Description: Are you seeing the same challenges crop up again and again, despite the organization’s best efforts to fix them? Are you frustrated by complex issues that pendulum back and forth between management styles, without ever being resolved? Do you strive for changes in your own work life that never seem to take hold? This session reveals the mistake that we make in treating many of these issues as problems to be solved, and why our typical approaches won’t work. Based on the ground-breaking work of Barry Johnson, this interactive, hands-on session will give you new tools and a whole new perspective on many day-to-day challenges.

Application: This session introduces a dramatic paradigm shift that will change the way you think about achieving your business results. The concepts are easy to grasp, and could have a profound effect on how you manage personal, staff, and organizational challenges. Immediate applications are anywhere in your work where balance or paradox creates challenges: change versus stability, planning versus action, task versus relationship, work versus home, logic versus creativity.

Objectives:

• Comprehensive introduction to polarity management
• Ability to distinguish polarities from problems
• Tools to manage issues instead of problem-solving
• Interactive engagement in exploring some personal challenges

Kim Thorne of Roper Greyell has extensive experience in all aspects of labour and employment. A skilled and resourceful advocate, he regularly represents employers at arbitrations, labour relations boards, various tribunals and the courts. His clients represent a broad spectrum of business in Canada, from forest products to diamond mining, retailing to contracted services. Kim has also acted as lead negotiator for many employers in collective bargaining, and routinely provides strategic advice to employers on negotiation issues.

Kim received his law degree from the University of British Columbia. With the exception of a two year stint as legal counsel to the Labour Relations Board of British Columbia, Kim has practiced exclusively as management labour and employment counsel since his call to the Bar in 1988.

Gavin Marshall has a broad range of knowledge in the areas of employment and labour law, wrongful dismissals, contract disputes, enforcement of restrictive covenants, labour relations law and picketing issues. He has acted as counsel in labour arbitrations for businesses in the retail and pulp and paper industries, as well as for federally regulated employers, before the Labour Relations Board, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, and has considerable experience as litigation counsel before the BC Supreme Court. Gavin is a member of the Labour Law and Employment Law subsections of the Canadian Bar Association. Gavin is also a member of BC HRMA and a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education Seminars. Gavin is the author of the BC Employment Standards Act: Quick Reference, and in 2006 was listed by Carswell as one of Canada's top employment lawyers.

Gavin obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Hons. from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. He was called to the Bar in 1998. Gavin worked in a large national law firm prior to joining Roper Greyell in March of 2007.

Najeeb Hassan joined Heenan Blaikie in 2006 after serving as a Vice-Chair at the BC Labour Relations Board. In that role he adjudicated a broad spectrum of applications under the Labour Relations Code and related statutes, including certification and decertification of trade unions, unfair labour practice complaints, strikes, lockouts, picketing, essential service designations and review of arbitration awards.

Mr. Hassan has negotiated collective agreements and been intimately involved in essential services designations and strike management for public and private sector employers. He possesses an in-depth understanding of health care operations, which he obtained through representation of public and private health employers while employed with the Health Employers Association of BC. Recently, he represented several of highway maintenance contractors to ensure that essential services were properly designated and to deal with illegal picketing and other strike related issues.

Najeeb has lectured extensively in the area of labour relations and has taught personnel management to health care administrators.

Chris Van Luven offers more than 8 years of accomplished experience in Risk Management and Mitigation. His primary focus has been developing and implementing operational activities including safety and security programs for large industrial companies while driving achievement of the highest protective services such as: on-site and mobile protection, conducting safety and security operations, large and small scale labour dispute management, and implementing industrial safety and security programs.

Chris's dedication and commitment have been a large factor in virtually all business areas. He offers valuable insight and knowledge regarding leadership, management and regulatory challenges faced by companies in achieving corporate goals while maintaining relationships with all stakeholders during a crisis or business interruption.

