Excellence.ca Magazine - November 2016 by Excellence Canada

AN EXCELLENCE CANADA PUBLICATION

EX CELLENCE. CA i n n o v a t i o n - e x c e l l e n c e - w e l l n e s s

EXCELLENCE IS GOLDEN S P E C I A L

F E A T U R E

WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE CELEBRATING THE BEST IN CLASS: 2016 CANADA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS

C O N t e n t s

39 FEATURE world-class performance: Celebrating the best in class 2016 canada awards for excellence recipients

40 Governor general of canada message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston

12 Blockchain Revolution and the Innovators Dilemma In the mid-1990s, smart managers worked hard to understand the internet and how it would affect their businesses. Today, blockchain technology is ushering in the second generation of the Internet, and if companies don’t want to get left behind, they’ll need to dodge the Innovator’s dilemma and disrupt from within. Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott

54 Culture Matters

Ceridian has accomplished some great things over the years. Think of the great things your own company has done recently. Everyone has examples I’m sure. Daniel O’Rourke

60 TTC on the Fast Track to Modernization

The Information Technology Services (ITS), Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), received the 2016 Canada Order of Excellence for Quality. TTC gives us a glimpse at what is to come, as well as how they are getting there. Mike DeToma

12 Opening K e y n ot E S p e a k e r

CONTENTS

9 16

Meet Our New Chair Shirlee Sharkey

Tips on Doing Business in Tough Times - Proven Strategies that Work

Improved Service in a Healthier Workplace: The Little Hospital that Could Michael Garron Hospital

Dr. Peter Legge

24 28 31

Relax, Try Mindfulness

34 36 74

Asking for Ideas is a Bad Idea

Jonathan La Greca

18 Christine Day is Building Luvo with Vision, Purpose and a Passion for Healthy Eating The former Starbucks and lululemon executive is applying all that she’s learned in her career and faced in her personal life to change the way people eat with Luvo

Make Perfume, Not War Barbara Stegemann

The Fine Art of Authenticity and How to Hack it with Body Language Mark Bowden

Stephen Shapiro

Interview Milos Raonic

Excellence Pays on the Stock Market Long Term Dr. Adam Stoehr

“Great leaders are good at making

clear decisions about which traits they should reveal and amplify, to whom, and at what points. “

www.pwc.com/ca/private

Relationships and communities are at the heart of business Our Private Company Services group understands this, and is proud to sponsor Excellence Canada as part of our commitment to the community. We would like to congratulate the winners of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canadian Business Excellence Award for Private Businesses on this milestone achievement.

Private Company Services Advice as unique as your business

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editorial

con t r ib u t o r s

Mark bowden

Expert in Body Language and Human Behavior Mark Bowden is a world renowned authority on body language, voted #1 Body Language Professional by Global Gurus two years running. He is the creator of TRUTHPLANE ® , a communication training tool used by Fortune 500 companies, CEO’s and G8 Leaders. Mark’s has 3 publications including bestselling Winning Body Language, a “how-to guide” to using your body language to gain trust and credibility. He has a very popular TEDx talk, and his YouTube Channel has over 1 million views. He can be seen regularly TV as Body Language expert on CTV’s The Social.

editor-in-chief / allan N. ebedes copy editor / paul crookall designer / niki Marusic con t r ib u t o r s Mark bowden, paul crookall, Mike DeToma, jonathan la greca, Dr. peter legge, Daniel O’Rourke, milos raonic, stephen shapiro, shirlee sharkey, barbara stegemann, dr. adam stoehr, Alex tapscott, don tapscott a d v e r t i s ing niki marusic

Jonathan la greca

GentleMind, Founder | VP Strategic Growth and Brand Building, Hotspex Jonathan La Greca has led teams for 15 years across five different industries, observing a common problem: People were becoming busier and more stressed than ever. In response, he launched NatureFit in 2011, a free outdoor fitness bootcamp that now has more than 1,000 members. He followed this success by launching GentleMind in 2014, where he runs weekly group mindfulness sessions from his home studio and offers guided mindfulness sessions for organizations and at special events. Jonathan has a B.Sc. in Human Physiology and received the gold medal for graduating from his Schulich School of Business MBA with the highest graduating GPA.

teL: 416.251.7600 ext. 231 ho w t o r e a ch u s Please address all correspondence to: excellence Canada 1 5 4 Un i ve r s i t y Ave n u e , Su i t e 4 0 2 To r o n t o , ON M 5 H 3 Y 9 t e l : 4 1 6 . 2 5 1 . 7 6 0 0 • Fa x : 4 1 6 . 2 5 1 . 9 1 3 1 email: info@excellence.ca www.excellence.ca

peter legge,

O.B.C., LL.D. (HON.), D.Tech., CSP, CPAE, HoF

Chairman and CEO, Canada Wide Media Limited Leading the largest, independently owned media publishing company in Western Canada, Peter Legge is a living legacy of one of Canada’s true entrepreneurial success stories. He is an internationally acclaimed professional speaker, presenting to about 65 organizations annually, and a bestselling author of 20 books, including The Runway of Life, The Power of Tact, Lunch with Joe and his most recent, The Power of Tenacity. He is also a community leader, tirelessly devoting his time to many worthwhile organizations. His involvement has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Order of British Columbia.

