Category Archives: Leadership
Top 5 CEO Succession Planning Strategies Guide
Access 5 proven CEO succession planning strategies for boards and executives. Download our free guide to build a robust succession framework and ensure leadership continuity.
The Reasons Why High-Trust Organizations Outperform
Did you know? Companies with high trust levels outperform their competitors by up to 400%. For organizational leaders, this stark performance gap exposes an often-overlooked catalyst of organizational success: trust.
Executive Guide: Managing Leadership Conflict & Conversations Ebook
Discover how top executives transform difficult conversations into strategic advantages. Learn the 5 hidden costs of conflict avoidance and a framework for success.
Mastering Organizational Change: An Executive’s Guide to Effective Transformation Ebook
What is effective change management? Explore the top 5 challenges that can make your organizational change fail, and practical change management strategies all leaders should use to successfully implement organizational change.
Avoid the New CEO Crash: Thriving in Your First Year
Why do so many executives and organizations stumble with leadership transition, and how can you buck this trend? Explore common new leadership challenges along with strategies new leaders and boards should implement to set the stage for transformative success.
Navigating Uncertainty: People-Centred Organizational Resilience
Building organizational resilience goes far beyond just developing contingency plans. It is crucial for organizations to cultivate resilient people – people with the ability to adapt, recover, and even flourish in the face of adversity.
Realize 2023 Impact Report
Organizations have a responsibility to help build a better world, and we are no exception. We are proud to be certified by B Corp, Living Wage, and Buy Social Canada. From empowering leaders and organizations, to volunteering, social purchasing, knowledge sharing, and global stewardship, we are committed to strengthening our communities. Some of our 2023Continue reading “Realize 2023 Impact Report”
4 Questions All Board Chairs and CEOs Should Ask Each Other
The best board chair (chair) and chief executive relationships are founded on mutual trust and respect. But at Realize, we know that for some chief executives, this relationship can be a deadweight and feel like just another item on their pile of things to ‘manage’ instead of a real lift both professionally and personally. ForContinue reading “4 Questions All Board Chairs and CEOs Should Ask Each Other”
Our Social Impact: Realize 2021-22 Impact Report
“We bring value to our members, clients, and partners by reinvesting in, engaging, and collaborating with the communities we serve.” 2021/22 has been a year of growth and new ventures. As the world around us has shifted and adapted to the new needs and norms of the workplace, we have been listening closely to theContinue reading “Our Social Impact: Realize 2021-22 Impact Report”
The Value of Taking a People-Centred Change Management Approach
Last updated on March 28, 2024 Every organization goes through change – it is inevitable. In fact, change should be a regular part of every organization’s operations to remain successful and competitive. When we begin to think about instituting change or commencing change initiatives, it is essential to practice effective change management. At the heartContinue reading “The Value of Taking a People-Centred Change Management Approach”
Realize Employee Experience Survey Insights: What We Learned in 2022
Driving workplace change starts with listening to our people. In early 2022, we heard from 281 employees working at five purpose-driven organizations in BC who participated in the first annual Realize Employee Experience Survey. These organizations ranged in size from 20 to 500 people and were primarily non-profit organizations. Using the Realize Employee Experience Framework,Continue reading “Realize Employee Experience Survey Insights: What We Learned in 2022”
Realize is a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp!
We are thrilled to announce that Realize has been named a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp in recognition of our exceptional positive impact in two categories: Governance and Workers! Best for the World is a distinction granted by B Lab to Certified B Corporations (B Corps) whose verified B Impact Scores in theContinue reading “Realize is a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp!”
3 Lessons for Leaders on How to Adapt for Hybrid Workplaces
Regardless of one’s own personal feelings on the matter, remote work is here to stay and hybrid work is the future for many remote-capable employees. Given this, it’s important for leaders and organizations to treat and approach hybrid work as an entirely new way of working together instead of an employee perk. What do theContinue reading “3 Lessons for Leaders on How to Adapt for Hybrid Workplaces”
Managing Workplace Burnout: A Strategic Guide for Leaders
Last updated on Oct 1, 2024 In today’s business environment, burnout has evolved from a mere buzzword to a critical challenge that demands the attention of every executive and board director. The prevalence of burnout in today’s world has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to officially recognize and include it in the International ClassificationContinue reading “Managing Workplace Burnout: A Strategic Guide for Leaders”
Making a Difference: Realize 2020-21 Impact Report
“We believe people are the heartbeat and that culture is foundation of all world-changing organizations.” This is the core principle of the work we do here at Realize – putting people and culture at the centre of everything we do. 2020/21 has been a year of unprecedented change. As we have all had to continuouslyContinue reading “Making a Difference: Realize 2020-21 Impact Report”
Shared Services: A Solution for BC Non-Profit COVID-19 Recovery
In March, we heard from 84 non-profit leaders across BC to learn about how COVID-19 has impacted them and what their priorities are for recovery in 2021 and beyond. The survey revealed that the operational areas where COVID-19 had the most negative impact on were people and culture (80%), program operations and ability meeting clientContinue reading “Shared Services: A Solution for BC Non-Profit COVID-19 Recovery”
Dear Non-profit Board Member: Are You Harnessing or Hindering Innovation?
