Dawna's Blog


A Sensible Model for Success

Saturday, March 17th, 2012

Words can’t describe how excited I am to help spread and celebrate “success” at the TEDx WestMount in beautiful Montreal on May 12th.  I hope to see you there, tickets are now on sale! Here is a little taste of what I will be talking about… Are your future aspirations tainted by an outdated notion [...]

Changing Our Biases Towards Change

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

While I agree that heightened anxiety is a predictable response to change for most employees in today’s business climate, I do not entirely agree with Lauren Keller Johnson’s recommendations on how to cope with change in her HBR article Helping Employees Cope with Change in and Anxious Era. She says “When times are tough, change [...]

Hinduism Provides Business Model for Forward Thinking Leaders

Monday, March 12th, 2012

What you don’t see online with HBR’s article The CEO’s Role in Business Model Reinvention is my favourite part of the article in the print version.  The online version provides a forward looking business model framework designed to “manage the present, selectively forget the past, and create the future”.  Authors Vijay Govindarjan and Chris Trimble [...]

Be Like Water

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

As much as I dislike all forms of fight the words of Bruce Lee resonate deeply for me on many levels.  His message, to “be like water” is powerful on a personal level but it also applies universally.  In the corporate “fight” to be great so many leaders get lost in making their brand a [...]

Taking Notice

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Do you take notice of the patterns, themes and messages that shape your life, your thoughts, and the world around you?  Or are you distracted by the circumstances, barriers and noise that limit your life, your thoughts and the world around you? When the universe talks to us we have a tendency to chalk it [...]

A Call for Audacity

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

“The world needs invention and daring now more than ever. Now is the time for audacity, not austerity.” This month’s HBR is spotlighting being happy and being audacious.  Why are we not exploiting the power of happiness and why are we not encouraging audaciousness? We need to decouple audacity from ego with the distinction that [...]

What You Don’t Do, Can Hurt You!

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

I full heartedly agree that we need more Courage in The C-Suite and I second Rosabeth’s call for leadership courage.  Lack of courage is an invisible mistake and acts of courage are certainly not absent of fear.  Furthermore, lack of failure is also an invisible mistake and success is typically shaped by previous failures.  Our [...]

Making Profits with Purpose Gains Momentum

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

While many skeptics still battle the notion that not all profits are equal, great companies continue proving that Creating Shared Value reaps significant enduring benefits.   This movement is at front and center stage with many of our brilliant thought leaders and change makers.  Whether you call it Creating Shared Value (CSV),  creating “thick value”, or [...]

Hidden Potential

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

(Warning! this may seem a little off topic for my blog…) I came across a book review in the current issue of Scientific American Mind that struck a cord with me on many levels.  The book is The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide.  The doctors put into words what I have always [...]

Trust Cannot be Taught, it Can Only be Experienced

Monday, September 26th, 2011

The popularity of the word “trust” is at an all time high.  While I celebrate the wide spread appreciation for the significance of trust in business, it is important to recognize that trust cannot be learned through a book or an article, it can only be experienced.  In fact it is tough to even try [...]