The scope of his experience has spanned in all aspects of health and safety, including sales, marketing and logistics as well as building leadership, technology implementation and operational administration. Chris is a certified Business Continuity Planner.

Proper preparation for a strike can change the course and result of a strike. Join us in a panel discussion of five viewpoints on how to prepare and administer a strike plan. An LRB perspective will be provided on common issues and complaints, including Essential services. The issues which proceed to the court system will also be provided, including recent developments in evidence and injunctions. Legal and media relations will round out the five perspectives. Please join us for an in depth look at how to prepare for a strike.

Gayle Wiebe Oudeh (B.Ed, M.Div.) and Nabil Oudeh (M.A., Chartered Mediator) are the principals of, and senior consultants for, the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) International Inc., an Ottawa-based consulting firm specializing in conflict management and training. In addition to their combined experience of 30 years in the conflict resolution field, Gayle and Nabil credit their 17-year marriage for enhancing their understanding of conflict management theory and practice! Their entertaining and positive approach to the subject of conflict has made them sought-after facilitators and speakers.

Understanding the behaviour and conduct of those around you is at best challenging, if not outright frustrating, especially when their behaviour and actions are completely different than yours. At times, people's responses to issues and challenges seem to be arbitrary or even irrational. You find it very difficult to engage these people, especially when you have tried to be "nice" and collegial towards them and their response has been opposite of what you expected.

By exploring the five distinct conflict management styles, you will be able to better understand those around you. The hands-on and solution-oriented model of "the birds" will help you deal with others more effectively, and even get others to see and understand your perspective. This knowledge will give the confidence you need to deal with people who are different than you are and who at times annoy and even frustrate you.

1. To help you to understand yourself and your own conflict style in dealing with others;
2. To help you understand the five conflict styles around you and how they interact with each other;
3. To provide you with tools and ideas to best deal with different styles, and enable you to navigate the interaction in order to achieve the results you want; and
4. To increase your confidence in dealing with difficult people and ultimately minimize your frustrations.

As the Executive Director of the Learning Strategies Group at SFU Business, David Gibbons builds and teaches in a number of customized corporate and executive programs for many of the top businesses in Canada. In particular he has taught for PMC-Sierra, BC Hydro, BC Transmission Corporation, Radical Entertainment, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, UBC Department of Pediatrics, Providence Healthcare, Paprican, Alcan and Blast Radius. David’s teaching expertise is in business process design and automation, decision science, financial analysis and planning, and strategic decision making. Prior to joining the Learning Strategies Group in May 2002, David Gibbons held the position of Director of Finance and Operations for Steeves and Associates, a western Canadian consulting firm.

The modeling and decision-making approaches in this session have applications in a broad range of disciplines, including design, operations, managing financial risks, and managing price reductions in marketing. The goal of this seminar is to challenge traditional and often ineffective forms of strategic decision-making.

Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills enable us to respond quickly to business issues and strategic planning in a professional manner. The purpose of this session is to explore strategic decision making best practices. By the end of the session it is our hope that participants will leave the seminar with an appreciation of the following:

• people are a poor decision makers in the face of complexity, uncertainty, and conflicting objectives;
• a systematic approach to identifying and formulating problems can lead to better decisions and problem solving;
• a decision analysis and problem solving framework to be applied to strategic planning.

When asked, most people state that they are above-average decision makers. Research shows us that this is simply not true and in fact that most people are bad at making decisions, particularly as the complexity rises. An understanding of the biases people have when making decisions and solving problems can help in avoiding problem solving pitfalls. The dynamics of group decision making will also be examined.

Based on the work of William Altier Chan Kim, Renee Maubourgne, Nassim Taleb and others, we will explore formal decision making and problem solving frameworks. Participants will also be supplied with the practical tools they need to analyze problems and opportunities and identify appropriate solutions. The 'tools' offered in these frameworks will help the think strategically.

