Reflections On The Road To Respect

This article highlights some of what my first guest Anne Kinvig COO of Pacific Blue Cross & BC Life shared in her interview. This is the first in the series, which will continue once a quarter throughout 2012. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Erica Pinsky's full 35 minute recorded interview with Anne Kinvig, COO of Pacific Blue Cross See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s a New Year. In spite of the fact that according to the Mayan calendar it is also going to be our last, I am feeling very optimistic about 2012.One reason for my optimism is the fact that Values.com, The Foundation for A Better Life, an organization that I blogged about last year has not only survived, but is thriving. It now has the economic clout to advertise in multiple media streams to promote the importance of values in making a positive difference in people’s lives and communities. During the holiday season I passed a billboard that caught my eye because, rather than yet another ad for some product we all just have to run out and buy, it had a simple slogan about doing good. PeopleforGood.ca, like Values.com, is interested in making the world a better place. They don’t want us to buy anything. They just want us to do good: to be generous, compassionate, respectful and kind, precisely what I am dedicated to create in our workplaces.Another reason I am feeling optimistic about 2012 is beca

If you have had a chance to check out my web site lately, you might remember reading this on the home page. Bullying and harassment produce disconnected, fear based cultures where employees won’t speak up. And when employees are afraid to speak up, not only are costly problems going on unresolved, but innovative and creative ideas that will enhance your organizational effectiveness are being stifled.In Road to Respect, I talk about the fact that it is not the absence of disrespect in and of itself that creates superior business results. Rather it is the releasing of individual potential that a respectful workplace fosters that produces that outcome. Respectful, relationship based leadership creates an environment where people feel connected, where they want to contribute to their full potential and are empowered to do so.Last spring I was facilitating a respectful leadership session with a client with whom I have been working for the past couple of years. Given that Road to Respect leadership is relations

There is a lot to celebrate this month. In addition to the holiday season, December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and December 10, International Human Rights Day, marking the 63rd anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.I didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas. It was “their” holiday. It wasn’t until I met my late husband that I experienced the “magic” of Christmas; the amazing smell of a living tree, the fun of decorating, the comfort of lights on dark winter evenings, the eggnog, the gingerbread and of course, the chocolate. I was hooked!On December 6, 2001 my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had his first chemotherapy treatment a few days later and spent his last Christmas in a hospital bed. As was his habit, he had already bought the tree, and most of the presents. He made me promise to have Christmas as usual for our five year old daughter. I will never forget being in our basement on Christmas Eve, after having put out the milk

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At a recent networking event I was standing near a couple of younger women who were deep in a conversation about challenges they were facing at work.  After introducing ourselves I learned that they both work in large organizations, each in a position of power.   One woman was talking about a staff member who seemed to have no idea as to what constituted appropriate workplace behaviour.  Apparently this is a common problem because the other woman seemed to be experiencing a lot of the same issues at her workplace.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ever heard of Dagenham, England? I know I hadn’t until very recently when I saw Made in Dagenham, a film about female employees at the Ford Plant who walked off their jobs in 1968 to protest the fact that they were getting paid a lot less than men doing work of equal value. It was that action that led to the passage of the Equal Pay Act in Britain. It wasn’t long before countries on both sides of the pond followed suit and passed similar pieces of legislation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I heard about Heritage Law quite by accident. I met lawyer Monique Shebbeare at a networking event. I learned that she was working in a firm focused on estates, wills and family law. Then she shared that she is the mother of an 18 month old. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As I discuss in Road to Respect, building a respectful workplace culture is not about adopting a paper strategy. It is about the willingness of those in leadership to really walk the talk, to take action to ensure that the policy serves as a foundation for a truly respectful, values driven culture. Apparently, that willingness is thriving among the leaders at NSCU. Michele had nothing but positive things to say about her experience working with North Shore Credit Union. Although she was not an employee, she was immediately welcomed and made to feel like part of the team.She described a workplace where employees were engaged and passionate, working together in a supportive environment, committed to producing superior results. To top it off she even used the word respectful to describe the workplace culture. I left that meeting elated. I love to hear stories of companies, particularly those I have worked with, that are getting respect right! Wow, I thought as I made my way back to the Canada Line, you s

I had the opportunity last month to sit down with John DeHart and learn more about what propelled Nurse Next Door to the number one spot as BC’s Top Employer. I am pleased to be able to share the highlights with you in this first e-news of a new decade. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.