Parenthood

The day your first child is born, is the day you become a parent for every minute of the rest of your life. Many of the business lessons I have learned have come from watching my children and many of the parenting lessons have come from my work in business.

Recognition

Posted ago by Matthew

As a parent I know the importance of showing love to my children.  It’s one matter to love, it’s entirely another to show it consistently.  When I coach or train my clients I often ask the question, “Is it enough to …

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Switch – Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Posted ago by Matthew

About two weeks ago I was sitting by myself at a cafe reading, when a man comes up to me and asks “What do you think of the book?” I was reading Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s book Switch: How …

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Commitment

Posted ago by Matthew

Sometimes it takes a long time to learn the value of commitment.  This one took me more than five years. About eight years ago, my wife and I committed to volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary.  It’s …

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What My Grandfather Taught Me – Lesson #1

Posted ago by Matthew

One hour a day, three days a week, pretty well every week for ten years my grandfather (Opa) would teach me either Lithuanian or German language. At the time it was gruelling.  I called it “the dungeon”, even though we sat …

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A Fourth Gift

Posted ago by Matthew

So I was discussing my parenting theory from my previous entry with my parents, whom I credit with being solid parental role models. They added a fourth gift that good parents give their children, and that’s a good work ethic. …

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Christmas Gifts

Posted ago by Matthew

Merry Christmas! Last night we celebrated Christmas, and I was reflecting on the whole theory of gift giving. With three young children we have gifts to give them, but as I thought about the best gifts I have received in my …

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The Greatest Lesson of All

Posted ago by Matthew

So often these days people rate their level of success by a few key criteria – job position, annual income, size of house, location of house, size of television, value of car(s) etc. Success for many is represented by what …

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