Craig Dowden, PhD

Following a disappointing project, leaders often conduct a post-mortem. In this time-honoured tradition, the executive will sit with his or her team and explore what went wrong - what were the steps or factors that caused the

20.March.2020

The Cost of Incivility

1.January.2020

Acting Out of Character: The Adventures of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock

Just when we think our logic will prevail, our emotions get the best of us. How does this effect the workplace?

25.July.2019

Is a Picture Really Worth 1,000 Words?

8.July.2019

What Happened to Downtime?

Work Culture, Productivity, Wellness, Work-Life Balance

20.May.2019

Performance Reviews Are Dead

17.December.2018

Does Money Hurt Workplace Motivation?

Conventional wisdom says that paying people more increases motivation. Research shows otherwise.

7.May.2018

Why Toxic Leadership Persists

Coaching, Leadership, Managing, Wellness

Four recommendations to prevent abusive behaviour in your organization.

4.December.2017

How to Avoid a Bad Hire

Everyone wants to hire top talent, but there are four main reasons why candidates fail. Learn how to avoid a bad hire with these tips.

2.November.2017

Are You Derailing Valuable Feedback?

Effective conflict management is one of the most important skills we can acquire. The next time you receive feedback, make sure you don’t switch tracks.

9.October.2017

Play to Your Strengths to Maximize Engagement

Studies show that employees who report using their strengths more often in their day-to-day roles experience greater engagement.

1.March.2017

How to Stay Engaged When Work is Boring

We all have work we have to do that bores us to tears. Learn why mindset is the secret to staying engaged and engaging your staff.

1.July.2016

Using 360 Feedback to Enhance the Coaching Experience

Coaching, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Managing

Heed these best practices to maximize the effectiveness of 360 feedback.

1.March.2016

5 Tips for Managing Time Pressure

Employee Engagement, Leadership, Work Culture

Studies show time pressure makes people careless. Here's what you can do.

1.September.2015

Building a Resilient Culture

Discover why the crucial building block needed for a resilient culture is trust.

1.July.2015

Humility—Humble Pie May Be Good for You

Embracing fear and being open to learning can benefit you and those around you. See why humility is a valuable management skill.

1.May.2015

The Road to (Leadership) Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Leadership is a demanding challenge. Clear communication is the key to making your true intentions known.

1.November.2014

Unplug Your Way to Enhanced Productivity

Work Culture, Productivity, Wellness, Work-Life Balance

When it comes to productivity at work - just how smart are smart phones?

1.September.2014

The Importance of High Quality Connections

Coaching, Employee Engagement, Managing, Work Culture

High quality connections motivate employees to higher levels of organizational citizenship. Here's why you need more HQCs in your organization.

1.March.2014

Talented Terrors: How to Deal With Toxic High-Performers

We have all come across high-performers capable of achieving great results, but with a style that leaves a lot to be desired.

1.November.2013

Tapping into the ‘Inner Heart’ of Innovation

Searching for a way to stimulate innovation in your workplace? Consider the results of this experiment.

10.May.2013

The Importance of Playing to Your Strengths

Focusing on our strengths improves work performance, engagement and employee retention.

1.January.2013

Challenging Meaning

Exploring the link between meaning and performance in the workplace.

1.November.2012

Killer Bosses and Employee Well-Being

Employee Engagement, Leadership, Managing, Wellness

Learn why the quality of leadership affects our professional and personal well-being.

1.July.2012

Authentic Leadership

Current research suggests that a key-differentiating factor between good and great leaders may be authenticity. Shakespeare’s “to thine own self be true” may be a critical rallying call for current and future leaders.

1.March.2012

Maximizing Employee Performance and Building Your Team’s Abilities

The key to unlocking employee performance is minimizing job stress.

1.March.2012

Is Coaching Right for You?

Productivity, Wellness, Work-Life Balance

While there is a huge ROI on coaching, there is no set of universally accepted standards of coaching. Consider these questions before jumping onboard.

