Growth and Grind – Family | People, Leadership, Health and Wellness

12Aug 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

The Unconscious Bias Towards Male Names, Pronouns, and Traits in our Conversations

Everyday we create and share stories about customers, team members, and even made-up people in hypothetical situations. We also have a tonne of conversations with the people around us - customers, team mates, friends, family, and so on. Have you ever paused to listen to the names, pronouns, and way you ascribe gender to certain traits in your language (or how others do it)? (more…)

14Jul 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

The Growing Wireless Access Divide

‪Canada’s Big 3 (Telus, Rogers, Bell) telecommunications companies (telcos) recently shifted to “unlimited” plans which push consumers to pay higher prices, regardless of their actual needs. From my vantage point, this reduces access to wireless services by creating a more expensive entry point for all consumers (as an aside, I’m curious about the CRTC’s view on this and their perception on the impact to consumers). (more…)

06Jun 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

Progress comes through failure

‪Success and progress in society come about through failure and regression. It’s hard and it’s scary. I’ve gotten angry and I’ve had my hope flicker. But then I’m reminded how much good we’re doing in the world because of the people I’m with everyday.‬ Parents, teachers, friends, and colleagues can have more impact in a person’s life than words written on a piece of paper.‬ Community and connection hold great and lasting power. It is how we overcome intolerance, inequity, and injustice.‬ Legislating power by the mean, intolerant people looking to divide us is temporary.‬ ‪Though it doesn’t feel that way when I see the treatment of young workers, the LGBTQ2+ community, the environment, education, and surely more groups who will be impacted‬. But we will overcome. We have a…

29May 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

Smart Humility

‪A guy I know at the gym, Mark, shared a great phrase today: “It was foolish pride that caused this, it’s going to take smart humility to fix it.”‬ ‪He was talking about injuries and workouts but I’d wager this applies to all of us at work and in life.

23Apr 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

Miltonduff 23 years

Distillery: Miltonduff (bottled by The Old Malt Cask) Cask Type: Refill Barrel Cask Number: HL15138 Region: Speyside Age: 23 years ABV: 50% Nose: Big blast of tropical fruit, honeycomb, underripe bananas. Palate: Notes that make me think of fruit flan that quickly give way to woody notes (especially oak) and spices. Finish: As it finishes, this whisky really turns up the volume on the richer wood notes which then turn bitter and a bit burnt. An oaky spice is what remains as it coats my tongue and fades away. Overall: An exquisitely layered whisky! (more…)

21Apr 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

Statement of facts

In the coming Canadian federal election, expect promises to fix “all the problems” but few details that stand up to scrutiny. I believe it’s reasonable to expect parties to demonstrate policy impacts using facts, math, and modelling. (more…)

12Apr 2019 by Matt Edwards No Comments

Your views and values show up everywhere

With increasing pace, I’ve seen more people use their voices online to stand up for what they believe is right and participate in fierce conversation and debate. I’ve also seen a shift in organizations' behaviour in response to the expectations of consumers that companies will interact online, speak up on issues, and make business decisions that are rooted in values that align with those of their customers. These trends have me thinking about the challenges individuals and organizations face in how they participate in the social and political climate of today. One particular challenge is around corporate social media policies that strive to find the right balance of influence over how employees engage online, and individuals who are asserting themselves when they feel those policies go too far. Seeing it…