The Great Canadian Leadership Podcast

I Thought My Job Was To Save People

Episode #10 is ENGAGING! What is your default setting? For many of us, that default is to solve our team’s, colleagues’ or friends’ problems - right here, right now!  

This was a shift for our guest Allison Dell, newly appointed Head of HR at Cineplex, about learning to meet her people where they were at, and not be the hero that saves them.   

In this episode, Allison shares her insights on the importance of our words and intentions. Words do matter but, as we find out in this discussion, words are not always enough to carry your intention and don’t always have the desired effect. Listen in and understand how to meet people where they are at and help them tap into their own solutions and resilience. 

Allison Dell is the Head of Human Resources at Cineplex. With over 20 years’ experience, she has led high performing teams, spearheaded award-winning global programs, and implemented organizational and cultural support systems across a wide variety of business verticals. 

She and her team have been recognized with an array of prestigious awards, including the Waterstone Most Admired Corporate Culture award, the Charles Jennings Award for Excellence in Social Learning +, Brandon Hall silver awards for Blended Learning and Best Strategy for a Corporate Learning University. Allison is passionate about creating an inclusive environment that inspires people to bring their best selves to work and finding new ways to live by the motto: leave it better than you found it.  

Quote from this episode:

“Your words are far less important than the words of the people around you.”  Allison Dell 

This is one of our top leadership episodes on being an HR leader, mindset and the communication skills needed to build trust and resilience in your organization. 

 

How To Communicate Successfully

Episode #9 is ENERGIZING! How can we communicate successfully, in meetings, with clients or with our colleagues? What about if you and your long-time friend decide to start a business together?

How do you make that work and what communication skills do you need to be effective and maintain respect?

In this episode, our guests Noah Maislin and Marko Lindhe have figured out a way to operationalize their communication styles with each other, their clients, and their roster of 130+ remote contract workers. Being involved with over 20,000 meetings, they share the key factors to successful meetings and those that just lead to yet another meeting. Long-time friends Noah Maislin and Marko Lindhe co-founded in 2014 Minutes Solutions. Minutes Solutions specializes in professional minute-taking and transcription for meetings and improved communications across a variety of industries.

Noah Maislin was born with entrepreneurship in his blood. His father, grandfathers, and even great-grandfather were all entrepreneurs. Noah grew up going to school and summer camp and always came home with money in his pocket from some sort of business he ran at those locations.  Marko Lindhe has a background in med-tech and logistics. Marko was always looking for ways to improve efficiencies within his respective companies and found that the entrepreneurial life was better suited for him. The only thing he loves more than growing a business is traveling and eating (often simultaneously).

Quote from this episode:

“Without solid communication, you don’t have much of a business” – Noah and Marko

This is an insightful episode on leadership, meetings, business partnerships, and the communication skills needed to be successful.

How To Communicate With Confidence

Episode #8 is ENLIGHTENING! We would all like to communicate with confidence. To be more influential and impactful in our business interactions. To have an impact as a leader on the growth of the people around you. As an HR leader, to be influential as a trusted business partner. 

How do you do it?  

 In this episode, Jennifer McClure shares her 30+ years of experience in leadership and HR with great insights and examples of what it takes to communicate in a way that inspires others to be better. Jennifer McClure, CEO of Unbridled Talent LLC & DisruptHR LLC, is frequently recognized as a global influencer and expert on the future of work, strategic leadership and innovative people strategies. Jennifer has decades of in-the-trenches leadership and executive experience working in and with start-ups, privately held companies, and Fortune 500 organizations in a variety of industries. http://jennifermcclure.net 

Jennifer is also the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, http://disrupthr.co, a global community designed to move the collective thinking forward when it comes to talent in the workplace, and hosts a weekly podcast – Impact Makers with Jennifer McClure. 

“If you ask someone: Who’s had the most influence and impact in your life? Your name should come up.” -Jennifer McClure 

This is an insightful episode on leadership, HR and the communication skills needed to be caring and impactful.  

Understand the Nuances of Language

Episode #7 is ENLIGHTENING! How do you adapt to different communication styles? Cultures? Languages? Do assumptions get in the way?

In this episode, Dhimant Patel, a global business leader, shares his insights and experiences in communicating with people from different countries and cultures. Learning the nuances of language for international business can start with a simple question such as: “What’s the price?” – this question must have varying tones to maintain mutual respect.

