Posts by Tim Shaw

The world at large is suffering from an aversion to the middle ground, moderation and grey areas. Social media demands that we make immediate judgments as to whether we like something or not. Politics the world over seems to be trending far left or far right. No longer is it fashionable to seek compromise, be…

Business owners and leaders must work hard to avoid these overarching societal trends. We must not lose sight of the need for the softer skills associated with listening to customers, staff, other stakeholders and one’s own sense of what is ethical in a fast-paced judgmental world. There exists a real need for healthy debate, fostered…

Let’s all open our minds to what has worked in the past.—-listening to others, respect and humility while simultaneously embracing the need to keep current and blaze new trails. As business leaders we have the opportunity to foster this badly needed debate!

In dealing with clients, management consultants regularly confront a wide variety of symptoms of organizational dysfunction and sub optimization. Once one probes behind the symptoms, often a lack of clear communication is at the heart of the problem. Continue to Part 2

An under-recognized break in the chain of communication is a manager’s or supervisor’s desire and/or ability to communicate “upwards” within their organization. While we routinely read and learn about how to engage staff and be a team player, far less is written about “managing up” within one’s organization. Continue to Part 3

A key driver of a manager’s success is their ability to proactively keep their boss in the loop and engaged. In that regard, I regularly advise managers to keep a journal of items and issues which: 1 – require boss’s decisions and direction 2 – would benefit from boss’s input although the decision rests with…

I have had the benefit of splitting my business advisory career learning the art and science of management. I initially learned the science of management in downtown Toronto’s major corporations and Ottawa’s government departments and agencies. The second half of my career has been spent working predominantly with mid-sized owner-managed businesses in Canada where management…

I believe that every decision should start with the facts and analysis (the science) needed to represent a decision “backdrop”. You noticed I said “backdrop”. Because science isn’t always the answer (but often is). Sometimes “feel” trumps what the analysis produces.  However, feel without knowing the science of the decision can be dangerous. The truly…