Category: Business Motivation
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John Warrillow – The Glenn Beck of Canadian Business?
Like our readers, we keep our eyes open for business insight on the web. We came across John Warrillow, a writer for the Globe and Mail. He comes with the credentials of a newspaper writer – published author, successful businessman. It’s quite shocking to read his blog. Each post contains a statement that is either…
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Don’t Compromise
Why do people think that compromise is the best solution? More often than not, it is the worst solution. Here’s why. I was sitting in on a mediation hearing last week about how to settle an outstanding invoice with a building owner whose lessee went bankrupt. The details of the case don’t matter to this…
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Killing the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg – Another Curling Rant
As reported by Bob Weekes, the Canadian Curling Association is looking at changing the format of the Brier, as well as their other national championships. They are experimenting with moving to a 14-team system. Team Canada, Northern Ontario and separate Yukon and Northwest Territories entries plus one team from each Province. The field would still…
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Air Canada – Why do we let our country’s name go on such a poor airline?
Warning – rant enclosed! I just got back from a family vacation in San Diego. We spent a week going to the Zoo, Lego Land, Disneyland and Sea World. The experience was full of fun and we made a lot of great memories. This blog is about the trip there, and how our national airline…
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The Road to Hell is Paved With Good (Advice)
Expert advice is a huge industry. Today, there is an endless supply of experts that promise to solve your problems in the most modern, elegant way possible. Many experts have their clients best interests at heart and work to solve their problems as they appear. Unfortunately, there are experts out there that view their clients…
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WestJet’s Competitive Advantage
Carrying on from last week’s blog “Finding Your Competitive Advantage,” this week we look at how WestJet found success by finding its niche in the airline industry. WestJet is a unique case because it was able to position itself as a company that offered both lower prices and better service than its competitors. That’s something…
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Finding Your Competitive Advantage
Before investing in a business, one of the most important things to identify is your competitive advantage. Answer the question “why would customers choose your product/service over competitor offerings?†What makes you stand out from the competition? I’ve found that not enough thought goes into what a company’s real competitive advantage is and many companies…
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What’s Better, Infallible or Successful?
While working with a client recently, an interesting issue arose. While generating reports, I was given specific instructions on what information was to be shared. More to the point, I was told what was not to be shared. The concern was the information would cast some people in a poor light. In other words, the…
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Failing for Success? The Anomalies of Business!
Great team, great leadership, tremendous skill and a 1st place finish in the regular season. We had everything we needed to win the title this year, but we got knocked out in the semi-finals. What happened? We played well but still lost. Sometimes you can’t explain the dynamics of sports and just like in business…
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An Open Letter to New Supervisors
Congratulations! You are about to begin an exciting chapter of your career. Your power and responsibility have surged. Regardless of how much training you’ve received, there is no substitute for experience. I’ve seen a lot of supervisors get off on the wrong foot. Some survive this, others don’t. Here are some of the most common…