Northern Leadership Perspectives: An interview with Dr. Joe Dragon
Wildlife Biologist, professional hockey player and public servant, born and raised in a small First Nations Community in the Northwest Territories, Joe Dragon has returned home as the NWTs Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. He joins CGE Editor-in-Chief George Ross to share his leadership perspectives. Dr. Joe Dragon was appointed in December 2016 as Deputy Minister...
From Policy Maker to Change Maker
From research to policy implementation, Canadian public servants possess the knowledge and expertise that have shaped and strengthened the country’s socioeconomic landscape. In this article, we look at the tremendous impact of former high-level government officials who decided to share their expertise and knowledge as volunteers. With over 50 years of experience of working in...
President of the Public Service Commission willing to do what it takes
Recently, CGE Editor-in-Chief George Ross sat down with Patrick Borbey, President of the Public Service Commission of Canada to talk about his role, priorities, leadership approach, the role that PSC can play in the reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people and more. Patrick Borbey was appointed President of the Public Service Commission in May 2017. He has held a number of...
Bookshelf: The Four Tendencies
At work, we are often trying to satisfy a bundle of expectations, which can be boiled down to those expectations we place upon ourselves and those placed by others. In government, of course, those outer expectations can be powerful, handed down from the public, the minister, and our immediate boss. But we all react differently,...
On the need for Departmental Chief Procurement Officers
Procurement modernization has been a Government of Canada (GC) policy priority for the last decade: regrettably, with limited results. In recognition of the criticality of transformation, the Prime Minister’s 2015 mandate letter to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) directed her to (1) modernize procurement practices so that they are simpler and...
Large-scale change occurs when a sizeable body of people gets behind an opportunity and acts on critical initiatives linked to a shared strategy. Kotter International estimates that companies with highly-engaged employees average 147 per cent higher earnings per share. Dr. John Kotter states that, “… history has demonstrated that it is possible to find many...
Interview with Annette Antoniak, CAO, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta
In 2016, the community of Fort McMurray, Alberta, located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), was ravaged by a wildfire conjuring up images indelibly etched in the minds of all Canadians. The fire, which began in May of 2016 and raged on throughout much of the summer, burned up to 5,900 square kilometers and wasn’t finally extinguished until...
Does “deliverology” deliver the goods?
Ask a public servant if they know about “ deliverology ” and what it stands for, and most will acknowledge at least a passing acquaintance with it. Further comments can usually be sorted into two groups: the enthusiasts and the disaffected. The enthusiast will gush about how deliverology focuses on delivering results for citizens, in an...
Assessing your level of readiness to face a crisis
It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and just moments to destroy it. Perhaps it’s a senior leader caught on tape saying or doing something inappropriate. Maybe criminal charges are laid against someone on the team. Or maybe it’s a leaked email or document gone wrong. The fact is if you’re a leader of...
Engaging for new relationships with Indigenous peoples
In this era of truth and reconciliation, what are the principles of engagement when working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments and communities? Engagement in this context must be more than outreach; more even than a superb one-off collaboration. It is about systemically learning to work together differently in all things. It requires investing...
