Resistance to Change – Unmasking the DENTAL Dilemma
DENTAL Doubt – Ego – Negativity – Time – Ambivalence – Laziness The Hidden Forces That Make Change Feel Like Pulling Teeth D is for
DENTAL Doubt – Ego – Negativity – Time – Ambivalence – Laziness The Hidden Forces That Make Change Feel Like Pulling Teeth D is for
Many people talk about the flawed information provided by AI “language apps”. It is true, AI apps do provide flawed information. Also, some AI apps
Evolving inter-generational workforce dynamics could hurt your business. Inter-generational workforce dynamics are shifting as financially anxious Baby Boomers exit the workforce and Millennials and younger
From conversations with Jim… The 3 Skills Creating Code that Solves the Problem Optimizing the Code Software Project Planning Creating Code that Solves the Problem
Risk Management – a high level description Risk management is a process. The goal of the process is to understand risks and take (affordable) steps
Ever feel like you’re wrestling with an overstuffed plate of obligations? Or like you’re so caught up in the minutiae that you lose sight of
Habits have a special relationship with Time. Understand this relationship. It is a key to success and peace of mind. Habits have a special relationship
So often AI is portrayed either as a surreal robot or as a surreal circuit boardish thing. For example, Bing created these images when I
A bit about Gallup I’ve been a fan of Gallup’s StrengthsFinder [now CliftonStrengths] for over 20 years. No questions or surprise – Learner is my
Here’s Ernest Seller getting ready for work. As you can see, Ernest is a handsome fellow, with a flair for excellent-looking sales apparel. When it
We named our company, Waterloo Intuition & Technology Corporation Some People Believe… “Gut Feel” is when you have a strong feeling that isn’t backed by
A Brief History of AI The following timeline highlights the contributions of just a few key players, but the field of AI is vast, and
The Problem Today, leaders of small to mid-size businesses are facing too many challenging problems. Often, these challenging problems are tied to keeping up with
Over the last few years, I have written and talked about the communication problems that happen when business leaders use words like Passion and Integrity
Q: Why did Al Gore create algorithms? A: There seems to be some confusion in your question. Al Gore, the former Vice President of the
In TLDR, I read the following about Geoffery Hinton’s retirement: ‘Godfather of AI’ quits Google with regrets and fears about his life’s work (2 minute
Making decisions is an essential part of our daily lives, and it is no different when it comes to running a small to mid-size business
In a recent ‘dialogue’ with ChatGPT… I explored AI responses tied to questions about optimism and pessimism. After a few Q&A iterations, ChatGPT made an
Ten Years ago, in 2013, I wrote the following blog about creativity. Here’s a thought about creativity vis-à-vis right and wrong: creativity is not about
Introduction The Clients’ Clients Philosophy is a game-changing concept that can revolutionize the way you do business. It’s about not just providing excellent products and
As a business leader, striking the right balance between strategic thinking and attention to detail is crucial. Both aspects are essential for long-term success, and
The Law of the Barbell: Some people spot, some people lift, and some people just keep adding weights. For example, consider Civility… Civility is defined
In today’s fast-paced world, business leaders must exhibit confidence without intimidating their followers. It is crucial to strike a balance between self-assuredness and humility while
I decided to let AI be the judge. For well over a decade, I have talked about [argued] the need for people to be comfortable
Dan Ariely, in his book ‘The Upside of Irrationality’ (2010), rightly points out that making big, important, life-changing decisions is difficult due to the numerous
Introduction: The world of IT has highly skilled professionals who make our daily lives easier through their technical prowess. But what happens when things don’t
It seems to me trust is a fragile thing. When two people share trust and one of them perceives an injustice trust quickly comes into
Understanding Attitude Attitude can be defined as an individual’s mental disposition toward a particular situation, object, or person. Our attitudes influence how we perceive and
In the beginning…there was Reality Reality refers to everything that exists and can be experienced, perceived, or measured, including physical objects, events, thoughts, and emotions.
What does “Augmented Reality” mean? Augmented Reality is like adding a layer of digital things on top of what you see in the real world.