Dear Non-profit Board Member, Let me start this letter by thanking you sincerely for agreeing to serve on a non-profit. It’s incredibly important work. You’ve chosen to sacrifice time with friends and family. You may even have given up an opportunity to make money — possibly a lot of money. Instead, you’ve chosen to volunteerContinue reading “Dear Non-profit Board Member: Are You Harnessing or Hindering Innovation?”
The Business Case for Pressing Pause: Our August Break Week
We’re closing down this August. Not permanently – but for the first time in our 22 years of practice, Realize is closing our practice down in the middle of August for a week. But why? We can hear many of you asking. What’s the point of closing in the middle of August? Is it forContinue reading “The Business Case for Pressing Pause: Our August Break Week”
Hopes and Fears: Establishing Creative Unity
Many people often feel excited and a bit nervous at the start of a new project. Does everyone’s work styles mesh easily together? What are the team and individual goals around this initiative? How familiar and comfortable are you and your team with each other’s communication styles or quirks? The Hopes and Fears activity isContinue reading “Hopes and Fears: Establishing Creative Unity”
5 Ways Coral Reefs Reflect the Employee Experience
I’m pretty sure that when I say “employee experience” your next thought will probably not be “coral reef”. But when I was working on building our Realize Employee Experience Framework™ (REEF) and saw the accidental acronym, I was struck with a wave of inspiration. If you think about it, they actually have quite a lotContinue reading “5 Ways Coral Reefs Reflect the Employee Experience”
Revitalize Your Employee Survey in 6 Easy Steps
Employee surveys. Most organizations do them once a year or even less frequently. Some might call them satisfaction surveys, some might call them engagement surveys. But either way, the results usually get filed away without much changing, which can lead to cynicism from employees and, ironically, lower levels of satisfaction and engagement. We focus soContinue reading “Revitalize Your Employee Survey in 6 Easy Steps”
Celebrating Leadership and Advice That Has Shaped Our Careers
Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate and honour all the women who are changing the world, day by day, we asked our team to share a few personal stories about the female leaders in their lives. The call was “share a time when a female leader inspired you in your professional career or gave youContinue reading “Celebrating Leadership and Advice That Has Shaped Our Careers”
Harvard Business Review Says Corporate Leaders Should “Stop Softening Tough Feedback.” But What About Non-Profits?
The non-profit sector is critical to the health of our communities. Fierce work is carried out daily in the sector, ranging from poverty intervention to critical support for seniors. But is the same fierceness and clarity warranted for having tough employee feedback conversations with the 2+ million charitable and non-profit sector employees in Canada? TheContinue reading “Harvard Business Review Says Corporate Leaders Should “Stop Softening Tough Feedback.” But What About Non-Profits?”
How To: Giving and Receiving Negative Feedback
Have you ever struggled with how to approach giving negative feedback to a colleague? Or perhaps felt hurt and deflated when on the receiving end of negative feedback? Removing the fear of how to be wrong and spending time learning tools that introduce constructive feedback into the ideation process is essential in ensuring your teamContinue reading “How To: Giving and Receiving Negative Feedback”
We Made it to 2021, Now What? Adapting Management Styles for the Post-COVID Reality
For a lot of us, getting to the end of 2020 felt like a relief. But in reality, we’re still far away from getting back to “normal”, including in the workplace. For people who are able to work remotely, this will continue for the foreseeable future as vaccines are slowly rolled out. And there haveContinue reading “We Made it to 2021, Now What? Adapting Management Styles for the Post-COVID Reality”
User Manuals: A Cheatsheet for Powerful Team Collaboration
Have you ever wished that there was a playbook on how to bring out the best out in your team? What if you had a cheatsheet or “user manual” covering each person’s quirks, pet peeves, or communication style? Whether you’re hopping into a new team or just want to better gel with your existing one,Continue reading “User Manuals: A Cheatsheet for Powerful Team Collaboration”
DEI: From Acronym to Action
What’s stopping your workplace from taking practical action to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive? This was the topic we dove into at our DEI workshop with more than 45 passionate leaders and change makers from multiple sectors and across Canada and the U.S. Led by the inspiring Donte Curtis, Lead Consultant and Founder ofContinue reading “DEI: From Acronym to Action”
10 Months Later: State of the Victoria Workforce
2020 has been a year of massive change and disruption around the world. It’s hard to believe that just shy of 10 months ago, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. I feel very lucky to have a job which can be done remotely, since many do not. Many more have eitherContinue reading “10 Months Later: State of the Victoria Workforce”
Here’s Our Talent Culture and Performance Strategy. What’s Yours?