advertising inquiries tel: 416.251.7600 ads@excellence.ca

Daniel O’Rourke

VP, Business Excellence, CERIDIAN HCM CANADA co p y r igh t ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of excellence canada or the publisher. no part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. P r in t ing p a r t n e r the lowe-martin group

As Vice President, Business Excellence for Ceridian HCM, Daniel O’Rourke is responsible for leading or enabling strategic and functional area initiatives and continuous improvements, across Ceridian’s business lines for both internal and external stakeholders. Several programs to streamline, simplify and continually optimize the linkages between the operational, employee and customer experience have been highly successful. With more than 20 years of experience in leading and developing operations, as well as integrating Lean organizational change within multiple industries, Daniel joined Ceridian in 2009 after spending the majority of his career in the manufacturing sector in senior operations leadership roles.

milos raonic

professional tennis player Born in Podgorica, Montenegro, Milos Raonic moved to Canada at the age of three and began playing tennis five years later. Following the years of success and development, Milos had his first breakthrough on the ATP Tour at the 2011 Australian Open. Since then, he has been a consistent contender on the tour. Milos Raonic is the most successful Canadian singles player, with a career-high ranking of #4 and 8 ATP tournament titles to date.

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stephen shapiro

Innovation Instigator | Keynote Speaker | Business Advisor After a 15-year tenure leading a 20,000-person innovation practice at Accenture, in 2001 Stephen Shapiro launched his professional speaking career. He has presented his counterintuitive perspectives on innovation to audiences in 50 countries. His latest book, Best Practices Are Stupid, was named the best innovation book of 2011. In 2015 he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

Shirlee Sharkey

President and CEO, Saint Elizabeth Both a pioneer and a futurist, Shirlee Sharkey has helped make Saint Elizabeth a leader in Canadian health care. The organization has enjoyed exponential growth and expansion throughout Canada, the United States and beyond. Nationally celebrated and locally cherished, Saint Elizabeth’s staff of 8,000 spreads hope and happiness through people-powered care, delivering 18,000 visits daily. Saint Elizabeth was recognized for its dedication to quality and service with Excellence Canada’s Order of Excellence in 2015. Shirlee’s personal commitment to community advancement is evident by her involvement on many boards, ranging from health to education. She is a sought-after speaker, frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail, and a respected leader in the global innovation community.

barbara stegemann

Top Game Changer, CBC’s Dragons’ Den | CEO and Founder, The 7 Virtues After Barbara Stegemann’s best friend – a soldier – was severely wounded in Afghanistan, she created a company that sources organic oils from countries experiencing turmoil to encourage change and to reverse the effects of war and poverty. She was the first woman from Atlantic Canada to land a venture-capital deal on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and became the “Top Game Changer” in the history of the show for her social enterprise. Since then, Barbara has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, has received numerous accolades for her entrepreneurship and innovation, and is a celebrated speaker and author.

adam stoehr, Ph.D.

vP education and research, excellence canada Adam Stoehr is responsible for Excellence Canada’s educational services, including the development and deployment of training and certification. As one of Excellence Canada’s primary faculty members, he facilitates leadership, organizational assessment, process improvement and quality management training across Canada. Since 2000, Adam has trained more than 20,000 adults. He holds a PhD in Business Strategy from the University of the West of England, Bristol Business School, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Don Tapscott

CEO, The Tapscott Group inc. Don Tapscott is one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society. He has authored more than 15 books including the bestsellers Wikinomics; Paradigm Shift; and The Digital Economy, which changed business thinking about the transformational nature of the Internet. Don’s most recent book, co-authored with his son Alex Tapscott, is Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business, and the World. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto; a Fellow of the Martin Prosperity Institute; and Chancellor of Trent University. In 2015 he was named to the Order of Canada.

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Connect with Excellence Canada

I t's you r f u t u re

Be Happy and healthy At Excellence Canada we are using our evidence-based resources, tools and best practices to help make a positive impact in workplaces across Canada. Our Healthy Workplace ÂŽ Standard provides a roadmap to a happier and healthier workplace.

To learn more about how we can help you create or enhance a healthy workplace strategy visit us at

excellence.ca/healthyworkplaces or call 1-800-263-9648 ext 211 for a complimentary consultation.

