Leadership and Workforce

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are changing how employers are making decisions and managing their workforces. As AI becomes increasingly integrated in the day-to-day operations of the modern workplace, used for recruitment, performance…

Family-owned businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. They make up more than 60 per cent of private sector enterprises, account for nearly half of private sector gross domestic product, and employ millions of people across the…

Employee recruitment, engagement and retention are among the hottest topics in business today – and for good reason. Surveys by Gallup show only 30 per cent of North American employees are engaged at work, while a staggeringly low 13 per…

The British Columbia construction industry is undergoing a period of sustained stress. Dramatically decreasing market demand has resulted in an erosion of project equity across the province. As equity positions deteriorate, the viability of…

Statistics Canada reports that 2025 marked the fifth consecutive year of increasing workforce participation among seniors. Participation rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels and are the highest recorded since tracking began in 1976.…

CKCA recently hosted our Spring Regional event in Hamilton, Ontario. The province has been feeling the effects of housing slowdowns, tariffs, and the ongoing market pressures caused by increasing imports. CKCA President Amrita Bhogal…

The term and awareness of Emotional intelligence (EI) came into my life about ten years ago and quietly became the sharpest tool in my kit for dealing with humans (and humans who make cabinets). EI is simply noticing your feelings, managing…

In custom millwork, repeat customers often tell a deeper story than any showroom could. Interior Woodcraft Designs in Oshawa, Ontario, has been building custom kitchens and millwork for homeowners for four decades, with many clients…

Canadian organizations are experiencing a skilled trades labour shortage that is leaving building projects understaffed, delayed, and increasingly expensive. Expanding recruitment to include more women is one way to grow the talent…

In today’s hyper-connected world, where personal opinions are frequently shared on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, the lines between professional and private life are increasingly blurred. A common…

Herminia Ibarra and Morten T. Hansen’s “Are you a collaborative leader?” identifies four leadership capabilities that are especially relevant for business owners and managers: connecting people and ideas, engaging diverse talent, modeling…

Leadership is usually measured by visible business outcomes: meeting targets, controlling costs, solving problems, and keeping operations on schedule.  While those measures matter, research Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis suggests that…

Making good decisions quickly, at every level of your business, is key to efficiency, effectiveness and success. Yes, there are some key decisions that need to be mulled over and thoughtfully considered, but every day there are countless…

For business owners, especially those leading lean companies, the idea lands close to home. The problem is not only that too much work exists. The problem is that constant input, interruptions, and responsibility can quietly erode judgment…

In small and mid-sized manufacturing environments, leadership expectations are often compressed into a single role. Owners, supervisors, and production leads are expected to interpret market shifts, manage people, drive strategy, and solve…

Traditional top-down approaches that undermine employee engagement and fail to address their concerns aren't proving successful in today's dynamic and competitive landscape.

Your manager is buried. They’re unpacking materials at 6:00 a.m., fixing a display or setup that nobody else can seem to get right, covering a call-out on the floor, and trying to squeeze in interviews for the third assistant manager who…

Family business succession is often framed as a future leadership milestone. In practice, research suggests it is a current operational concern. Studies on family firms show that only about 30 percent survive the transition from the first…