Is the Workplace Where Ideas Go to Die?
In every survey my company has conducted, every survey I’ve done in leadership or innovation workshops, and most creativity surveys I’ve read, here are the top-5 places people say they come up with their light bulb moments, the top-5 places (in no...
Same Job, Different Customer Experience. Why?
The next time you fly, eat out at a restaurant, or visit any business for that matter, take a few moments to watch the range of attitudes you see among the front line customer service staff. It can really be quite striking. Recently, for example, while flying to a...
The Top-10 Workplace Incentives: What Perks Do Employees Want at Work?
11 Employee Perks To Attract Top Creative Talent
How Humor Can Defuse an Argument
Research shows that when people in a conflict situation laugh and find the humor in a situation, they are likely to shift from convergent thinking (believing there is only one possible solution) to divergent thinking (seeing other possibilities and ideas that might...
What Are You Meeting For? Creative, Focused Workplace Meetings
Single-focus meetings can be an effective way to dive deeper into an issue. When you have one central purpose, theme or goal tied to a meeting, chances are you’ll have a more effective meeting and achieve better results. Too often teams try to cram too many...
What Stops Employees From Speaking Up…and What Helps Employees Speak Up
A few weeks ago in my weekly e-zine Inspiring Workplaces I raised the issue of employees not speaking up in their workplaces. I was flooded with responses from subscribers adding to the list of reasons employees don’t feel comfortable speaking up to their senior...
Customer Service: Would You Like a Side of Empathy With That?
Do your employees understand the importance of expressing empathy to your customers when required? My wife and I just returned from a speaking trip in another country. The trip turned into an epic adventure involving delayed flights, missed connections, missing...
Employees’ Families are Part of Your Support Team
We recently celebrated Family Day in my home province of Alberta. The holiday is intended as a day for people to spend time with their family, which reminded me of the role families play in businesses. Inspiring workplaces recognize that families matter and that the...