Russell Hunter is the National Director of the Human Performance Institute Canada and Principal with Tekara Organizational Effectiveness Inc. Russ oversees the strategy, marketing, joint ventures, and regional development of Energy for Performance Associates across the country. As a keynote speaker, Russ brings over 10 years of experience as a business leader, as well as athletic achievements in the sport of triathlon.

Prior to becoming National Director, Russ was the founder and CEO of Boldeye Solutions Ltd., a consulting firm with operations in Vancouver, Chicago, and London. Russell contributes articles to publications including Business 2.0 Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Canadian Business. He speaks at business conferences and association events across North America.

As an accomplished Ironman triathlete, Russ has competed in races across North America and in Europe. He now leverages his passion for endurance sports to enhance the lives of children in Canada. In 2001 he founded the IronChild Foundation, a registered charity which provides mentoring and educational opportunities for children living with chronic Illnesses. Over the years, The Human Performance Institute's client list has included an extraordinary cross section of elite athletes including Michelle Wie and Mark O'Meara in golf, Jim Courier and Monica Seles in tennis, Mike Richter and Eric Lindros in hockey, and Dan Jansen in speed skating.

Ambitious goals, shorter business cycles, increasing competitive pressure, and rising expectations create the ideal conditions for diminished performance over time. Putting in more hours or better time management will not resolve this issue - It requires effective energy management. Most large organizations invest in developing leaders skills, knowledge, and competence. Very few help build and sustain their capacity their energy which is typically taken for granted. Our work with high performers reveals that greater physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual capacity makes it possible to get more done in less time at a higher level of engagement and with more sustainable results. It is more than a work/life balance or a wellness issue. It is fundamentally a leadership issue, and change requires developing a better story about our energy.

• What great leaders in business and government have in common with elite athletes.
• How well you currently manage your energy in four key areas.
• Why stress is not the enemy in our lives - and what the real enemy is.
• How peak performers use performance rituals vs. discipline to manage energy.
• Three key strategies to begin managing energy more effectively immediately.
• The leaders role in the stewardship of organizational energy.
• How organizations such as Westjet, Starbucks, and Google implement these principles in their organizations.

Wally Baer is President of EnForm, the safety & health organization for the oil patch in northern BC. They have an aggressive program directed at the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs in the workplace. Mr. Baer will speak on their reasons for developing the program and their success to date.

Frances Bula of the Vancouver Sun, who researched and wrote the Sun story, will comment on what she discovered and provide her insights into the difficult policy, safety and privacy issues.

Jim Sinclair has been president of the BC Federation of Labour for the past eight years. During this time the labour movement has faced some of its most critical challenges, including significant privatization of services and land resources, the tearing up of collective agreements and the mass firings of thousands of workers. Under his leadership the federation grew by more than 65,000 members as the BC Teachers Federation and the BC Nurses Union both affiliated, bringing the total number of members to a record 500,000.

He attended his first BC Federation of Labour as a reporter in 1976. He got his first union card in 1979 while working as a reporter and editor at the Nelson Daily News. In 1982 he moved to Vancouver to begin an 18 year stint at the United Fishermen's and Allied Workers Union - CAW. During his time there Sinclair worked on the newspaper, was a full time organizer and staff rep, the union's first health and safety director and was elected to office in 1991 as second vice-president of the union. During his time at the union he also led industry wide bargaining.

In addition to his union work, Sinclair has also served on a number of boards, including the executive of the Vancouver Richmond Health Board, the board of British Columbia Hydro and the board of Citizens for Public Power.

The problem of dealing with employees with drug and alcohol addictions is a prevalent one in our society and has recently been featured in a article in the Vancouver Sun.

Vince Molinaro, Ph.D, is Principal and National Practice Lead - Leadership Capability with Knightsbridge. Vince has been providing consulting services in the field of leadership and organizational development for the past fifteen years. He has worked with an extensive list of clients within private sector companies (pharmaceutical, telecommunications, financial services) and public sector organizations (provincial and municipal government, health care, education). Vince received his Doctorate from the University of Toronto and has a Masters degree from Brock University. He is an Adjunct Professor with Brock University where he teaches graduate courses in organizational learning and change. Vince has been a pioneer in the research of holistic leadership. Vince also lectures at leading business schools on the topic of building leadership capacity.