154 University Ave., Suite 402, Toronto, ON M5H 3Y9 | tf. 800.263.9648 | t. 416.251.7600 | f. 416.251.9131 | www.excellence.ca

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excellence is golden Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better - Pat Riley1 In today’s economy, being “Good” is not good enough–you need to be “Excellent!” The formula for success can be found in all aspects of society. A select group of individuals and organizations have risen to the challenge and found the path to success by creating their own golden opportunity to shine in the spotlight, and to make a difference. allan N. ebedes President & CEO Exc el l enc e Canada

Excellence is a Journey, Not a Destination For 32 years, Excellence Canada’s mission has been to help organizations improve performance and to recognize excellence. World-class organizations find themselves at the top—on the center stage—collecting their “gold medal”. They are the ones that have been on a journey to excellence and have achieved remarkable achievements. They continually improve their performance; they are innovative, competitive and customer-focused; they are healthy, inclusive, and sustainable; and they are economically, socially and environmentally responsible. These award recipients want to do their part by making the world a better place. Their employees are engaged and are their ambassadors to the world. The Journey to Excellence is never ending. You don’t stay at the top if you don’t keep moving! When you are green...you grow. When you are ripe... you rot!

Leadership is Key to Excellence A great leader will inspire his or her team with a compelling vision and setting a strategy in motion, steering the course that will set the standards, measure the progress and evaluate the successes along the way. They plan, they monitor, they evaluate. This is the mantra they live by, leading to a path of success, culminating at the top of the podium. Excellence Canada’s standards and frameworks are proven methodologies–a set of guiding principles and requirements, a guide to organizations to help them meet their plans and goals, helping them along their journey. The Canada Awards for Excellence, under the Patronage of the Governor General of Canada, recognizes an organization that demonstrates outstanding performance, conveying the spirit of Excellence. Award recipients benchmark themselves against Excellence Canada’s Standards and Frameworks (Healthy Workplace®, Mental Health at Work® and Excellence, Innovation and Wellness ® ). Each year, award recipients are recognized and celebrated on reaching the podium, a platform that encourages other organizations to work and strive for that same level of success. And the journey continues. On behalf of Shirlee Sharkey, Chair of Excellence Canada, our Board of Directors and our Board of Governors, we extend congratulations to all the Canada Awards for Excellence recipients, past and present. They are “Golden”.

Pat Riley won eight NBA Championships: one as a player, five as a head coach and two as a team president. He was voted in

as one of the top ten best coaches in the history of the game.

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Productivity loss from family caregiving is about more than dollars and cents.

1 in 4 Canadians are family caregivers**. That means 1 in 4 of your employees. Today’s progressive employers are taking proactive steps to protect and promote the wellbeing of employees who are current and future caregivers. The Elizz 5 LifeStages of Caregiving employee program can help your organization increase productivity and improve employee wellbeing and work/life balance. Contact us today to find out how. Email Frank O’Driscoll frankodriscoll@saintelizabeth.com

1.800.463.1763 x141893

** Statistics Canada. 2012

in t e r v i e w

Meet our New Chair

shirlee sharkey

Shirlee Sharkey, recognized as one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women, is President & CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health Care, and recipient of numerous awards for leadership and innovation. She has just been elected as Chair of Excellence Canada. We thought you might like to get to know a bit more about her. Shirlee was interviewed by Excellence Canada’s President & CEO Allan Ebedes.

How long have you been associated with Excellence Canada? We’ve been working with Excellence Canada since 2007. We were looking for ways to challenge ourselves and really accelerate and improve our organizational performance. Excellence Canada was our first and final choice as a partner who could help us broaden our perspective and, quite simply, help make us better. Saint Elizabeth is a leading national health care organization, providing over six million home care visits per year, through 8,000 staff. What were the benefits to your organization in pursuing an “excellence journey” with Excellence Canada? One of the main benefits for us is that it allowed us the opportunity to examine and compare ourselves against other industries rather than just those organizations within the health care space. We’ve also found that the external review process challenged us. In some ways, it’s like having a great coach – we’ve been inspired and encouraged to reach higher and achieve more. Momentum is another benefit – the process keeps us moving. With the pace of change in the

world today, it’s great to have the incentive to not only move, but pick up the pace. What are the biggest accomplishments and improvements Saint Elizabeth has made since becoming a Partner with Excellence Canada? I would say it’s the focus on excellence. Given the competitive nature of our world today and the multiple priorities we all face, the sharp focus Excellence Canada’s framework brings has been extremely helpful to us. How did receiving the Canada Awards for Excellence from Excellence Canada improve your organization’s performance and team-work? Every award we’ve earned along the way has helped us step up and perform at a higher level. Building on prior success, and challenging ourselves to ‘take it up a notch’ helped us with momentum and our overall goals. The awards themselves are important moments in time when you can step back, celebrate and reflect. But as we all know, the journey to excellence has no finish line, but the celebrations and recognition along the way have really kept us motivated.

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You have recently been appointed as Chair of the Board of Excellence Canada. What attracted you to this role? I’m a competitive person, so I am always attracted to winning teams - Excellence Canada is a team with an exemplary track record. I was also very interested in the opportunity to learn from other industries and organizations, and to contribute at a higher level to help others on their excellence journeys. I knew I’d be able to gain insight and learn from some of the brightest minds in Canada. In short, it was a great opportunity and I am very honoured to have been selected. What is your vision as Chair of Excellence Canada? At Saint Elizabeth, our vision isn’t about health care – it’s about spreading hope and happiness. Similarly, I think Excellence Canada can play a major role in enabling the improvement of Canadian society. My vision as Chair is to see that Excellence Canada forms the foundation of a great Canada by ensuring excellence in every organization. I believe that with all of us working together, this is something we can achieve.