I’ve been listening to Roger Dawson’s vintage audio course on negotiating. And I’ve been evaluating AI effectiveness. Putting those two together, I used AI to
Some people get very annoyed when words like “understand”, “think”, and “know” are applied to AI capabilities. Here’s a link with an example of concerns
Do you worry about staffing, supply chain, or cyber-threat problems? I ask this question because, at last month’s Centre for Family Business event, many business
Introduction to the P=2S+O approach to solving problems The P=2S+O approach is a powerful problem-solving methodology that stands for: “For every Problem, you can find
Alvin Toffler’s ground-breaking work, “Future Shock,” highlighted the potential consequences of rapid technological and societal change. Toffler was incredibly prescient in his analysis, predicting the
Small to Mid-Size Businesses are the Backbone of Our Economy Small to mid-size businesses (SMEs) in Canada are the backbone of the economy, and they
The Importance of Mental Health Treatments Mental health conditions affect a sizable portion of the global population and can have a profound impact on an
This blog presents thoughts about how Decision-Making, coupled with technology advancements and social trends, is likely to evolve over the next 10 to 20 years.
Napoleon Hill, a famous American author and motivational speaker, is often credited with the quote “Dreaming is the seedling of reality.” Hill believed that success
The 5 Whys is a problem-solving technique that involves asking “why” five times to get to the root cause of an issue. Here’s an example
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the way businesses view technology. What used to be seen as a tool to support
At its most basic level, a blockchain is a kind of database, which is a structured way to store information. But there are some special
Introduction: Assessing the maturity of a business is essential in understanding its current state and making informed decisions about future growth. The maturity of a
First, what is Custom Software? Custom software, also known as bespoke software or tailor-made software, is software that is developed specifically for a particular business
Employee disengagement can be a significant problem for organizations as it can lead to reduced productivity, lower job satisfaction, and increased turnover. However, there are
Client’s Challenging Situation: 20 years ago, in the early days of Canadian electricity deregulation, pricing data for the Hourly Ontario Electricity Price [HOEP] was difficult
Client’s Challenging Situation: Ontario Hydro, the Canada legacy that delivered electricity from Ontario’s Niagara hydro-electric generation for so many years, was dismantled as the 21st
Introduction The article “Accountability in Cybersecurity: Save Money, Reduce Cyber Risk” captures BlackBerry’s recommendation on Accountability and Cybersecurity. Based on our conversations with local business
Introduction The article “Groundhog Day? 35% of Canadian employees often ‘bored’ at work” addresses in important issue faced by many leaders of small to mid-sized
Introduction As outlined in the article “Crafting Your Digital Transformation Story” it is important to craft your digital transformation story. That will help you, your
For short periods of time, you can be comfortable while avoiding complexity. Here’s how that works – Yes, you are busy and you want to
A few years ago, while doing some holiday reading, the following caught my attention: “Wicked problems have these features: It is hard to say what
Think about the things you do best. Think about the things your company does best. You know these things are your best work because: …People
In his audio-book ‘Die Empty’ (2013), Todd Henry talks about 3 types of work and 4 types of people. I find his concept useful as
Over the years, leaders of small businesses have expressed frustrations with their companies’ mediocre performance with RFPs. As examples, leaders’ complaints about RFP business have
Defining Intellectual Property The seeds of intellectual property begin as ideas in human beings’ minds. These ideas can lead to inventions – new things –
According to Google, Web 1.0 is the “read-only Web,” Web 2.0 is the “participative social Web,” and Web 3.0 is the “read, write, execute Web.”
The insurance sector has faced a series of costly upsets…and insurers are tightening their belts. The intent here is not to wail and whine. It
I admit I’ve been spoiled. I’ve had a knowledgeable and talented software engineer in my family and business for several decades. If you don’t have
To some degree, all business leaders “plan the work and work the plan”. (Napoleon Hill first wrote this admonition/motto in “Think and Grow Rich”, 1937)
Taking Small Steps Forward in 2023 – Building and Maintaining Business Policies Most small business leaders do a very poor job of documenting and maintaining
There’s one sure-fired way to build a better future for your company and the people you care about: make a habit of doing small things
Responding to a SME leader’s question Thank you for asking that question. SME business leaders are struggling with cyber-insurance decisions. Often, SME business leaders seek
Client’s Challenging Situation: A friend who owned a family business, in the energy sector, needed CEO-level help during a particularly challenging time. Scope of the
Client’s Challenging Situation: One of our software clients, in the energy sector, was losing money providing core energy management services. Core energy management services included:
Client’s Challenging Situation: A family business friend was planning annual strategic planning sessions. She wanted to hold a special workshop to initiate discussion of annual
Client’s Challenging Situation: While touring a family-business friend’s manufacturing operation, we learned that the company was paying large electricity power factor penalties. Scope of the
Client’s Challenging Situation: We invested in a start-up energy appliance company. When we arrived, the company had a great vision but was in a crisis.
