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Character Driven Leadership

Isn't it curious how we realize the same simple things about ourselves over and over (and over again) but that each time it seems like an ah-ha moment?For example, realizing each time how calm you feel after a walk in the woods, or how happy you are every time you put clean sheets on the bed... I keep learning again and again that I draw to understand. If you know me this must sound ridiculous.  You would probably think that drawing to understand would be in the first few lines of my internal dialogue. It is not.
I am a committed doodler and focused note-taker. These skills grew out of simple strategies to capture and control my busy thoughts during long meetings and training sessions. Drawing seemed like a professionally acceptable strategy, rather than knitting, to keep my hands occupied.

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Culture and Heritage and the Complexity of Identity

International sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics provide intriguing examples of the complexity and situated-nature of culture and heritage as people from all walks of life reveal, (re) create, adopt and adapt to some form of unique and shared identity, even if temporarily. This situated-ness is what illustrates one of the most substantial challenges for organizations and governments alike as they wrestle with complexity in their mission.

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3 Positive Steps Toward Ending Poverty in Canada

This article originally appeared on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives website on July 20, 2016 by David MacDonald and is re-posted here with permission.


In 1989, when the House of Commons voted unanimously to end child poverty by the year 2000, there was much applause.

But as the years started to pass, political inaction fueled a deepening sense that government commitments to reduce poverty were mere words.

It’s 2016 and Canada is a long way from ending poverty, but three promising developments are about to lift almost half a million people above the poverty line.

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Learn more about the NEW Ontario Student Grant program!

In this podcast, the United Way of Toronto and York Region's Pedro Barata discusses with the Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier and Minister for Advanced Education and Skills Development, how the new Ontario Student Grant is coming together to provide free or reduced cost tuition for low and moderate income families.

Watch the recording here:

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The Art of Disruption | A Reflection

Last week, Tamarack’s Liz Weaver and Paul Born hosted a webinar on Community Change: The Art of Disruption as part of a Community Change Webinar Series. In this conversation Liz and Paul discussed some emerging ideas and strategies that are disrupting how some communities today are responding to the complex issues that they face.

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Protecting Children: Moving from a Focus on Immediate Needs to Acknowledging Rights

This blog was originally published on the Maytree website on July 7, 2016 and is reposted here with persmission.

Maytree’s human rights approach to poverty reduction connects with my interest and experience working to improve the lives of children, a journey which began while working as a consultant with UNICEF starting in 1999. I quickly learned that children’s issues are not simply a matter of charity or needs, but a matter of justice and fulfillment of human rights.

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