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d i r e c t o r s

Neil Crawford Partner & Canada Talent Practice Director AON

Glenn Laverty President & Chief Executive Officer

Ricoh Canada Inc.

Allan N. Ebedes President & Chief Executive Officer

Jacqueline Gauthier Chief Financial Officer Calian Group Ltd.

Excellence Canada

Mohsen Mortada President Cole Engineering Group

Laura Nashman Chief Executive Officer

British Columbia Pension Corporation

Mark Henderson

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer PowerStream Inc.

Shirlee Sharkey (Chair, Excellence Canada) President & Chief Executive Officer Saint Elizabeth

Marilyn Thompson Associate Provost, Human Resources University of Waterloo

Together, we are making a difference! Excellence Canada continues to inspire organizational excellence in Canada. Allan Ebedes, President & CEO would like to thank our Board of Directors, Board of Governors and Partners for their commitment and continued support. Allan N. Ebedes President & Chief Executive Officer Excellence Canada

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go v e r no r s

Colin Brown VP Operations and Projects Engineers Canada

Meredith Buchanan Vice President, Strategy & Stakeholder Services Property Valuation Services Corporation

Tonie Chaltas Chief Operating Officer Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Rodney C. Cook Vice President, Human Resources Workplace Safety & Insurance Board

Neil Crawford Partner & Canada Talent Practice Director AON

Sandy Delamere Vice President, Human Resources Sun Life Financial Canada

Yvonne de Lint Deputy Chief, Currency Department Bank of Canada

Andrew Dickson Co-founder and Executive Vice-President My Broadcasting Corporation

Marie Doherty Director, HR Client Services and Organizational Development Queen’s University

Dr. Hugh Drouin Commissioner, Social Services Regional Municipality of Durham

Allan Ebedes President & Chief Executive Officer Excellence Canada

Kevin Ford President & Chief Executive Officer Calian Group Ltd.

Dominique Francoeur Chief Executive Officer Canadian Forces Housing Agency

John Gallinger Chief Executive Officer Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)

Ward Griffin President & Chief Executive Officer Lowe-Martin Group

Una Hassenstein Executive Director Strategy and Corporate Services Service Nova Scotia

Mark Henderson Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer PowerStream Inc.

David Henry Managing Director, Group Benefits Great-West Life

John R. Jones President and Group Publisher Canadian Government Executive Magazine

Ed Kane Assistant Vice President University Services Carleton University

Joanne Kuntz Director, Management Reporting, Canadian Division Operations Manulife Financial

Glenn S. Laverty President & Chief Executive Officer Ricoh Canada Inc.

Dr. Peter Legge Chairman & Chief Executive Officer / Publisher Canada Wide Media Limited

John Livey Deputy City Manager City of Toronto

Mohsen Mortada

Michael Moser Senior Director of Strategy, Finance & Operations CBC Communications, Marketing and Brand

Laura Nashman Chief Executive Officer British Columbia Pension Corporation

Don O’Leary VP Finance, Administration & Risk University of Guelph

Daniel O’Rourke VP Business Excellence Ceridian HCM Canada

Antoine Pappalardo President Trans Capital Air Ltd.

Gary Seveny Past Chair, Excellence Canada Director & Founder Odawa Group Inc.

Shirlee Sharkey Chair, Excellence Canada

Andy Taylor Chief Administrative Officer City of Markham.

Marilyn Thompson Associate Provost, Human Resources University of Waterloo

John Wilson Founder & CEO CEO Global Network Inc.

President Cole Engineering Group

Saul Plener National Leader, Private Company Services PwC

President & Chief Executive Officer Saint Elizabeth

View all Board of Director profiles online at www.excellence.ca/ board-of-directors and Board of Governors at www.excellence.ca/ board-of-governors

Don Tapscott is the author of 15 widely read books about the digital revolution in business and society dating back to 1981, and is the Chancellor of Trent University. Alex Tapscott is the CEO of North West Passage Ventures, an advisory firm building early stage companies in the blockchain space. Together they are authors of the new book Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business and the World.

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Blockchain Revolution and the Innovators Dilemma By d on Ta p scot t a n d a l ex ta p scot t

n the mid-1990s, smart managers worked hard to understand the internet and how it would affect their businesses. Today, blockchain technology is

ushering in the second generation of the Internet,

and if companies don’t want to get left behind, they’ll need to dodge the Innovator’s Dilemma and disrupt from within.

We’ve become convinced that the most important technology for the Enterprise is not big data, the social web, artificial intelligence, robotics, or the cloud. It’s the blockchain, the technology behind digital currencies like Bitcoin. The first era – the Internet of information – has connected billions of people around the world. But because it’s built for moving and storing information, and not value, it has actually done little to change the way we do business or how our economy works. When you send information to someone, like an email, Word document, PDF or PowerPoint, you’re really sending a copy not the original. It’s OK for people to print a copy of their PowerPoint file, but not OK to print, say, money.

