand scheme of things sets me free…

• Get off centre stage: So often we place ourselves squarely in the middle of situations. Especially in difficult times we feel that the world is out to get us…Realizing  that the bigger picture is not always evident  - Applying exercises 1 & 2 will ensure our ability to be accepting of randomness, chance and the wild-card factor.

Oftentimes the ability to surrender to perceived unfairness and situations/people that are difficult to digest helps me move on, and live with less stress than in earlier years.      

I am ever grateful for the dozens of people who have contributed in so many ways to the success of my business – There is no way I could have survived without your support! This especially true as I have endeavored to match my own vision with like-minded clients over the past 14 years of operation.

My best wishes to you all for the Holidays … And a safe, healthy and prosperous 2012!

 I look forward to renewed contact in the New Year.

Warm regards,

Rodger

As a Canadian Opera Company super (extra) I am privileged during rehearsals to see Maestro Johannes Debus continually exhorting principals and chorus members to think about the meaning of the words they are singing – “the meaning brings the music to life…!” Technical music/vocal excellence is enhanced by expressing the underlying passion/drama of any particular libretto. 

So too in the business world, and any other walk of life, true passion can only really live itself out via the understanding, acceptance & embrace of the significance of our pursuits! Good leadership will recognize, access & accommodate individual/team passion in the pursuit of exceptional deliverables. Is the very concept of mentorship not based on this premise? 

If interested, listen to Maria Callas coaching Juilliard students:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNHPMGQkeGk  

Working with York University students has been an enriching aspect of my life for close on 16 years. I have more often than not found the label disability a misnomer… So many of the so-called learning disabled are fast thinkers, distinctly individual in their approach and wildly creative! These attributes are not easily accommodated in mainstream education and corporate life… Entrepreneurship oftentimes is the avenue for these young people to find true meaning and full expression of who they are.

The reciprocal leaning gleaned from student interaction over the years has been invaluable to me in my business – Across the societal landscape, understanding, articulating  and fully investing core competencies is the first step in finding a career fit!   

http://ylife.news.yorku.ca/2011/09/13/career-mentorship-program-inspires-students-with-learning-disabilities/

For citizens of a major economic and political power it is surprising how naïve we can be.
Spying has and will always be part of the landscape as long as human competition exists. Creative minds share ideas, exchange information & invent stuff, while others pilfer the results.

Just think how often people (ourselves included) steal from websites, copy designs and download material/information, all identified, researched, analyzed and produced by others … At no cost to ourselves…and certainly with no pangs of conscience!

Yet even at government level, it is startling to notice that people happily assume they are somehow inviolate as intelligence targets! Just as we North Americans stole and copied so diligently from the Europeans, so too, emerging economies are hell bent on gaining the competitive edge at any cost. We make/made it easy with outsourcing, by inviting foreign teams to spend times in our operational environments and by talking too much to close deals. The notion of being somehow in total control of our destinies is perhaps the culprit?

Are we truly aware of what information walks out the door? The solution does not lie in legislation, process, security checks alone; nor in assuming the validity of our own moral code, but rather in the ongoing awareness/vigilance of individuals, teams, organizations and governments as to the economic danger posed by exposure to prying eyes.

In my regular courses on Corporate Intelligence Awareness, I encounter many individuals who persist in equating vigilance with paranoia!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tory-mp-who-flirted-with-chinese-reporter-passed-security-check/article2162968/ 

In a world of bottom lines, targets, organizational process & hectic schedules few have time for perceived romantic, magic or eccentric notions. Instead most of us don masks in the workplace that hide all but the nitty gritty business of meeting expectations and getting ahead.

I have watched the metaphorical movie Don Juan Demarco more times than I care to remember… to remind myself of the fact that dreams, wonder, awe and an honest sense of beauty/love underpin the real passion that can push business to magically competitive heights.

Seeing and accommodating people for who they really are, surely is vital to accessing full team/individual contribution. Feeling able to be oneself in safety releases the creative and leadership spirit – The fact that caring (as opposed to mere compliance) and willingness to serve matters, creates a climate of confidence and trust. 

For me, this is especially true if the full professional contribution of women is to be secured! Does our current business value system/model and ideas of political correctness not override the very essence of what women bring to the workplace? Do we regard women as women … Appreciating them as women? Are we guilty of pretending that gender difference/gender intelligence has no corporate advantage?

My work with so many women over the years has proved, to me anyway, that if women are allowed… and indeed give themselves permission to be women, the accommodations of dreams and supposedly far fetched aspirations can become reality. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuusbK09xg8&feature=related

“where has the magic gone? why are there only minds at work plotting their next move? what happened to the heart? Has it been cast aside and left asunder? Why do we give in to the logic of expediency, creating more walking dead? Must we transform ourselves to break the curse of mediocrity? YES!!!!” – eyeLuvTheOutsiders – YouTube

The reported suicide of Wade Belak this week was, for me, perhaps more poignant because everyone who new him reported a happy go lucky, smiling, carefree guy who always projected success and positivity … Even in the hours immediately preceding his tragic demise.

