The famed management consultant Peter Drucker once said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” While this saying originated in the corporate world, it also influences the fate of countries. An entrepreneurial culture, which encourages people to identify and act upon opportunities to create value for others, is essential to improving a country’s quality of life.Continue reading “Canada’s economic future is in jeopardy because we lack an entrepreneurial culture”
Category Archives: Education
Teaching debate skills will strengthen democracy
Increasing political and ideological polarization poses a significant threat to Canadian democracy and society. From climate change to a looming global recession, Canada faces immense challenges, which require thoughtful and nuanced discussions. Too often issues of national importance devolve into shouting matches and personal attacks. Young Canadians need to be taught how to have healthyContinue reading “Teaching debate skills will strengthen democracy”
The world’s biggest problems won’t be solved by the social impact sector alone — here’s what’s needed
Addressing the world’s most pressing challenges — like the climate crisis, income inequality, and the COVID-19 pandemic — increasingly requires collaboration between governments, social impact organizations, and corporations. For instance, delivery and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine requires cooperation between governments, social service organizations, and businesses. No policy, social innovation, or technology is likely toContinue reading “The world’s biggest problems won’t be solved by the social impact sector alone — here’s what’s needed”
Venture for Canada didn’t invest in staff professional development in its early days — here’s why you should.
In the early days of Venture for Canada, we invested very little in staff learning and development — most of our focus was on simply surviving. Starting a social impact organization is not for the faint of heart and for much of the organization’s first two years of operations, we struggled to regularly make payroll. Consequently,Continue reading “Venture for Canada didn’t invest in staff professional development in its early days — here’s why you should.”
New Zealand has a social impact worker visa program. What can Canada learn?
As COVID-19 continues its global spread, countries around the world are curtailing immigration, including Canada: RBC Economics forecasts that the number of permanent residents entering Canada will be reduced by 40 percent from 2019 — a drastic decrease with long-term implications. But there’s a tremendous opportunity to pilot innovative immigration and worker visa policies to better supportContinue reading “New Zealand has a social impact worker visa program. What can Canada learn?”
Workplace coaches shouldn’t just be for senior executives
In an increasingly competitive labour market, employers are going to great lengths to attract and retain employees. From free catered lunches to luxurious company retreats, firms try to one-up each other with increasingly opulent but often superficial incentives. Instead, firms should consider offering staff access to meaningful benefits, such as access to third-party coaches. DoingContinue reading “Workplace coaches shouldn’t just be for senior executives”
Universities and colleges need to make graduates’ employment outcomes a top priority
Almost all Canadians know a recent university or college grad who is struggling to find employment, be it a relative, friend or neighbour. Given that, as of January, the Canadian youth unemployment rate is 11.2 per cent, nearly double the national average, there are hundreds of thousands of young Canadians who face such challenges. As the youthContinue reading “Universities and colleges need to make graduates’ employment outcomes a top priority”
Mid-sized cities are the perfect places to build a startup
What do Verafin, Radian6, Kinduct, Coconut Software, Vendasta, AbeBooks, GranDuke Geomatics and New Horizon Interactive all have in common? They are all very successful Canadian technology companies that emerged in mid-sized cities, which for the purposes of this article are defined as Canadian census metropolitan areas with anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 residents. More thanContinue reading “Mid-sized cities are the perfect places to build a startup”
It’s human skills – not technical skills – that we need the most in today’s work force
*Please note this Op-ed initially appeared in The Globe and Mail We are living in a fourth industrial revolution – millions of jobs in sectors as diverse as transportation, manufacturing, and retail have the potential of being automated. A recent report by the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship indicated that nearly 42 per cent of jobsContinue reading “It’s human skills – not technical skills – that we need the most in today’s work force”
Why liberal arts degrees are more valuable than you might think
*Please note this Op-ed appeared in The Globe and Mail. What are you going to do with your humanities degree? This is a question that almost anyone who has studied the humanities faces at some point from a skeptical relative or friend. The belief that humanities graduates, which can include those who studied philosophy, literature, religion,Continue reading “Why liberal arts degrees are more valuable than you might think”
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