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BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION AND THE INNOVATORS DILEMMA

So with the Internet of information we have to rely on powerful intermediaries to establish trust. Banks, governments, and even social media companies like Facebook all do the work of establishing our identity and helping us own and transfer assets and settle the transactions. Overall they do a pretty good job – but there are limitations. They use centralized servers, which can be hacked. They take a piece of the value for performing this service – say 10 percent to send some money internationally. They capture our data, not just preventing us from using it for our own benefit but often undermining our privacy. They are sometimes unreliable and often slow. They exclude 2 billion people who don’t have enough money to justify a bank account. Most problematic, they are capturing the benefits of the digital age asymmetrically. What if there was an Internet of Value - a global, distributed, highly secure platform, ledger or database where value could be stored and exchanged and we could all trust each other without powerful intermediaries. Collective self-interest, hard-coded into this new native digital medium for value, would ensure the safety, security, and reliability of commerce online. Trust is programmed into the technology, which is why we call blockchain the Trust Protocol. In 2008 an anonymous person or persons named Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper outlining a peer-to-peer cash system called Bitcoin. The underlying blockchain technology enabled people to do transactions without a central intermediary. Today thoughtful managers everywhere are working hard to understand how this will change their businesses and society as a whole. It turns out every business, institution, government, and individual can benefit in profound ways: For starters, get ready for big changes in the architecture of the corporation, a pillar of modern capitalism. With the rise of a global peer-to-peer platform for identity, trust, reputation and transactions, we will be able to re-engineer the deep structures of the firm, for innovation and shared value creation. We’re talking about building 21st century companies that look more like networks rather than the vertically integrated hierarchies of the industrial age. The whole financial service industry is already being reinvented by blockchain and others will soon follow. Once again, the technology genie has been unleashed from its bottle. It gives us another kick at the can, to try and build more innovative and effective organizations and perhaps

even rethink the economic power grid and the old order of things. That’s, to us, how big this is. It feels like 1994. Consider seven new business models that can innovate better and create better value at lower cost.

Peer Producers

There are thousands of dispersed volunteers who brought you open source software and Wikipedia. By enabling reputation systems and other incentives, blockchain technology can improve their efficiency and reward them for the value they create. Just as IBM embraced Linux, firms can tap into self-organizing networks to co-create or peer-produce value.

Rights Creators

Many musicians, photographers, artists, designers, scientists, architects, engineers, and authors have not received proper compensation for the value they create because the Internet of Information broke our intellectual property system. Without an Internet of Value, we could only treat assets as information and we published them, in turn robbing the creators of content. Blockchain technology solves the IP world’s equivalent of the double-spend problem—piracy—better than existing digital rights management systems. Consider the digital registry of artwork, including the certificates of authenticity, condition, and ownership: artists could decide whether, when, and where they wanted to deploy it.

Blockchain Cooperatives

The trust protocol supercharges cooperatives—autonomous associations formed and controlled by people who collaborate to meet common needs. With blockchain technology, they can translate their willingness to cooperate into reliable accounting for rights, assets, skills, and work product that displaces platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and TaskRabbit.

Metering Economy

With blockchains we can rent our excess capacity for certain commodities—Wi-Fi hot spots, computing power or storage, extra mobile minutes, even our expertise—by metering a counterparty’s usage and microbilling on the blockchain. Our subscriptions, physical space, and energy sources can now become sources of income.

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Platform Builders

Enterprises create platforms when they open up their products and technology infrastructures to outsiders. Blockchain technology makes platform building cheaper and manageable. It provides a standard common database and standard common contracts, which increase data transparency and portability. Users can pursue the best terms and cooperate with the best talent to create their own platforms, rather than using the applications of traditional companies.

Blockchain Makers

Blockchain technology supports the Internet of Things used in manufacturing. It can automate not only the coordination of machines but the tracking of inputs and outputs. We could, for example, monitor our beef from birth to burger, buying animals that were raised humanely, fed quality ingredients, and butchered under sanitary conditions.

Enterprise Collaborators

Today, commercial collaboration tools like Salesforce Chatter or Microsoft SharePoint are changing knowledge work but there are clear limitations. Users often cannot port their ideas from unit to unit, let alone from job to job, yet vendors and corporate IT can eavesdrop on collaborations. To attract talent, firms need to respect employee security and privacy. The blockchain enables individuals to establish and manage their own personas online and decide how, where, and what to contribute to a commercial project and with whom in an organization or a partnership. Smart companies will participate fully in the blockchain economy rather than play its victims. In the developing world, the distribution of value creation (through entrepreneurship and talent pools) and value participation (through distributed ownership) may help to reconcile the prosperity paradox.

