Author Archives: Jules Fauteux

Patagonia Doubles Down on Planet

October 2, 2022 By in Entrepreneurship, leadership, Strategy, Teaching, Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

I was pretty excited last week with the news of Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard essentially giving away the company to a tightly managed trust committed to his dream of saving the planet. While I haven’t researched the news other than casually it seems super impressive that he took such a bold step now.

Chouinard is not the first business leader to take such a non-monetary long-term unorthodox view. Apparently ‘giving away the farm’ to save the planet is all the rage in Europe and the Nordic countries. My students quickly pointed out the tax savings it would bring to Chouinard and his family. But overall they paused to think how they could one day offer a similar gift.

If you’re like me you might marvel at how someone can be so focused. Chouinard has been saving the planet his entire life. Wow. One single focus. That’s impressive. Its inspiring to have leaders like him to study and hopefully to model. What the world needs now is more than just people marveling at the bold moves of others. We need to make some bold moves our selves.

Lots of things are different now. If you wanted to participate wardrobe is as good a place to start as any. After all you are what you <insert wear>. Your wardrobe might become smaller as you give it away to those more needy. More of your wardrobe in future might be like Patagonia’s – more function than fashion. But wardrobe is not the point! One could change life style – being more outdoors and grounded. A big change for some could be much more biking and a lot less motoring. Ultimately Chouinard has challenged us all to think about this rock and how we either save it or kill it. I chose to save it – or at least try. I’m going to figure out how I can best do that now. Thanks for the push Yvon!

Labour of love

September 5, 2022 By in Learning, Teaching Tags: , Leave a comment

It’s September! While we respect (today) Labour Day as a day to celebrate workers’ rights, we also get excited about tomorrow when we get to practice our trade. At least I do. I’m a teacher and school’s back baby! I’m giddy with excitement. Microsoft Teams was great but now we’re back to face-to-face teaching and learning.

Now I get to do really important work with amazing real (aka not digital) people in an amazing real building (aka not my home office). Digital tools bailed us out and are here to stay but real people face-to-face is where its at for me now! I’m ready now. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Pinch me!

I’m feeling really good about what post pandemic teaching and learning will be like. Welcome back!!!

Covid Bat out of Hell

February 6, 2022 By in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Going back may be tougher then leaving. That’s one way to consider the current pandemic precipice – where many say we’re on the verge of a new normal. Health officials seem cautiously optimistic. People are fed up with restrictions.  So, what does that mean for the average Jane in the medium term? It may mean a return to some form of normalcy. A return? Normalcy? 

For those who have maintained their grind over the past two years this may be just a moment in time. For those who went long on soft pants and take-out food, the looming transition may be a challenge. While many experienced the pandemic by stepping out and mitigating risks, others managed by staying home. It was a sensible and encouraged choice. “Stay the frig home.”  That’s now changing. Even those most able to isolate and work remotely over last two years will soon be seeing their situation differently.

It’s a form of coming out that we may all soon be experiencing. The film Poseidon Adventure (circa 1970) told the story of a capsized cruise ship and how some passengers survived the crisis. “There’s got to be a morning after. It’ll soon be right outside the door.” This post doesn’t advocate for an early or late coming out, rather, that a coming out is embraced. Period. And soon…

Meat Loaf, Bat Out Of Hell (Adam Bettcher/Starkey Hearing Foundation/Getty Images

Part of me believes there will be a post-Covid global celebration – despite the sad and senseless loss of life. Like ’Victory Day’ after a world war, people will dance in the streets post-Covid. There will be much revelry (in 2022 please). Until then it seems we will disagree as to when the transition back will begin and when it will end. Party or not, if we’re approaching the last dance at the Covid Ball its not clear who’s asking who to dance.  Some seem to be saying lets party now. But are they premature and did they forget the protection? Others are saying wait, the party can’t restart now, not yet. But are they just, well, weak?

Freedom is the ability to act speak or think the way you want without fear of reprisal. Freedom is no different post-pandemic than it was pre-pandemic (or in-pandemic). Freedom became better understood because of the pandemic. It could be said that we either enjoy freedom or we earn it.  In many ways its more difficult to be enjoying full freedom than it is to be limited by the lack of it.  It’s often harder to see the less visible big things than the obvious little things.  Soon most public health restrictions will decline more fully. Soon we will declare victory over Covid.  Hopefully we can handle the transition. We left our ‘normal’ suddenly. There was no choice, and we were scared. Let’s go back to our ‘new normal’ with hope, optimism, and community spirit.  Let’s (safely) get the frig out there!