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Peter Drucker At Realize, we spend a lot of time thinking about people and culture. We firmly believe that people are the foundation and heart of all organizations regardless of size or sector – they’re the ones running, building, innovating, giving loyalty, and bringing in money for your company. PeopleContinue reading “Here’s Our Talent Culture and Performance Strategy. What’s Yours?”
School Reopening Delayed: 5 Ways To Support Working Parents
It’s a tough and confusing time for everyone right now, especially working parents. When the B.C. Ministry of Education announced a full return to school for all K-12 students, parents and teachers alike responded with a wave of concern. A recent survey showed 49 percent of parents across the province are not comfortable sending theirContinue reading “School Reopening Delayed: 5 Ways To Support Working Parents”
Leadership Succession: 4 Key Board Considerations
“A person who does not worry about the future will shortly have worries about the present.” Ancient Chinese proverb Here is a sobering thought: over 50% of non-profit and private sector boards do not have a formal CEO succession plan in place. The obvious question is: Why? Put simply, many boards find leadership succession planningContinue reading “Leadership Succession: 4 Key Board Considerations”
Being Financially Prepared for the “New Normal”: Back to the Basics
Effective financial management is a vital part of the business recovery process. Primarily, it’s about going back to basics to ensure you have a strong foundation and just taking things from there. The lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic will shape our organizations for generations to come. Here are six quick tips on how toContinue reading “Being Financially Prepared for the “New Normal”: Back to the Basics”
Re-Solidify Your Culture in the “New Normal”: 3 Ways Employee Empowerment Can Strengthen Culture
As we’re slowly and cautiously starting to reopen and navigate our “new normal”, there are a lot of frank and potentially difficult conversations and work to be done. What is your work culture going to be like as laid off employees are brought back? How much trust is there between staff and leadership? Is everyoneContinue reading “Re-Solidify Your Culture in the “New Normal”: 3 Ways Employee Empowerment Can Strengthen Culture”
Re-Solidify Your Culture in the “New Normal”: 3 Ways to Bolster Culture Through Purpose
As we’re slowly and cautiously starting to reopen and navigate our “new normal”, there are a lot of frank and potentially difficult conversations and work to be done. What is your work culture going to be like as laid off employees are brought back? How much trust is there between staff and leadership? Is everyoneContinue reading “Re-Solidify Your Culture in the “New Normal”: 3 Ways to Bolster Culture Through Purpose”
Compassionate Leadership: Taking Care of People as Humans First, and Employees Second
What is compassionate leadership? According to Harvard Business Review, compassion is the intent to contribute to the happiness and well-being of others. A compassionate leader has a genuine interest in giving people what they need – not just the minimum so that they will perform and increase profits, but what they will thrive. Along withContinue reading “Compassionate Leadership: Taking Care of People as Humans First, and Employees Second”
Trends and Best Practices for Supporting Remote Workers During COVID-19 and Beyond
Remote work. Up until very recently, remote work primarily was viewed as an occasional workplace benefit or a trend only really feasible within the tech sector. Then a global pandemic happened and hundreds of thousands of companies around the world of all sizes were left scrambling to implement work from home policies and both leadersContinue reading “Trends and Best Practices for Supporting Remote Workers During COVID-19 and Beyond”
Building Culture in Times of Uncertainty
The future is extremely uncertain for many of us right now. As leaders, it’s easy to focus on and worry about the livelihood of the organization you’re helming and to latch onto protecting the financials and start cutting costs wherever it’s feasible. However, it’s important to not forget who makes the core of your organizationContinue reading “Building Culture in Times of Uncertainty”
Realize and COVID-19: An Open Letter From Our CEO
It is currently a challenging and nebulous time for both the world and Canada, and we want to update everyone to maintain transparency and clarity with our Realize Strategies community. Our entire Realize team is committed to doing our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The health and safety of our staff, clients,Continue reading “Realize and COVID-19: An Open Letter From Our CEO”
7 Options for Socially Conscious Procurement in Greater Vancouver
Here at Realize, we’re incredibly passionate about using our procurement practices to support local, socially conscious organizations. Before we work with a new supplier, we go through a vetting process to make sure their values and practices align with ours. To share the love, we thought we’d share our list of qualified social suppliers: MillsContinue reading “7 Options for Socially Conscious Procurement in Greater Vancouver”
Realize Strategies Recognized As A “Best For The World: Overall” B Corp For The Fifth Year In A Row!