The Challenge of Leadership

Achieving a new innovative and competitive model of the firm that embraces a new paradigm in technology is a major undertaking. New paradigms cause uncertainty and are often received with coolness or worse. Vested interests fight change and leaders of the old are often the last to embrace the new. Many companies will fall victim to the

Innovators’ Dilemma and resist change because it may cannibalize their existing business models. Canada too, as a country is facing an historic opportunity. Some of the most important thought leadership, business innovation and blockchain development is occurring in Canada, in centers like Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. In the mid-90s the Federal Government and other organizations helped the growth of the Internet. With this second generation we’re now at an even more important turning point. The Canadian economy has been based on resources and traditional industrialage manufacturing and approaches. It’s time to move forward. This is not to say we should abandon our resource industries or manufacturing. They are also changing, though if we do this right, they can become cleaner, safer and better for everyone. We can no longer count on big resource companies, manufacturers or banks to create jobs. Entrepreneurship creates jobs and we need to foster that as blockchains enable small companies to have the resources of bigger companies. We need

Smart companies will participate fully in the blockchain economy rather than play its victims.

this new technology applied to everything from innovative models of industry, education, healthcare, government and democracy. Canada has healthy, powerful and

well-run banks. However, executives in all Canadian banks will tell you that new financial technologies, so called “fintech,” are beginning to revolutionize financial services and they’re gearing up for big changes. We need to think differently about transportation. Within a decade, self-driving cars will be everywhere and if we plan today, we can have a virtual mass transit system for a tiny fraction of the cost of industrial age approaches. Imagine open government – not just transparency but governments that share their data with citizens and engage us through exciting new techniques like challenges, digital brainstorms and policy wikis. Let’s move to a new era in democracy with active citizenship and a culture of public deliberation and elected representatives who act with integrity. This is not a time for tinkering with old approaches. It’s a time of transformation. Canada needs an innovation strategy. The strategy shouldn’t just be created by government, but also by the private sector, NGO’s, academia, cultural groups and communities. It needs to be created by us all, and cultivated by you. Calling all innovators! It’s time to step up!

The WSIB is proud to be a sponsor of the 2016 Canada Awards for Excellence (CAE). Health, safety and wellness is at the foundation of everything that we do. We thank our dedicated employees for helping us build and maintain our healthy workplace culture. To learn more, visit www.wsib.on.ca

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improved service in a healthier workplace: the little hospital That could

Michael Garron Hospital By Pau l C rookal l

n 2004, Michael Garron Hospital (formerly, Toronto East General Hospital) celebrated 75 years as a community teaching hospital. They faced a turbulent, challenging environment, with increasing demand, rising costs, decreased funding, external scrutiny and workplace safety concerns. And they were just emerging from supervision by the Province. The management team, led by previous CEO Rob Devitt, decided that a fundamental course change was needed. The leadership team wanted: “To put a new dot on the horizon and get aligned to reach it.” They chose Excellence Canada’s framework because “it seemed like a natural fit. The process was similar to what we would have to go through with accreditation; it was quite aligning, it augmented and strengthened our approach, of integrating wellness and service.”

The team decided on a dual focus: (1) improving patient care and (2) improving staff job satisfaction. “You can’t have one without the other,” Devitt reflected. Both would be achieved through better management: improved service while reducing costs and creating a healthier workplace. They decided to use a management framework developed by Excellence Canada: Quality and Healthy Workplace®. It is a progressive model, with four levels, and the impact was obvious—people could soon see the difference. In 2008, management launched its first Mental Health Strategic plan. This added a focus on work/life balance, enhanced physical well-being, and training in emotional intelligence and workplace violence prevention. By 2010, they had achieved national recognition with the gold Canada Awards for Excellence for the Quality and

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Healthy Workplace® Standard. They became an early leader in reducing workplace violence. In 2013, with the release of the new National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) recognized Michael Garron Hospital as an early adopter and industry leader. They have become a poster child for the Commission. In a 2016 report, the MHCC noted: “MGH’s overall staff engagement scores have significantly increased, placing them as the leading community hospital in 9 of 11 engagement categories… they believe their staff engagement score improvements have been a significant driver in improving their patient satisfaction and overall quality metrics.”

The Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital) •

A full service community teaching hospital

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Specialties in thoracic, neo-natal and child care, and continuing care/rehab

•

Founded 1929, centred in a multi-cultural part of Toronto, near Coxwell and Danforth

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473 beds; 70,000 Emergency Room visits per year; an outpatient program

•

Impact. Some of the impacts the hospital has achieved (2009 – 2015): • • • • • •

A steady focus on the psychological health and safety of staff was maintained. There has been a steady year over year 2% increase in employee engagement. Overall health care costs were reduced by 7% Absenteeism is down to 6.55 days per year from 10.66 Emergency Department wait times have been cut in half. Patient satisfactions scores are up, to 92% from 85%, from 2011 to 2015; and clinical metrics have improved, for example, mortality is reduced, and sepsis is reduced.

How was all this achieved? Christine Devine, Wellness Specialist, observed: “The Excellence Canada framework supporting overall business performance and principles of excellence is thoroughly aligned with our Patient-Centred Care Model and strategic success factors. Each factor is related to a principle within the framework, as illustrated in our Strategic Plan.” To help embed mental health, the CEO signs a Statement of Commitment each year, to protect the psychological health and safety of staff. Champions have been given responsibility. Policies have been created and implemented. The keys are: • • • • •

Lead in a positive way. Make psychological health and safety a part of decision making. Engage workers. Identify and address psychologically unsafe practices and workplaces. Ensure staff members are responsible for protecting each other’s psychological health and safety by adhering to the Code of Conduct and related policies.