Client’s Challenging Situation: A local tech start-up built a prototype device to perform assembly line measurements. While the prototype functioned properly at slow assembly line
Client’s Challenging Situation: Representatives of a Northern Ontario municipality approached us to see if we would respond to an RFP. The government of Ontario was
Client’s Challenging Situation: Our client, a high-market-share manufacturing organization, wanted to inspire its employees. Scope of the Problem: The culture at our client’s workplace was
Client’s Challenging Situation: We were providing strategic planning services to one of our clients. During our SWOT discussions, we learned that our client had entered
Client’s Challenging Situation: Our client, a manufacturer, had a specialized bottling process. They required a custom-built automated bottling assembly line. They decided to build rather
Client’s Challenging Situation: The stakeholders of our predecessor company, Spirited Investors Corporation, wanted a user-friendly repository to contain and report on details of successful and
Client’s Challenging Situation: A major Canadian oil & gas producer, headquartered in Alberta, experienced high turnover of its natural gas sales and marketing staff in
Client’s Challenging Situation: Our client wanted a customized web app that would allow its clients to understand whether pickup and delivery of precious packages were
Client’s Challenging Situation: Our client has a large fleet of vehicles. The drivers of the vehicles must report the details of their daily trips. Reporting
Client’s Challenging Situation: We received a message confirming that a virus had somehow arrived in a friend’s business operating software and encrypted several months of
Client’s Challenging Situation: A driver of a large vehicle caused an accident that knocked down a hydro pole, taking down internet service. It took 3
Client’s Challenging Situation: A long-term employee suddenly retired. The person had been responsible for leading IT enhancements, automating the processing of information, and the generation
Client’s Challenging Situation: An Ontario manufacturer of custom equipment wanted to automate their family-business operations. Scope of the Problem: Over the years, our client’s clients
Client’s Challenging Situation: A high-tech entrepreneur was building a very novel, new product and wanted us to create custom software for that project. The entrepreneur
Client’s Challenging Situation: An Eastern Canadian energy retailer had considerable expertise in electricity retailing and commodity management. However, it had little expertise in natural gas
Client’s Challenging Situation: An Eastern Canadian retail energy marketer was frustrated because efforts to procure natural gas supply were not taken seriously by major energy
Client’s Challenging Situation: A family business was taking steps toward succession planning and business growth. They wanted to hold a special, invigorating strategic planning session.
Client’s Challenging Situation: A software client sent a note to us at 9:00PM on a summer evening. The note described a strange occurrence that could
Client’s Challenging Situation: A distressed leader of a SME contacted us to see if we could fix problems tied to an “abandoned” online software app.
Client’s Challenging Situation: A family business client wanted us to oversee [be the project manager for] the upgrading of their project management software when its
Client’s Challenging Situation: Engineered projects present complications. For example, to perform a comprehensive review of a hospital’s energy-consuming equipment and build software to automate the
Client’s Challenging Situation: A successful family business provides onsite testing and servicing of equipment, protecting our environment. As the business grew, the amount of data
Client’s Challenging Situation: A consulting client asked us to provide interim CEO services. The client was a family business, delivering engineering services to municipalities and
Client’s Challenging Situation: A local manufacturing company, nearing the end of its “start-up stage”, engaged us to assist them to prepare their business to either
Client’s Challenging Situation: One of our family-business friends called us. She was distressed because her laptop had been invaded and taken over by an attacker.
Client’s Challenging Situation: Our client was selected to perform an engineering assessment of a 30,000 HP pumping system for supply of fresh water to a
Client’s Challenging Situation: With the onset of COVID-19 problems, it was difficult to arrange education, particularly education of music students who needed to practice with
Client’s Challenging Situation: From time to time peer-to-peer groups need a catalyst to boost energy levels and inspire new thoughts and actions. Scope of the
Client’s Challenging Situation: One of the businesses we invested in was creating a new video advertising & messaging service to present “local advertising” to people
Client’s Challenging Situation: Over thirty years ago, one of our clients invested in a customized software enterprise resource planning [ERP] tool. About 5 years ago,
Client’s Challenging Situation: A talented group of marketing experts needed a few million dollars to pay for expanded retail energy marketing initiatives. Without the money,
Client’s Challenging Situation: A family-business client wanted to have its corporate Values displayed in its lobby. Since they had not discussed Values for many years,