Who Ride White Horses

April 5, 2021 By in Family, Fun Tags: , , Leave a comment

Here’s another gem from the family archives. My mother, Ann Marie Fauteux was a writer (and a teacher). Among her most famous works was, “The Ballad of Bordeaux Jail,” a poem set to song by Alan Mills which generated quite a stir in Montréal during the 1960’s. She is less known for her writing under the non du plume (pseudonym) Rebecca. I have no idea why she chose that name. Here is one of the Rebecca poems entitled “Who Ride White Horses,” as published in the Montréal Gazette (Photo credit An Ax to Grind: A Practical Ax Manual – Federal Highway Administration).

Expo ’67 Hype Hope and History

April 5, 2021 By in Family, Fun Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Expo ’67 was an amazing chapter in Canadian history. I remember the crowds and the great feeling of pride and accomplishment even as a seven year old aspiring Canadian. My father, Robert Fauteux was Commissioner of the General Electric Pavilion at the fair which was a position of some importance. In the year before, my mother, Ann Marie Fauteux was busy editorializing on the Expo ’67 hype being generated by government advertising. In her view it was over the top, an opinion shared by many. Despite her public complaints my father was appointed to the role of commissioner and my mother quickly embraced the opportunity! Following is a poem which was published in the Montreal Gazette in 1966 as part of a regular column where my mother was sometimes featured.

Photo credit: Michael Rougier Time Life Pictures Getty Images

A poem by Ann Marie Fauteux

A Fauteux Montréal Lament

April 5, 2021 By in Family, Fun Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

The debate about government fees and taxes has raged on for centuries. In the 1960’s, as the Montréal Champlain Bridge was nearing completion, Ann Marie Fauteux (my mother) wrote a poem about the proposed bridge toll. She lamented the apparent community acceptance of the toll by comparing it to a famous French Gaston-Alphonse cartoon. My mother loved to write. She was always in pursuit of a well twisted phrase and a clever word.

Image Credit: Frederick Burr Opper – American Journal Examiner

A-Tisket, A-Tasket, For Pete Sake Hit That Basket

Ann Marie Fauteux

Now Montreal’s an island fair,
Surrounded by a moat.
At one time just accessible
To owners of a boat.
Until the ruling party built
A road across its span
To ease the pain and burden of
The weary motor man.
To ease the pain and burden more,
They charged him “twenty-five”
In view of all the benefits
The driver would derive.
They never thought of profit when
Requesting this donation,
But just to let us share in a
Togetherness relation.
Togetherness means harmony twixt
Man and his Regime,
You pay a round, I’ll pay a round
– A Gaston-Alphonse team.
But something just occurred to me,
It may be splitting hairs,
Where’s all this money coming from
That governments call “theirs?”
Now if it comes from whence I think,
And here my point is moot,
Then aren’t we paying our share, and
The government’s to boot?
Men go to work each morning just
To pay the tax they owe,
I don’t see why they have to buy
The road on which they go.

“Sometimes it helps to be a little deaf”

September 27, 2020 By in Career Management, Change Management, Diversity, Teaching, Uncategorized Tags: Leave a comment

If you believe what the media has been reporting about The White House lately (and it’s hard not to) there’s a lot of lying going on in Washington. And there may be a lot more to come. Isn’t it ironic that one of the greatest truth finders of our time will be watching it all from a bench too far? Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), ‘lying in state’ are words of sadness.

Whenever a new US Supreme Court Justice is confirmed s/he will no doubt quickly make a supreme impact on the world. In a time of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity policy makers are facing decisions which call for new ways of thinking in response to our new ways of being. S/he will have a difficult job to do.

Navigating in these times will continue to be tough for everyone and there will be many appeals to the supreme court – in search of truth.

These days while people go to their corners and get ready to disagree on what can be very important conversations, it might be wise for us to practice something RGB taught us. When asked about keys to success in life, she once said, “Every now and then it helps to be a little deaf.” She seemed to be speaking about more than just family relationships. She may have been foreshadowing the growing need for tolerance in society and the value of self reflection rather than instantly voicing dissent.

Together with her colleagues, RGB left the world a rule book for the bigger questions, the more important moments, the ones with right and wrong answers. Alas our world is full of smaller questions and many more casual moments with less definitive answers. And they sometimes seem to be full of lies. Many of society’s conversations these days could be de-escalated by each of us being more tolerant of other perspectives, by more turning of a cheek, and as Ruth suggested, by being a little deaf from time to time.

Public Service leadership – Peter Principle debunked

April 11, 2020 By in Career Management, leadership, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Peter Lawrence had it all wrong. His popular management theory that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence has been debunked, at least for current Canadian public service leadership. The global pandemic has tested leadership skills to the max. A scan of recent leadership polls suggests that ratings are up for political leaders during this time. There is less empirical evidence about how public service officials are seen to be performing. From my perspective, the performance of Canadian public service leadership has been nothing short of exceptional.