The hospital routinely carries out workplace violence risk assessments;

2,500 staff, 400 physicians, 500 volunteers

“Quality and value are inextricably linked. Partnering with Excellence Canada to use their frameworks for Excellence, Innovation and Wellness, and for Mental Health at Work, has helped embed our mission, vision, values, strategic success factors, and philosophy of wellness in everything we do.” - christine Devine, wellness specialist

physical and psychological hazard assessments; and verification against the workplace safety checklist. There is an online reporting system with immediate feedback. Critical incident reports are analysed and an action plan developed and followed up. SMART goals are tracked. The staff engagement survey is conducted quarterly. WSIB claims are followed up, and the Manulife Health Benefits Diagnostic is used to identify areas needing attention. Leaders are equipped to support a healthy workplace through management training programs, coaching skills development and the provision of a ‘mental health toolkit.’ All staff members receive mandatory mental health training, including an emotional intelligence program. “Wellness is tailored to the needs of our staff” Devine said. “We track the effectiveness of programs and initiatives through trend data, including progress on the 13 psychosocial risk factors in the National Standard. We also use the Ontario Hospital Association benchmarks to compare within our industry.” The hospital participates in national programs and campaigns, including Bell’s “Let’s Talk,” and Mental Health Week. Patient Involvement. Engagement extends to patients. Each team designs a

excellence.ca magazine | 19

patient-centred care plan focused on relationships among the hospital staff, patient, patient family and colleagues. “Patient stories” provide frontline caregivers with the opportunity to learn more about the people they serve. It’s not all soft relationships. Process management and risk assessment are key. Work processes are continuously assessed for their impact on mental health. Feedback happens in daily “huddles,” weekly “check-ins” and annual appraisals. Staff members need to be supported as they give care to patients. The hospital uses an ergonomist and an organizational psychologist, and an Improvement Team. The Future. The hospital is currently in growth mode, thanks in part to the largest one-time donation to a Canadian community hospital -- $50M from the Garron family, to increase the focus on children, youth mental health, research and bedside services, as well as a new strategic direction under the guidance of new President and CEO Sarah Downey. The newly renamed Michael Garron Hospital continues to build on the Excellence Canada program as it works to fully implement the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.

The former Starbucks and lululemon executive is applying all that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learned in her career and faced in her personal life to change the way people eat with Luvo

christine day is building Luvo with vision, purpose and a passion for healthy eating

hristine Day’s rise to top management positions at Starbucks, lululemon athletica and now Luvo – a rapidly growing company

that’s on a mission to help you eat well in addition to changing the way you feel about frozen food – might never have happened if a high school guidance counsellor hadn’t told her to reconsider her original career choice.

Day took the advice, giving up her plan to become an elementary school teacher and chose a career in business instead, first earning a degree in administrative management and then spending two years at a private equity firm in Seattle. As chance would have it, one of the firm’s clients was Howard Schultz, a young entrepreneur who at the time owned a single coffee shop – Il Giornale – with just five employees but who had a vision of building something much bigger. Schultz needed an assistant and offered the job to Day. That was in November 1986, and as Schultz recounts in his book Pour Your Heart Into It, Day quickly found herself “doing nearly everything: administration, finance, computers, payroll, human resources, purchasing, banking and typing.”

excellence.ca magazine | 21

CHRISTINE DAY IS BUILDING LUVO WITH VISION, PURPOSE AND PASSION FOR HEALTHY EATING Day says she likes the chaos of start-ups and making all of the pieces fit together. While Luvo is moving rapidly past the startup phase with national distribution across Canada and the United States and sales that are growing exponentially each quarter, it has been a development process since she joined the company in 2014. “Working in start-ups, there are a lot of opportunities to lead projects, to lead change in organizations and to lead innovation. The tricky part is staying on top of growing at the pace of skills and leadership attributes you need.” It was a lesson Day learned the hard way. Soon after Il Giornale acquired the original six Starbucks stores in 1987 and began an aggressive expansion program, Day was tasked with growing the business from 15 stores to 50 in a year. But she wasn’t able to meet the target and quickly realized that her leadership had to change if she was going to be successful in scaling up the business. Instead of trying to do everything herself, Day now had to create a strategy and plan and build a team to meet Starbucks’ ambitious growth targets. For Day, the hardest thing about that early failure was knowing she had let others down and had to earn back her credibility. “The biggest challenge in business is when you don’t get the execution that you want. You have to develop the resiliency when you don’t do as well as you think you should, either professionally or personally, take accountability for what you need to take accountability for and keep things moving forward.” Day recovered from that setback, serving for five years as Starbuck’s vice president for store planning before moving to retail operations, gaining the knowledge and skills she needed at each level. She learned a lot from her mentors at Starbucks, – founder Howard Schultz, former president and CEO Orin Smith, and Howard Behar, the former president and CEO of Starbucks International. “I pulled from all three of them to create a leadership style that worked for me, and I think works for the people I’ve led.” In 2002, Day attended the Harvard Business School advanced management program before taking up a new role as president of Starbuck’s Asia-Pacific operations, opening stores in 10 Asian countries and, as she describes it, redoing the beginning of the business model over and over again. Eventually, however, the toll of spending about 240 days a year on the road led Day to take what was supposed to be a one-year sabbatical from Starbucks. But the sabbatical didn’t last long, and she was soon recruited

