We’ll miss her, won’t we? For nearly all of us, Queen Elizabeth II has always been there, just like the sun and the moon and the morning mist. Elizabeth became Queen in difficult circumstances. Her father, George VI, died far too young. Lung cancer. He had been a good king, decent, inspiring, courageous, but even…
No, this is not a political smackdown, or a jest. This deals with an essential truth for all professionals and entrepreneurs. It can mean the difference between success and a trainwreck. The truth is that all professionals have Trump-like clients who show up at the door looking for your help. Knowing how to deal with…
Of all forms of business writing, memos are probably the most badly abused. Far too many are just gosh-awful. Let’s look at them. The true test of a good memo is how well it ages. If, in ten years, a stranger can pick up your memo and understand exactly what you intended to convey, that’s…
Historians can’t agree whether Louis XIV uttered these words, or whether they are apocryphal. Either way, they perfectly depict Louis’ philosophy: “I myself am the state.” Louis the “Sun King” ruled France and its empire from 1643-1715, a realm that stretched from Canada to Africa and Asia, including at times large parts of Europe. His…
Life sucks, doesn’t it? There’s never enough of the good things, and always too many of the bad things. Income is too low, expenses are too high. Even the weather is mostly lousy. What’s a grown man or woman to do? Frankly, it’s time for a good old-fashioned tantrum. That’s it – let’s just lie…
If you’re a kid in North America, one of the highlights of the year is Howl Ween, a festival celebrated on October 31 in which your parents go to insane lengths and expense to dress you up in preposterous costumes and send you out into the neighbourhood to collect loot. At the same time, your…
This tribute is about fifty years overdue. Teaching was the first of my three formal professions, and in many ways my happiest and best. Among the highlights was watching the unfolding and blooming of a young girl called Tracy. Tracy was one of those kids who sat at the back of the class, her goal…
Things were different in the Halifax of 1835. Then, as now, Nova Scotia’s capital was a busy seaport and naval base, the largest city in the region, and a hub of political and cultural activity. But as much as Atlantic Canada today is known as a bastion of sensible and progressive politics, in those days…
In both my current profession as an advisor and my former profession as a lawyer, nothing makes me cringe more than officious bombast posing as legalese. And perhaps the most cringeworthy phrase is “please be advised”. “Please be advised” represents everything that is goshawful about goshawfulness. If I speak legalese, will people suddenly think I’m…
The Madawaska River drains from majestic Lac Temiscouata in Quebec and flows through a mountain valley into New Brunswick, where it meets the St. John near Edmundston. It’s a glistening gem of a river, set in a gentle and verdant valley. Nestled in the valley, near the river’s shore, is a highway rest stop that…