Tausi Insider

If your career objective is to climb the corporate ladder, then you need to get recognized as a high-potential employee, or HiPo. HiPos have been tagged as the top performers in an organization and are invited to key meetings, asked for input, offered advanced learning opportunities and given plum assignments. And even when economic circumstances lead to layoffs, they are the ones who don’t just avoid the axe, but always seem to endure without any scars. So what does it take to be recognized as a HiPo? While some of it may be who you know, or luck, there are ways to influence how you and your talents are perceived. If you are deliberate and thoughtful about showcasing your strengths and establishing your workplace value, you can, and will, position yourself as a HiPo. Here are seven things you can do right now to become worthy of HiPo status. 1. Do excellent work Fulfill your current responsibilities. Don’t just perform well, perform exceptionally well. This is your baseline. If you ...

Tim Hortons' new ads will feature players such as para hockey athletes James Dunn and Tyler McGregor, and Olympic gold medallists Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin. Handout In recent months, as Hockey Canada faced widespread criticism for its handling of sexual-assault allegations against several players, the sponsors that channel millions of dollars into the organization had to decide whether to walk away for good. Some, such as Canadian Tire and Sobeys, did just that. Many others, including Bauer, Bank of Nova Scotia, Tim Hortons, Telus and Esso announced that they would pull support for the men’s programs for the 2022-23 season, but remain sponsors of the organization. For those brands, advertising their association with the sport is fraught. And their marketing has been taking on a new tone. On Monday, Tim Hortons will launch a campaign, “let’s up our game,” which highlights a push for more diversity in the sport. “Should all support for hockey, period, be pulled? That was ...

Julie Maranda, the chief medical officer at Accenture, took the Digital Transformation Executive MBA at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton because she wanted to gain skills that increased her digital literacy. Christinne Muschi/THE GLOBE AND MAIL To help her decide where to do her MBA, Julie Maranda made an elaborate spreadsheet, taking into consideration cost, time, prerequisites and a slew of other factors, including what skills future business leaders need to stay relevant. The Digital Transformation Executive MBA (EMBA) through McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton won out because Ms. Maranda, who is the chief medical officer at consulting firm Accenture, says she needed to go beyond the traditional leadership teachings of an MBA and to tap into the skills that were outside her comfort zone. “Being in health care in particular, the reason for me to go back to school at my age was because I really felt that as a leader, I needed to up my digital litera...

Working from home may be your preferred option, but is it the right move for your career? A 30-second commute to the couch or the dining table may sound great, but the price for this privilege could be an uphill battle in your professional journey. The pandemic showed us that remote work is not only possible, but also comes with advantages. Now many organizations are offering remote work as an alternative. But if you do opt to work from home, even just some of the time, you likely have co-workers who are at the office more than you. As a result, they may have career advantages you are missing out on. Here are six drawbacks to working from home you should consider. Your network will shrink While we were all at home, new employees came on board, people changed jobs and others retired. Not just within your organization, but also in your industry and in your marketplace. You may have talked to them online, but face-to-face and in-person is how the best connections are made. The newcomers...

Daniel Alexander Skwarna/Tausi Insider CEO transitions don’t get much bigger than the one facing Maple Leaf Foods. After two and a half decades of unquiet leadership, Michael McCain, now 64, is as much a part of his company’s identity as its bacon. Since his father, Wallace, bought the then-underperforming meat packer in 1995, McCain has guided it through crisis and pushed it toward innovation, turning Maple Leaf into Canada’s largest and arguably most forward-thinking meat producer. This spring, marking not just a leadership shift but a generational one, he’ll hand responsibility for the company he remade to 47-year-old Curtis Frank, whom McCain has observed and mentored since he joined as a management trainee more than two decades ago. If Frank is daunted by the task before him, at least he knows his predecessor won’t be far away. With his family’s large ownership stake, McCain will be in the chair’s seat, making this a transition that could unfold, and be fascinating to watch, for...

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser speaks in the House of Commons, in Ottawa, on Nov. 17. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press The federal government says that in order to address major labour shortages in health care, it will put $90-million toward projects that remove barriers preventing qualified new Canadians from working in their field. Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser says the federal government is calling for proposals for projects that offer Canadian work experience for internationally trained health professionals or streamline the process that recognizes international medical credentials. Fraser says these proposals are expected to come from provincial and municipal governments, non-profit organizations, unions, hospitals and other organizations. Fraser, who took part virtually in a news conference in Charlottetown today, says there is a critical need for more health-care staff, particularly in Atlantic Canada. The minister says immigrants make up about ...

A wave of high-profile cyberattacks has recently hit hospitals, businesses and organizations in Ontario, including the LCBO this week and Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and Scouts Canada in December. The Canadian Press spoke with cybersecurity experts about whether cyberattacks are on the rise, why they are happening, and what people and businesses can do to protect themselves. Are cyberattacks happening more often? These attacks “absolutely are” happening more frequently than before, says Robert Falzon, head of engineering at cybersecurity firm Check Point Canada, noting it is something that is likely going to be happening on a daily basis now. One reason for that is the rising access of technology that enables the development of malware, scripting and other tools for potential hackers such as the AI-powered computer program ChatGPT. “It has the ability for someone with not very much skill set or maybe even not a great command of the English language to create a full, almost f...

Ontario bettors can again wager on Ultimate Fighting Championship events. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) reinstated betting on UFC events in the province Thursday. On Dec. 1, the organization ordered registered entities to stop offering and accepting wagering on the UFC “due to non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements” But on Thursday, the commission said the UFC has since “updated its policies and procedures.” The changes include an amendment to UFC’s athlete conduct policy to prohibit insiders from placing any wagers on any match. The organization has also established a relationship with U.S. Integrity, an independent sports integrity monitor to analyze unusual wagering activity. As a result of the UFC’s policy and procedure changes, the AGCO is “therefore permitting registered gaming operators to resume offering UFC-related bets.” “The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and the integrity of its betting market,” Tom Mungham, the AC...

The OPEC Fund for International Development, a development institution established by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ member governments nearly 50 years ago, has raised $1-billion by selling its first ever bond. With the money earmarked for food security, health care, infrastructure, education, employment and renewable energy projects, the three-year bond which will pay investors an interest rate of 4.5 per cent, will also be classed as a ‘sustainable development’ bond. It is a label that has a growing appeal for investors increasingly looking to use their resources in more environmentally and socially-beneficial ways. The OPEC Fund’s Head of Funding, Martine Mills Jansen, said that central banks from the Middle East, Europe and Asia and other types of “official” institutions, including from the United States, accounted for 62 per cent of the bond’s buyers. Commercial banks made up another 19 per cent, asset managers and insurance and pension funds accounted fo...