Many of my clients are very committed to diversity in their organizations. But I have always been wary of diversity programs because “diversity” - a code word for reducing exisiting levels of prejudice - signifies that we have a “problem” and that we need to “fix” it. But surely the problem cannot be “fixed’ with [...]

The cover of the August 26th. issue of Business Week features Rainn Wilson, “who plays everbody’s favorite workplace irritant on TV’s The Office”. It trumpets the headline, “Trouble at the Office? Toxic Bosses. Work/Life Balance. Generational Tension” and goes on to portray the story as a “milestone at Business Week” because, presumably, the article is [...]

Twenty-five years ago, my wife and I were riding our mountain bikes in the country when we stumbled across a gorgeous log building tucked away in a corner of the Niagara Escarpment - the world’s first United Nations Biosphere. It sat perched like an eagle’s nest on the lip of a 400-foot cliff which dropped [...]

Every now and then, a unique opportunity occurs and I want to tell you about one.
There is a very special place, unlike any other in North America called Hollyhock. It is a not-for-profit retreat center located on Cortes, a small island off the west coast of British Columbia. The minute you step off the ferry [...]

It is humbling to witness a savant - because to do so can fill many of us with wonder and mystery.
If you met 26 year-old Derek Paravicini in the street, you might be drawn to judgment. He is blind, has the intelligence of a three-year old, and cannot dress or feed himself.  But if you listened to him [...]