Over the past few decades, Government human resource management systems seemed to have successfully landed the right Chief (Public) Officers in the right jobs at the right time. Either that or we just got lucky which is less likely. With such a colossal shift in world order, many public sector leaders have suddenly found them selves in the limelight. Roles which were previously considered support have, almost overnight, become core. And the incumbents were ready. The right people seem to have won the job competitions. The leadership development training seems to have worked.

Peter and Hull’s landmark study which gave birth to the “Peter Principle,” argued that an employee is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent. They asserted that, in time, every position tends to be occupied by a leader who is incompetent to carry out its duties. That’s not what I see right now. Quite the opposite, our public sector leaders seem to have risen to the level of super hero. Peter Laurence was a Canadian educator who died in 1990 but his theory lives on in infamy. Thankfully, Canadian public service leaders are proving him wrong today.

Jane and Jack the Ripplers

February 2, 2020 By in Change Management, Entrepreneurship, Learning, Strategy, Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

When presented with new challenges or opportunities people often say something like, “I’ll get to that when things settle down.”  No, they won’t.  That response generally means they’re more focused on the now and not embracing the future.  They’re like still water.  Successful organizations, teams, and individuals are in a constant state of change.  They’re like rippling water.

There are lots of good reasons why organizations, teams, and individuals don’t change.   Fear of the unknown is a common reason cited.  People are often in a comfort zone where their desire to change is outweighed be whatever is holding them back.  They’re stuck.  They need a rippler.  

Say, for example, there’s a new system being implemented at a workplace.  The old system has been in place for many years, and a common lament from team members is, “it works just fine.”  For them to leave their comfort zone and embrace the new unknown system something special needs to happen.  Most importantly they need to see movement towards the new system by their leaders and their teammates.  They need to see the ripples of change.  That’s not an easy thing to create but it can be done.  Its called change management.

There are many change management theories and methodologies.  They are generally grounded in social science and are often both academically pure and commercially successful.  Many PhD’s have been earned answering questions about change management and many consulting fees have been paid for helping to manage the people side of change. One common theme seems to be that someone needs to start the change wave which is sometimes referred to as change sponsorship.  The higher up the organizational hierarchy, the better the impact of change sponsorship, but it needs to start somewhere.  Someone needs to drop a pebble in the still water and make the water move for others to notice. That’s when their desire to participate in the change increases, and generally that’s when they begin to “get it and get with it.”  There needs to be a rippler. 

So, ask yourself, when it comes to change are you a rippler?  If you think you might be, then consider learning more about change and change management.  There are many great resources available to help you become a change manager.  Dr. John Kotter developed a highly regarded change process as did Jeffrey Hiatt and Tim Creasy who founded a research and training organization dedicated to change management.  Check out their stuff.  Maybe you’ll become a (better) rippler!

The gender wage gap ticking time bomb

January 16, 2020 By in Career Management, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strategy Tags: , , , Leave a comment

It isn’t a dirty little secret anymore. Most people realize that there is a gender wage gap. Women earn less than men for doing the same work. Yet another report, based out of the University of Ottawa this week, shed light on this reality. For college graduates, at time of entering the workforce, the gap is 25%. Like climate change many organizations don’t seem to pay much attention to the nagging problem. If they did, it wouldn’t still be a problem.

Apart from being illegal, immoral, and irresponsible, ignoring the wage gap problem is just plain stupid. But then again so are a lot of things we do subconsciously or without thinking about the consequences. Consider this. You’re an executive in a mid-size organization and things are chugging along nicely. Sales are at their highest levels, you have a good pipeline, costs seem reasonably in line, profits are strong again, and you’re drawing a healthy bonus. Tickity boo. Then – boom – 30% of your workforce begins to unravel. They’re pissed! They begin to realize that you’ve been paying Harry a lot more than Sally. Then they realize that you’ve been paying most of the Harry’s a lot more than most of the Sallys. Their data about your payroll is anecdotal, just water cooler chatter, but to them its very real. Their ‘give a s**t factor’ declines rapidly, they slow down their work efforts, they leave for greener pastures, and you’re left with a big mess. Your mess.

Wake up Scrooge! If the data from the University of Ottawa based study and the hundreds of other studies showing that we pay women less than men for the same work is real for social scientists, then surely its real for at least some of you. At least some executives are guilty of something here. Yes, you too probably don’t even realize that you have a problem. Here’s an idea. Do the math, look under the numbers, resist rationalizing the individual cases. Stop coming to the conclusion that, “we’re OK but thanks for the data.” It may not bee too late to avoid one of the hashtags potentially coming your way. Moreover, it may not be too late to just do the right thing, and the smart thing. According to good research, women (in our example here 30% of your workforce) are the ones making things tickity boo for your business today. Don’t take your success, or their contribution for granted. Don’t be on the wrong side of history. Act now, time may be up sooner than you think.