The media frequently calls him for his opinions on leadership, organizational learning, and employee engagement. Vince is a provocative speaker and conducts keynote presentations on the topics of "Building Leadership Capacity", "Holistic Leadership", "Creating High- Performing Organizations", "Engaging Employees", and "Work-Life Balance for Senior Leaders".

Vince has also published extensively in journals and business magazines. He is co-author of the book, The Leadership Gap published by John Wiley and Sons.

Liane Davey, Ph.D. is a Principal in Knightsbridge's Organization Effectiveness in Toronto. She has over 10 years consulting experience in the areas of Organization Development, Human Resource Strategy, and Measurement. Prior to joining Knightsbridge, Liane was the National Solution Leader for Measurement at a large global consulting firm.

Liane works in several areas within Organizational Effectiveness including strategic planning, human resource planning, and change management. Liane has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and management retreats and has written articles for trade and academic journals. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Applied Science from the University of Waterloo, and a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Waterloo. She is currently on the executive of the Canadian Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Leadership capacity is mission critical in today's public sector organizations. However, many struggle to build the leadership they will need to succeed. In this session, Vince Molinaro and Liane Davey will provide concrete and precise strategies to close your organization's leadership gap. They will explain why leadership capacity is mission critical and why the gap persists in organizations. They will discuss how organizations need to think about leadership for the future, and describe the leadership solutions required to address your organization's particular needs and shortcomings. Join Liane and Vince for a fun, practical and thought-provoking session.

Frank Barr, FCA is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in public accountability and reporting both in the private and public sector. He is past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC, and past Chair of the Risk Management and Governance Board of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA). Mr. Barr was Assistant Auditor General in BC and consults on governance, financial and accountability matters. He is presently Chair of the Board of the Business Practices & Consumer Protection Authority of BC (BPCPA). The BPCPA was established as a not-for-profit corporation to strengthen consumer protection in BC. He is also Board Chair of FinancialCAD Corporation, a for-profit private technology company providing software and service to the financial services sector. He also serves or has served on the Boards of a number of other for profit and not for profit organizations.

Roger Gurr, CHRP, ICD.D is the Managing Partner of Roger Gurr & Associates, a Vancouver based executive compensation consulting firm that provides independent advice to Board Directors, CEOs and VPs of Human Resources. Roger consults primarily in executive, board and management compensation and corporate governance. He has developed compensation strategies, salary plans, annual bonus awards and long term incentives for public sector organizations and local, national and international companies - both private and publicly traded. His compensation consulting experience spans 25 years, including 15 years with two international compensation consulting firms. In 2006 Mr. Gurr completed the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) directors' education program so is well aware of the governance issues related to executive and director compensation.

CEO, executive and board director compensation is increasing. Is this justified? Boards of Directors are concerned about "getting pay right". There are continuing requirements for more and clearer disclosure of executive and director compensation. Directors worry about business continuity and attracting and retaining the leadership in a marketplace with fewer and fewer qualified experienced people.

This session will review the roles (and potential conflicts) of HR staff, outside consultants and board directors in determining CEO, executive and director compensation policy. There is a desire to significantly differentiate total pay such that outstanding organization results will provide "up, up and stay" pay and poor results will equate to "down, down and go" pay, with reasonable termination allowances - no more incentives for failure!

Trends in executive compensation (salary, bonus, medium & long term incentives) and director compensation (retainer, meeting fees, long term rewards) will be discussed in the sectors of for-profit (private and publicly traded corporations) and for-service government financed entities. The effective governance of the process and determining the actual pay levels will be debated in terms of being fair, justifiable and defensible to the various stakeholders. How best to work with executive compensation consultants will be explored and a case study will be reviewed and discussed in an interactive session.