Dhimant also shares the assumptions and unconscious biases he’s had to deal with. His constant path to managing those emotions has led to some great discoveries about doing business globally.

Dhimant Patel is President and co-owner of Pantry Shelf Food Corp, a family owned and operated business in Toronto, Canada. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at Northern International, and led strategic and financial roles at Weston Foods and Rohm & Haas. Dhimant has lived and worked in Europe, India, USA & Canada and works extensively with partners globally.

This is an enlightening episode on adapting, assumptions and the communication skills needed to build relationships in business.

 

Do Your People Know Your Story?

Episode #6 is ENGROSSING! You want to connect more with your teams. You want to build the culture in your organization, and you know it’s more than a twelve-point plan.

How do you do it?  

In this episode, Kaitlin Sandor-Kerr discusses how and why sharing your story has a ripple effect on people and the company and creates a sense of purpose and values.

As a leader, do your people know your story?  

Kaitlin Sandor-Kerr is the Founder of Support Panda, People & Development (HR) Consultancy. After over a decade of experience within corporate HR, she found her passion for people was renewed while consulting for small business owners looking to be excellent employers and offer a fantastic employment experience to their staff.   

This is an insightful episode on authenticity, leadership, and the communication skills needed to get your people feeling connected to you and the organization. 

It’s About Them

Episode #5 is ENGAGING! You want to present to and engage your audience, whether it’s to one or a thousand people. How do you do it?

In this episode, Nancey Watson shares some great principles of presentation skills and communicating that start with asking yourself, “Do I know who is in the audience and why this should matter to them?” 

You want to be a better presenter and communicator. But it’s not about you, it’s about what is relevant to them. Focusing on that creates trust and has your audience leaning into what and how you’re showing up and presenting. 

Nancey L. Watson is president of NL Watson Consulting Inc . She has helped professional services firms win over $3 billion in competitive bids. Since 2012 Nancey has worked almost exclusively with law firms and in-house legal departments globally.  Nancey is an internationally recognized speaker and the author of The Silver Bullet: How RFPs Are Won, Ark Group and creator of the workshop Strategic Proposal Management. 

 This is an insightful episode on adapting, leadership and the communication skills needed to get your audience engaged. 

This podcast is sponsored by The Great  Canadian Training & Consulting Company.

 

Influencing Without Authority

Episode #4 is ENCOURAGING! You want to influence others to action - whether you have authority or not, how do you do it?

In this episode, Tamara Lovi shares some great principles of influencing and communicating that inspire, motivate, and create collaboration. You want to be an influential leader, but, as Tamara says, “We’re not born with these skills”. It takes failures, coaching and learning to adapt and understand communication styles.

Tamara Lovi is a seasoned health & beauty commercial leader and is the Executive Director for the Digital Commercial Operations group at Merck Canada.

Tamara’s drive to deliver outstanding results and her passion for building purpose-driven businesses and brands that make a difference in peoples’ lives have led to a significant positive impact on all the global leading organizations she has been involved with in the past 20 years.

Committed to empowering women to succeed and reach their full potential, Tamara co-founded Women Leaders in Pharma, a Canadian association that is gaining worldwide attention.

This is an insightful episode on attentive listening, leadership and the communication skills needed to build trust.

This podcast is sponsored by The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company.

Learn more about them at https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca

 

Make Others Feel Valued

Episode #3 is MOTIVATING! We all want to feel appreciated and respected. As a leader, how do you communicate and model that to your teams and clients?

In this episode, Alexa Nick guides us on the foundations to create trust, the effect listening intently has on others and why balancing logic with storytelling matters. 

Alexa Nick began her career as a management consultant. She then pursued her goals of entrepreneurship by founding and launching myPractice, a virtual learning platform supporting global organizations. Alexa is now a Consulting Partner at Deloitte and is the Strategy & Transformation Lead in the Toronto office.   

Alexa is involved with the Morrisette Institute for Entrepreneurship, which enables entrepreneurship as the future growth engine of Canada. She also supports the efforts of the Ivey Alumni Association, Ivey’s Women in Leadership, and the LEADER Project.   

This is an insightful episode on empathy, authenticity and the communication skills needed to build trust.