Every year with the “Best For The World” honoree list, B Lab recognizes the top 10% of B Corps from around the world who are generating the greatest environmental, community, governance, customer, worker, or overall impact through their businesses. We are absolutely thrilled to share that we are on the B Corp “Best For The World” honoree list forContinue reading “Realize Strategies Recognized As A “Best For The World: Overall” B Corp For The Fifth Year In A Row!”
A Partial History Of The “Social Enterprise”
WAY BACK WHEN… in 1945, Chicago Businessman Walter Paepcke, had a grand vision – he was going to create the new intellectual hub to serve as a moral foundation for the American business community. Walter’s bold vision would famously become an epicenter for a new post-war-wave of consciously aware business folk. And the place heContinue reading “A Partial History Of The “Social Enterprise””
We’re A Certified Living Wage Employer!
We’re proud and excited to announce that Realize Strategies is now a certified Living Wage Employer! Here at Realize, we take pride in doing everything we can to ensure our team members have fair and competitive salaries and benefits. That’s why we are proud to share that we have a longstanding internal policy that the ratio of compensationContinue reading “We’re A Certified Living Wage Employer!”
Social Purchasing Lessons from The Buy Social Canada Summit
Realize CEO John Kay shares his takeaway from the 2017 Buy Social Canada Summit. Every day Canadians make thousands of purchases. Coffee. Paper. Clothing. But how often do we stop to think about the impact of our purchases? Who made those clothes? Who benefits from the purchase of a morning latte? The December holidays seemContinue reading “Social Purchasing Lessons from The Buy Social Canada Summit”
Is There a Cookie Cutter Template For Good Leadership?
We’ve all read the articles: “Top 10 Traits of a Great Leader” or “5 Qualities All Successful Leaders Share”. These articles invariably sing the praises of leaders with intuition, confidence, creativity, honesty and focus to spare and I think we can all agree that these traits are definitely on display by leaders we admire. IfContinue reading “Is There a Cookie Cutter Template For Good Leadership?”
BC Budget 2017: Investing in people to build a prosperous BC
Realize Strategies was honoured to participate in BC Budget lock-up on September 11, 2017. We’re pleased that the Province took steps yesterday to make BC’s communities more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous for everyone. Yesterday’s budget advances many of the issues that we know are important to our co-op members and organizational colleagues, including $200 millionContinue reading “BC Budget 2017: Investing in people to build a prosperous BC”
Workplace Wellness – A Win for Both Employee and Organizational Health!
Implementing a workplace wellness program is in the best interests of both employers and employees. A workplace wellness program reflects of an organization’s commitment to helping their employees make healthy lifestyle choices and improve their health. This can include providing tools and information about health-related topics, as well as establishing company policies that encourage andContinue reading “Workplace Wellness – A Win for Both Employee and Organizational Health!”
ANNOUNCEMENT: We’ve just gained certification as a B Corporation!
For those who don’t know what a B Corporation is, they are organizations certified by the non-profit organization B Lab, to meet rigorous standards of accountability, transparency, and social and environmental performance. It’s a corporate standard – think Fairtrade coffee or LEED construction. At the root of B Corp philosophy, is the triple bottom lineContinue reading “ANNOUNCEMENT: We’ve just gained certification as a B Corporation!”
7 Signs of A Healthy Organization
In our many years of working with purpose-driven organizations of all sizes and across multiple sectors, we’ve learned that some organizations tend to be stronger than others. These organizations all have 7 traits in common and their programs, employees, clients, and bank accounts are healthier because of it. In general, there are 7 elements thatContinue reading “7 Signs of A Healthy Organization”