Here are links to articles and posts I have worked on for your reading enjoyment!

Generative AI: Ban it or bring it on? One Professor’s Perspective May 2024

This article is a prespection of AI in education based on some of the readings and discussions I have been following. It offers a personal reflection on the topic.

Hello Business, Are You Paying Attention? May 2024

This article considers several recent news events that have made me wonder if businesses are paying attention to how quickly the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) landscape is shifting with each new event in the news. Since the Paris Climate Accord was signed in 2015 at the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21, we have seen faster advancements in protecting our environment focused on how business operates, reporting transparency and accountability.

A Student’s Journey: An Analogy to Building and Racing an F1 Car. May 2024

I considered an analogy with how an FI race might feel a bit like the journey students face and how it can be likened to the process of building and racing a Formula 1 (F1) car. Here are a few ideas that I thought of on how they connect.

The battle lines are drawn, and the arena is our fragile planet! April 2024

The European Court’s Historic Ruling on Climate Change Inaction and Its Implications for Canada

In a groundbreaking decision, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared that climate change violates the right to respect one’s private and family life. This ruling sends a powerful message, sets a powerful precedent and has significant implications for countries worldwide, including Canada.

INDICATORS OFF THE CHARTS: DEADLY CONSEQUENCES; BIODIVERSITY IS COLLAPSING, RED ALERT…… March 2024

Red Alert: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasizes that we are close to the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo sounds the Red Alert to the world, urging urgent action against the climate crisis.

I woke up this morning depressed about the climate change news and reports and am not sure how to express my feelings. All this news seems overwhelming, like a storm of swirling feelings and mixed emotions; maybe some despair, maybe some anger, and most likely some guilt. So, my friends, I am letting my feelings flow, more like a thunderstorm, hoping it will make me feel…..well, I am not sure! While I generally like to think of myself as an optimistic pessimist, I could not shake this overwhelming feeling stemming from climate change news.

Parallels in Project Management and Teaching: Common Threads of a Roadmap.  February 2024

I was excited to attend our Conestoga College School of Business Strategic Global Business Management convocation this week. It always brings a mix of positive emotions that range from pride to seeing graduates walk across the stage with a look of satisfaction to the feeling that the work, dedication and many learning hours that I and other professors have put in to support the graduates have a positive outcome, to the anticipation of what these graduates will do in the future while preparing to support the next cohort through their academic journey.

As I think about teaching in future terms, I cannot help but draw parallels to a good project plan and how it intersects and converges with a good teaching plan. While the contexts may seem different, some common elements align with a project plan’s five (5) key phases that I have reflected on (Roske, 2017).

Business as Institutions of Hope: Paving the Path to Sustainability. December 2023

COP28 wrapped up in December 2023 with a push to negotiate a common outcome. The parties to the conference adopted a decision for the end of the first Global Stocktake, which was introduced several years ago to address and accelerate the shortfalls under the Paris Agreement, recognizing the need for rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in alignment with 1.5°C target established through the Paris Agreement, among other key items. With each COP resolution and with every government regulation passed, I often wonder who bears the responsibility to deliver on these goals and regulations.

The intersection of my Business and Peace & Conflict Learning Journey. November 2023

On Monday, November 21st, I was invited to be part of an MPACS (Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies) Peacebuilding Career Panel with other alums at Conrad Grebel University College @ the University of Waterloo. I was honoured to be in the program’s first cohort as a part-time student, graduating in 2017. During the interview process for acceptance to the program and at work, there were many questions about how this program connected with my business career and peacebuilding. As part of the panel discussion, the questions posed made me reflect again on that journey and how my business career path and MPACS intersected.

COVID, Chaos Theory and Chaos Engineering: What can it teach us about managing our Supply Chain? October 2023

Businesses have traditionally encountered disruptions, but the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit us in 2019 was extraordinary as it interrupted global supply chains by causing significant shocks to the supply chain global network. Businesses of all sizes struggled to minimize supply chain disruptions’ short-term and long-term impacts. In a typical and steady pre-COVID-19 state, the actions taken by one link in the supply chain are generally known and predictable. In times of crisis, such as COVID-19, reactions vary and are uncontrollable and irrational at best. These reactions cause the supply chain to enter a state of chaos.

Preaching to the choir or preaching to the non-choir, where do I focus my communications? October 2023

In a recent training session, I attended, one of the lines the speaker used during his talk was about his audience and how he did not need to “preach to the choir” as we were already engaged by attending the session. Another example that aligns with this statement may be the religious leader who preaches to the congregation. They are already believers who are present and engaged. This had me reflecting on my way home from the session about how frequently I have heard “You are preaching to the choir” and how often I may have used that line during my career(s) in business and education.

