For the last four years, I’ve had the pleasure of serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence at RADIUS, a social innovation lab and venture accelerator at Simon Fraser University. Like all entrepreneurs, RADIUS program participants face myriad challenges, but there’s one problem in particular that always piques my interest. In the first accelerator cohort, there was a young woman who …
Sharing Joy in a Time of Anxiety
The Monday morning of my birthday week I was feeling really gloomy. Downright down, in fact. The tricky tendrils of existential anxiety were taking hold. The previous evening, I had been to see a documentary called The Ponds. It’s an utterly charming film about the men and women who swim year-round in the ponds on Hampstead Heath near where I …
Reflections of Our CEO: The Moments That Matter
Two years ago, about this time, we were counting down the days until a family trip to Europe. Planned for well over a year, this was to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for ten of us to visit some incredible sites and cities, reveling in the company of those we most love. A few days before we departed, it occurred to …
Setting the pace in crazy times
The owner and CEO of one of our clients is currently away on a year-long sabbatical. He had been dreaming of this trip for years and working with his executive team for the past 12 months to plan for his absence—and the extra work his team would have to take up. Of course, this is easier said than done, and …
Reflections of Our CEO: Scarcity, Abundance, and Responsive Leadership
One of my great challenges as CEO of Junxion is to monitor and adjust my style of leadership to suit the changing shape, size, and operating conditions of our company. When should I lean in to my closely held personal value of generosity, and empower my colleagues to make decisions, and when should I lean in to my own learning …
Purpose Was Never the Whole Story
Among the major trends in business in 2018 was the call for companies to embrace social purpose. Starting with Larry Fink’s widely cited letter to CEOs, momentum built as educators, consultants and conveners leapt to position themselves as the thought leaders of ‘the purpose revolution.’ On January 4, 2019, just shy of a year since Fink published that letter, PhD …
Reflections of Our CEO: Time to Dream Boldly
I used to think turning 50 was going to be the trigger for my midlife crisis! While that milestone is still a few years away for me, it seemed to be sneaking up on the edge of my psychic radar.… That is, until about six months ago, when something else took me completely by surprise. Well, maybe not “completely by …
Unintended Consequences: B Corp Legislation in British Columbia
In a few weeks, the BC government will vote on a bill tabled by the BC Green party to create a new corporate form—the Benefit Company—based on the American model of benefit corporations. It’s a well-intentioned move, and has vocal support from several members of the local B Corp certification community, but it has some real and negative unintended consequences. …
Case Study: Delphi & GLOBE Series
The Delphi Group has long been recognized as a national leader and trusted advisor to corporations on issues of sustainability. They invited Junxion to help them and sister company GLOBE Series make a bigger, bolder impact in Canada and beyond. In 2016, Delphi acquired the rights to produce the biennial GLOBE Series conference—one of the world’s most important convenings of …