Interview on landing your first independent Board role between Maureen Farmer, Founder & CEO of Westgate Executive Branding & Career Consulting Inc., and Jonathan Bennett, Principal of ClearlyThen Inc.

Taking risks – why we do it, why we don’t. Some of us move at a glacial pace to try something new getting stuck in information gathering and analysis paralysis. Others move on intuition and gut feeling. Others still like to rely on a trusty combination of both.

If you’re contemplating taking a risk, making a change, starting something new, join me and fellow coach, Jonathan Bennett, for Take a Risk Already! – a live chat where we hash both sides of the risk-taking continuum, different kinds of motivation, fears, and other thoughts and feelings that either block or push us forward on opportunities to take risks, small and large.

Fall Group Coaching Program. Connect with other leaders. Learn, share and grow. Leadership is lonely. But only if you let it.

Firing an employee is difficult. But what really is going on for a leader when they avoid it? In this blog Jonathan Bennett looks at the emotional complexity of firing and what leaders can do to refocus themselves afterwards.

The oft-repeated line, that people need to "earn a leader’s trust” is actually a power move. I’ve come to understand it as code for: there is no relationship here, unless I say so. We don't earn trust FROM another person. This is backwards. Trust is granted. We grant trust to a deserving leader. This article has three ways to think about trust.

Lack of meaningful connections and relationships have worsened. Many leaders have somehow lost their once-strong, habit of connecting deeply with colleagues. Reconnecting is key.

How do your company’s values reflect the strategy you put forth with your team. In fact, the two are linked! Read on to find out how.

There are distinctions between a personality-driven leader and a purpose-driven leader. It’s rarely binary. We all move across the line, sometimes many times in one day. But knowing where you are in a serious moment, how you are showing up for the folks around you, can make all the difference.

Micro-interview by Jonathan Bennett, Executive Coach, and Kylie Fox-Peltier. Jonathan was interested in learning from Kylie about what settlers don’t see, or understand, when it comes to how leadership is understood from an indigenous perspective. As Kylie says, “As Anishinaabe, we are taught to lead with our hearts and spirit, not just our mind.”

It can be hard to know if your cover letter actually helps you land the job or if it’s just a superficial template. Here are some ways to make your cover letter pop.

Shift your approach to how you manage time, and how view delegation. Created a plan for how to implement different systems and processes to inject calm your workplace.

Build space for strategic thinking into your work week. Do work only a CEO should do. Stop the drama and create a calm workplace.

One challenge is fear. Many organizations are afraid that they won’t approach Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the “right” way. This fear is debilitating, leaving organizations in one of two states: stunted (doing nothing) or worried (spending lots of money on legal fees). I say, be courageous and just start somewhere.

For some, this starting point could be learning—about racism, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of discrimination. For others, it could be having safe dialogues to help develop resources for employees. We won’t progress in our EDI journeys if we don’t try to take at least one step forward.

You are only brand new on a team for a short, precious while. Soon, you'll be enmeshed in the group's culture. This means, you're more likely to defend your collective decisions, even if flawed.

Understanding your value proposition, and how you are positioned against your competition is important. So is where you’re headed next. Take this quick quiz to learn more.

Jonathan Bennett is a guest on the podcast “Get Hired Up” with Maureen Farmer from Westgate. Conversation is about leadership, B Corps, and strategies to land Board appointments.

Micro interview with Jonathan Bennett and Matthew Dubins. They discuss Matthew’s entrepreneurship successes, autism, and turning passions into business.

No one knows exactly where their own career is headed. Shockingly, even those who seem to have it all together. Sometimes, they ESPECIALLY don't. When you're at a crossroads, feeling lost, uncertain, or lack confidence, take comfort. It means that change is happening.

Leadership decision-making is all about knowing when to make the right moves, but that comes along with many questions and self-awareness. Here is how making those changes can be like choosing an avocado.

Micro-interview between Jonathan Bennett and Liesbeth van der Linden, global executive coach about the commonalities between leading distributed teams and moving abroad to lead in person.

Micro-interview with Kemi Akapo, City Councillor and community organizer where Jonathan Bennett and Kemi discuss leadership, the pandemic, decision making and the confidence.