Do you……Are You……? My best advice for our Conestoga School of Business Graduates for 2023. September 2023

As another semester has ended, many Conestoga Strategic Global Business Management (SGBM) program students graduate after this Summer 2023 term and leave the School of Business to pursue their next chapter. Students often ask me for advice, and I spend time to figure out how to respond best.

As I thought about my response this term, I found a piece of paper with writings that resonated with me on some level at some point as I took the time to write these ideas down. I am unsure when or where I collected this, but it would have been many years ago, based on the yellowing of the paper I scribbled it on. Below is the best advice I can provide to a graduating class. This is not my original thought, so credit is due to someone somewhere. I have added context to each point from the notes I made at the time.

Help Students Build Dispute Resolution Skills for Group Work. June 2023

While Conestoga’s programs teach core knowledge and skill sets related to particular fields of study, they also provide opportunities for students to develop “soft” or “essential” skills for life after college. Working in groups is one of these opportunities. In the School of Business, many of our postgraduate certificates and diploma-level programs have a group work component. Our programs’ learning outcomes link to not only course subject matter but also the “essential” skills for working in cross-functional settings. Students learn to manage workflow while communicating and collaborating with others who have varying skill levels and different personalities. Today, many companies operate in cross-functional teams, and the skills learned will prepare students for this business environment.

What can blooming flowers tell me about leadership & over-leading? June 2023

In my front yard, I have beautiful blooming flowers. Working as a professor and updating business course teaching materials, attempting to connect business theory with practical applications, I was reflecting on how comparing my blooming flowers and their natural cycle to leadership and the questions of whether you can over-lead people (or under-lead) could offer some insights.

Teaching for Tomorrow: Evolving Practices for the 21st Century. June 2023

Recently, this quote from the faculty development workshop “Teaching Theory to Practical Learners” by Nancy Nelson resonated with me because it made me wonder how my teaching translates into the student experience, which is vastly different from my own.

Big Data, Small Data, Data Governance & bit of self-promotion! November 2022

I am happy to have completed an education program on Supply Chain Analytics for Business Results through Data For Business Performance Institute and Supply Chain Management Association Ontario. Thanks to Prashanth H Southekal, Ph.D., MBA. While there are far too many vital learnings and insights from the program, here are a few that resonated with me.

Conestoga College, teaching the leaders of tomorrow_Cambridge Chamber Spectrum Spring 2022.pdf Spring 2022

The business landscape is quickly changing as the impact of climate change and the need for sustainability become even more entrenched in the way modern organizations operate. Conestoga College is preparing its students to navigate this new world by accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) as a guiding framework in their education.

Lemons to Lemonade…..how to make it sweeter! A personal story. June 2022

You have undoubtedly been told or heard many different quips, quotes, and adages as you face challenges in your business or personal life from co-workers, family, and friends. Throughout my career, I have heard many and forgotten many more. One that has stuck with me is “turn lemons to lemonade.” I have been reflecting on this quip and trying to sort out how to do that when the lemon is a BIG one, more on my BIG lemon in a minute.

Flattening the curve(s). February 2021

We have been in our lock downs and stay at home orders for the better part of 2020 and the start of 2021, forcing us all to adjust our working and personal life routines to flatten the COVID 19 curve, prioritizing the safety of families and workers. With the risk of new variants and the hope of vaccination programs we are still challenged as we think about what our state of normalcy may look like in the coming months. While we have been focused on the important tasks of pandemic management and keeping our families safe and businesses operating, another global risk curve has flattened, perhaps also offering us a different kind of hope.

Supply Chain; Vulnerability, Visibility and Value. May 2020

The supply chain enables trillions of dollars worth of goods movement globally and can be correlated to the success of companies. Supply chains cover a broad scope of activities, which includes sourcing, procurement, inventory, transportation, distribution, operations, sustainability and replenishment. Some definitions of supply chain now identify it as a critical component of a company value chain, the backbone of companies and, more importantly, the global economy. When there is a shock to this global chain, such as COVID-19, it can cause significant disruption to company operations.

Agility, Adaptability and Resilience for Competitive Advantage. May 2020

It is a gross understatement to say that this pandemic event has not been easy, a significant disruptor of our work and personal lives, a shock to the system. How fast life can change, one day, regular routines, then the next day we are experiencing a global pandemic, an economic meltdown, borders being closed, #social distancing and working from our homes, if we were fortunate to continue working. Together, we have rallied and prioritized safety and shown the spirit of our communities. As our thoughts turn to how to exit this unprecedented event, the big question is, what now? How will the new normal be defined?