Dear Former Prime Minister

Dear Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell,

In early October we met in the Toronto airport while lining up to board for Edmonton. I’m the Ottawa-based management consultant, who helps organizations become more effective.

You asked what it is that I do, so I’ve undertaken to explain it here briefly, in a way that’s clear regardless of what business someone is in. At the core of what I do, the type of individual industry or organization is irrelevant to the application and the benefits brought about.

What I Do

Software – more so than the robots we were warned about in the ‘60s – has taken over the world. From taxis being replaced by Uber, to newspapers ignored in favour of Google and Facebook, to video rental companies giving way to Netflix and YouTube. We’re moving from an age when software supported a business, to where software is the business.

I help organizations thrive in the Software Age.  I help leadership evolve from traditional methods and structures of, typically, management heavy, using carrot and stick employee motivation, to self-organizing teams and self-motivating teams who adapt quickly and effectively in the face of industry, culture, and economic changes.

When you and I chatted, I also mentioned my wife’s work, which is possibly more important than my own. I explained my encounter with you to her, and she wrote a blog post: “Dear Former Prime Minister, Here’s what I do for women and why I do it.”

My wife explains that she is “on a mission to help women grow their financial literacy and their confidence in order to create better options for themselves and their families, especially when life happens, as it inevitably does.” In that respect, we have very related goals, except mine is focused on people – and, more recently, leaders and entire organizations – growing group strength and confidence, so they have better business options and responses when industry and economic challenges happen.

I look forward to meeting you again and speaking with the students at your college. I’m already intrigued by your interdisciplinary team concept, as it echoes what we find in truly effective organizations.