In our professional/personal lives, do we really take the time to look beyond the facade of those we know and love?

In my consulting work, I often encounter situations where it is deemed inappropriate to pry/probe or even notice the untoward. Is this because we are fearful of being considered invasive… laboring under some misguided notion of what is deemed professional behavior? Hopefully it is not because we simply don’t care enough!

A true leader will create professional (and personal) relationships that factor in real human feelings… A climate of confidence and trust that makes it OK for people to share, imperfection, negativity, weakness and fear!

How many Wade Belaks are in our midst… Hiding their anguish behind a smile?  What could we do to help?

''Bushmen refer to Tapping within themselves - A physical manifestation of a profound gift for intuitive apprehension of the future … Only a fool would go on ignoring his tapping…if he does not sit and listen to his tapping it could utterly leave him" - Laurens van der Post  (A Far-Off  Place)

Creative or visionary leaders need time to reflect - To listen to an inner voice that interprets countless bits of information that have set off alarm bells in the sub-conscious mind...!

Just as a computer has hidden files, cookies, meta-tags, temporary files etc. so the human brain has the capacity to search, filter and analyze its own data base while consciously engaged in other activity. Just as the computer contains a large amount of unused or underutilized functions, the human capacity for research and solution providing may remain untapped. Circumstance may provide an adrenaline rush that will necessitate blind reliance on intuition. Consider the advantage of being able to confidently and consciously engage this resource through taking the time to regularly reflect on diverse items of stimulating information !

"Creativity is about finding, discovery, and making the link between what you've seen and are trying to achieve…you can’t find if you're looking - It's a process of osmosis that is dependent on being in a relaxed state of mind…
Creatives need time to stroll and come upon things. We're idea merchants…If you are not fascinated, you simply do not find things … It's about finding visual stimuli and translating them into stunning creative concepts." Sean Harrison, Creative Director, Code

That Ontario based Bayly Communications went into receivership last month did not really make headlines. Yet the possible demise of this company, formerly Bayly Engineering, is significant as it marks the disappearance of the last vestige of an illustrious Canadian.

Founder, Benjamin De Forest (Pat) Bayly, the largely unknown Canadian hero of WWII whose brilliant encryption/decryption work saved countless lives and gave the Allies an unquestioned competitive edge, maintained the point of view that he should never be known by name. He refused to write up an account of his secret intelligence activities after the war saying:

"… the best thing I could do was shut up ..."

"I wasn’t having any of that, because I had been treated extremely well by Canada, the States and England - far beyond what was necessary. I was welcomed into places where it was absolutely necessary that I be … and everybody's been so very kind. … We'd go out and have a couple of drinks and they'd tell me political things that shouldn’t be free, … they were really quite outspoken and I came to the conclusion at the end of the war that the best thing I could do was shut up. Because if I did, if I spoke all the things I would unwittingly mention, things would have political (consequences)…." Quoted in The True Intrepid by Bill Macdonald (RAINCOAST Books)

Bayly’s standpoint meant that he placed the greater picture ahead of his personal desire for recognition – The critical discretion of a truly service-oriented leader!

Somehow, despite the plethora of client relationship management technology/training in most operational areas, is common civility disappearing?

Generally, it seems an increasingly accepted fact that we are not required to respond to calls, messages, inquiries etc. unless we have a direct/immediate agenda item … ?

“I am busy” “My calendar is full” “I have too many calls to manage” might all be valid for any of us at some point in time…. But can we expect others to consistently respond/perform when we have not afforded basic acknowledgement of who they are… their time… their agendas… their priorities…?

Similarly whatever happened to please and thank you? How long does it take to type thank you… and hit Send? Again: “Too busy”… but not too busy it seems to ask for something?

I am told I am decidedly uncool to worry about this sort of thing … As an acquaintance, index fingers energetically raised, said this week:  “We are moving to a place where please and thank you will no longer be necessary … It will be understood!”

Maybe I should offer a Mind-Reading program?

Effective leaders set the tone as to organizational values... Giving true meaning to sustainable relationship building?  

On Saturday, November 5, 2011 Rodger Harding will be speaking at the PMI (Project Management Institute) Lakeshore Chapter’s Symposium 2011 - Project Management for Organizational Excellence!
 
The topic will be The Project Team Member - The Eyes & Ears of the Organization 

The 40 minute presentation designed to heighten awareness of the individual/collective role of gathering and protecting information vital to sustaining product/service relevance and staying ahead of the competitor... A cost-effective intelligence/information gathering process

Participants will have enhanced leadership ability to secure an individual/team/corporate competitive edge secured through accurate foreknowledge of market-place/competitor/client/industry trends, developments and events. Enhanced participant ability to:
- Make informed business recommendations/decisions based on accurate outcome prediction
- Better understand current market requirement
- Take advantage of wild-card opportunities
- Inexpensively monitor industry trends
- Provide relevant/original service/product
- Secure a return on Information Technology investment

Event Date and Location:

The event will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2011 and will be held at the Canadian Coptic Centre, Mississauga - 1245 Eglinton Avenue West, Mississauga