Innovative Procurement is a popular topic these days in the procurement sector of all industries. One of the first questions I’m asked when the topic comes up is whether it’s Procurement Innovation i.e. how procurement staff do their work or, Procuring Innovation i.e....

Back in March, I was asked: “so what do you think of roll-up strategies?” The asker was contemplating such a strategy and shared that he now has access to a sizeable pot of private equity cash. It got me thinking about my own experience of having been part of the very...

Most organizations are “allergic” to change. It is time-consuming, challenging and provokes stress among staff, Board, volunteers, and clients. Yet change is a way of life in today’s contemporary organizational life. The question is not “Whether to change?” but rather...

Part 1 – Rigoletto I was sitting at the opera last night thinking about what I was seeing and how it provides evidence of what good leadership – or, more commonly, its opposite – looks like. So, I plan to write occasionally about the management lessons found in the...

I was asked by the Toronto Arts Foundation to deliver a short presentation on human resources for directors of small not-for-profit and charitable organizations. In January, I opened my news feed to see that the artistic director of a prominent Canadian theatre...

About 10 years ago, when I was directing a national fundraising campaign, I met with a prospective donor at a posh tennis club. The weather was warm, the sun was shining and the table set with crisp white linens. The conversation, however, was not nearly as sanitized...