1.July.2011

Does Play at Work Improve Productivity?

Employee Engagement, Work Culture, Productivity, Wellness

Using humour and play at work is important and can benefit both employees and organizations.

10.August.2020

Fake It ’Til You Make It?

Wellness

Being emotionally honest with ourselves and our coworkers is the best way to positively impact our workplace surroundings.

1.April.2020

Exercise to Protect Your Mental Health

Studies show exercising can help improve your mental health and it might be easier than you think.

30.March.2020

Assume the Project is Dead and You Killed It

20.March.2020

The Cost of Incivility

1.January.2020

Acting Out of Character: The Adventures of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock

Just when we think our logic will prevail, our emotions get the best of us. How does this effect the workplace?

25.July.2019

Is a Picture Really Worth 1,000 Words?

8.July.2019

What Happened to Downtime?

Work Culture, Productivity, Wellness, Work-Life Balance

20.May.2019

Performance Reviews Are Dead

17.December.2018

Does Money Hurt Workplace Motivation?

Conventional wisdom says that paying people more increases motivation. Research shows otherwise.

7.May.2018

Why Toxic Leadership Persists

Coaching, Leadership, Managing, Wellness

Four recommendations to prevent abusive behaviour in your organization.

4.December.2017

How to Avoid a Bad Hire

Everyone wants to hire top talent, but there are four main reasons why candidates fail. Learn how to avoid a bad hire with these tips.

2.November.2017

Are You Derailing Valuable Feedback?

Effective conflict management is one of the most important skills we can acquire. The next time you receive feedback, make sure you don’t switch tracks.

9.October.2017

Play to Your Strengths to Maximize Engagement

Studies show that employees who report using their strengths more often in their day-to-day roles experience greater engagement.

1.March.2017

How to Stay Engaged When Work is Boring

We all have work we have to do that bores us to tears. Learn why mindset is the secret to staying engaged and engaging your staff.

1.July.2016

Using 360 Feedback to Enhance the Coaching Experience

Coaching, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Managing

Heed these best practices to maximize the effectiveness of 360 feedback.

1.March.2016

5 Tips for Managing Time Pressure

Employee Engagement, Leadership, Work Culture

Studies show time pressure makes people careless. Here's what you can do.

1.September.2015

Building a Resilient Culture

Discover why the crucial building block needed for a resilient culture is trust.

1.July.2015

Humility—Humble Pie May Be Good for You

Embracing fear and being open to learning can benefit you and those around you. See why humility is a valuable management skill.

1.May.2015

The Road to (Leadership) Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Leadership is a demanding challenge. Clear communication is the key to making your true intentions known.

1.November.2014

Unplug Your Way to Enhanced Productivity

Work Culture, Productivity, Wellness, Work-Life Balance

When it comes to productivity at work - just how smart are smart phones?

1.September.2014

The Importance of High Quality Connections

Coaching, Employee Engagement, Managing, Work Culture

High quality connections motivate employees to higher levels of organizational citizenship. Here's why you need more HQCs in your organization.

1.March.2014

Talented Terrors: How to Deal With Toxic High-Performers

We have all come across high-performers capable of achieving great results, but with a style that leaves a lot to be desired.

1.November.2013

Tapping into the ‘Inner Heart’ of Innovation

Searching for a way to stimulate innovation in your workplace? Consider the results of this experiment.

10.May.2013

The Importance of Playing to Your Strengths

Focusing on our strengths improves work performance, engagement and employee retention.

1.January.2013

Challenging Meaning

Exploring the link between meaning and performance in the workplace.

1.November.2012

Killer Bosses and Employee Well-Being

Employee Engagement, Leadership, Managing, Wellness

Learn why the quality of leadership affects our professional and personal well-being.

1.July.2012

Authentic Leadership

1.March.2012

Maximizing Employee Performance and Building Your Team’s Abilities

The key to unlocking employee performance is minimizing job stress.

1.March.2012

Is Coaching Right for You?