_{A Monthly Newsletter: October 2024}

Welcome to October’s issue of my monthly newsletter! I am excited for the month ahead as I have lots of amazing things planned for you all. (And where has September gone!!)

Firstly, I am sharing my newsletter today with a fabulous local connection I have made recently. Victor is a lawyer and I have asked him to share some wisdom around keeping records and what is good practice for leaders. We are often faced with challenging conversations and I find you can often question what you should be taking note of, or not! Victor will shed some light on this!

Secondly, I have a new course offering that I want to share with you - details are towards the end of the newsletter but I am offering this at a 75% discount for subscribers, so don’t miss out!

Finally, i share some thoughts today on challenges that can be faced by new managers or leaders when they step up to a significantly larger role.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this!

I was reflecting on some of the main challenges that my clients often face. Frequently I find problems can arise when people are either moving into their first leadership position or a much more significant leadership role.

Often, there is no transition or training for new/larger role and so there is a period of initial excitement followed by panic, as they try to work out how to deal with all the complexities that come with the job.

Along with the panic, I find that several things often happen. In no order the ‘new leader’:

1. Keeps doing what they’ve done before – but it doesn’t work in the new role.

2.  Gets overwhelmed with the new additional tasks and responsibilities.

3. Behaves differently due to additional stress and anxiety around the role

4. Receives feedback that is unfavorable, and they are not sure how to deal with it

5. Loses confidence as they discover the role is difficult and they are not sure how to go forwards.

6. Micromanages those around them to feel they are in control of the situation.

With all these factors, an individual’s performance drops, and the team is impacted. But if you find yourself in this position, what can you do?

If you know (well in advance) that the change is coming, then it is best to prepare ahead of time in several different ways.

• Talk to people who are already operating at that level to understand their approach and what has worked for them. What were the challenges they experienced?

• Start to behave as though you are already in that position (so the switch up is not so significant.) We can all improve our personal leadership, so start implementing some early changes.

• Understand the areas you will need to focus on to be successful in the role (by talking to people) and plan for how you will address gaps.

• Get some early support lined up (mentors/coaches/advisors) to help with the transition.

If you are ‘in’ the leadership role with no preparation and things are difficult, the best possible action to take is to get feedback from your team.

• What is going well/not so well?

• How can you improve to get the most from them?

And then if you are wanting support to tackle personal challenges, finding a mentor and a coach to help you (who have been in your shoes and can provide leadership advice and strategies) is the best possible course of action.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, we were not ‘born’ into leadership roles and with the knowledge to do the job well, so we need to learn the skills to be successfully and appreciate we will make mistakes along the way.

ps. When you’re ready…..I help leaders and teams through 1:1 coaching, training, facilitation and operations guidance. Reach out for a complimentary intro call

Corporate records: linchpins of sound corporate governance - by Victor Miranda

Appropriate recordkeeping is an essential aspect of sound corporate governance. Companies must keep proper records in the regular course of their business. Not doing so could entail legal, financial, reputational, and other risks.

 When one thinks of corporate records, financial records come to mind, as well as the minute book of the corporation – a repository of documents such as the minutes of meetings of shareholders and directors, their respective resolutions, by-laws, and the register of shareholders and individuals with significant control of the corporation. Generally speaking, executives are, one way or the other, well attuned to the need to properly maintain such records.

There are, however, other records that companies should keep in a proper and ordered manner. Some of these records stem directly from the law – such as the records prescribed by subsections 140(1) and (2) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). Other records are the result of policies internal to the corporations. Different laws in Ontario, such as the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 require that corporations implement policies such as health and safety, workplace violence and harassment prevention, the electronic monitoring of employees, and accessibility.

Take, for instance, the case of the policies on workplace violence and workplace harassment that workplaces with over five employees are required to have in place by Part III.0.1 of OHSA. Employers are required to develop and maintain programs for implementing such policies that include, among other, measures for employees to summon immediate assistance when workplace violence occurs or is likely to occur, to report incidents of workplace violence, and to set out how the employer will investigate and deal with incidents or complaints or workplace violence. Failure to comply with OHSA’s provisions may entail non-negligeable consequences for both the corporation (fines up to $2 million) and individuals (fines of up to $500,000 – which may go up to $1.5 million in case of officers and directors who neglected their duty of care – and/or imprisonment of up to a year).

The way companies create and maintain records related to these policies have important consequences, not only in what relates to the above-mentioned penalties for contravening or failing to comply with the legislation, but also in cases of legal disputes between an employer and an employee. Employers that lack adequate corporate policies and fail to document (this is to say, keep records of) how such policies are implemented expose themselves to unnecessary risks.

Business consultants and lawyers, each within the scope of their respective expertise, are in the position to assist corporations with compliance and governance matters, implementation of policies and procedures, and the development of suitable recordkeeping policies.

If you would like to chat with Victor and get some legal support, please reach out to him here using this email address: [email protected] www.integritasbusinesslaw.ca

NEW COURSE!!!

How to Uplevel Your Leadership To Land Your Dream Job!

I am excited to announce a new course offering to support people who are looking secure that dream job and salary!

Over 7 weeks we will explore the different components of leadership that contribute to successfully landing the role you deserve. Topics include leadership style, self awareness, strategic thinking, branding, career advancement and much more!

The course will be small cohorts of max 8 people and will be held on Tuesday mornings at 9am-10.30am EST.

• Group coaching - max 8 people

• Weekly group calls over 7 weeks

• Each group call is 90mins

• Included is 1x1hr individual coaching

• Each group call is topic based

• Calls are recorded so can be viewed later

• Cheat sheets/resources provided for each topic

75% OFF NORMAL PRICE for my newsletter subscribers! - only $250pp!!!

Want to joint the course, but the day/time doesn’t work? Drop me a message to get on the wait list for a future cohort.

What my clients have to say!

Referring Someone in Your Network to Executive Coaching or Team Coaching Support.

It makes sense that you trust your colleagues and friends to provide great professional contacts. So, if someone in your network could use coaching support, please introduce us!

I’m very grateful for everyone who connects me with their colleagues and friends. Thank you!

Emma