by the founder and former CEO of lululemon athletica, to join the Vancouver-based yoga wear retailer as its executive vice president of retail operations. “lululemon had a good vision and purpose, but the vision wasn’t necessarily living in the reality of the operations. So it was a great opportunity to take what was a good concept and good ideas and bring them to life in a disciplined way, so that the strategy matched the products and the execution, and the brand resonated with consumers.” Soon after joining lululemon, she was promoted to CEO, at a time when the company was embarking on a plan to open 35 stores in North America just as the United States was heading into a recession. “I really look to place talent and skills against a vision and purpose in an organization. I look for people who believe in that vision and for complementary skills when creating a team. Then I allow people to contribute so they’re engaged and feel a part of it. I find that’s what really creates highperformance teams.” Under Day’s leadership, lululemon’s sales grew 350 per cent and its stock price rose by a factor of five, despite a well-publicized controversy over see-through yoga pants. “Problems are just problems. They happen. You can’t always choose the waters you sail in, but you can choose who you sail with and what you’re going to do next. That has served me well, being calm when the troubled waters brew. I think that’s what people have appreciated, they know that your values are in place, not only when things are good but when they are bad.” Day eventually left the company in early 2014, not because of the problem with yoga pants but because of a difference in management styles. As she told the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference that year, “You have to take control of your own life and say, ‘This isn’t working for me.’” Now Day has a new mission – as CEO and part-owner of food company Luvo Inc., a Vancouver-based enterprise that promises to deliver nutritious, quality food in a convenient format, frozen, for retail and through foodservice. Her passion for Luvo is not just about business, it is deeply personal. At the same time she was introduced to the brand, her mother was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic and Christine was realizing how few prepared frozen food options were available that met standard dietary requirements. That personal passion combined with her values and culture-based leadership, along with her ability to strategically run a brand, deliver great financial results and create a sense of teamwork are key at Luvo.

excellence.ca magazine | 22

“Here at Luvo, it’s all about how you grow a company and a concept and a brand with a very small team. We run the company with about 26 people, and yet our presence and what we’ve accomplished is so much bigger than that. It comes from all those years of understanding how to build teams and how to build brands and how to manage and execute a lot of work projects.” Because the Luvo team is spread out across North America – the head office is in Vancouver, most of the R&D and product team is in San Francisco, the supply-chain manufacturing teams are in Chicago and the sales teams “are wherever they need to be,” Day says she’s able to run a virtual company. But every quarter, she brings the senior management team together to examine the company’s progress. “We talk about it as a team, so everybody walks out of there understanding where it is we’re going and what it is we’re going to do. One of the biggest cultural breakdowns is when people don’t understand why you’re making the decisions you’re making as a leader. In culturally led businesses in particular, trust is critical to maintaining that culture and people’s performance and engagement.” Like Starbucks and lululemon, Luvo is seeking to engage with its customers and create a lifestyle brand – in this case, convenient, nutritious and tasty frozen meals. Day says she’s had to “up my game” to figure out how to create a brand in a grocery store environment, but Luvo is focusing on building a community of supporters around the brand, using social media, brand ambassadors and other influencers to spread the word. “Our purpose is to change the way people eat. In Canada, about 64 per cent of our healthcare dollars are spent on diseases that are triggered by the lack of proper nutrition and exercise. That’s why our website focuses more on educating the consumer about nutrition and less on ‘buy my product.’ We do a lot of research into what the consumer needs and we design products into that, whether it’s their lifestyle choices and the nutrition that they want, and then use the art of cooking to make sure they taste great.” Her advice to those who aspire to be leaders is simple: work hard and “claim your power,” not in the dominant sense but in the sense of who you are, what your values are, what you bring to the table and what you want to contribute. “Whenever you are working in an environment that matches who you are, hard work is called ‘passion.’ When you’re out of it, it’s called ‘stress.’ I really like to work with passion instead of stress.”

Tips on doing business in tough times - proven strategies that work By d r. peter l e gg e

he late Pastor Robert Schuller of Crystal Cathedral Church in Garden Grove, California once authored a book titled, Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! Back in 2001, when I was on a business trip to London, England, Canada was experiencing a recession and many business owners and associates were feeling the effects of a tightening economy. Today’s economy is a bit more frightening, as the recession appears to be global in nature and we’re hearing on a daily basis the enormity of the situation in which we find ourselves. The one big question facing most business owners is, “What do I do?” While on that 2001 trip, my daughter Rebecca and I found ourselves enjoying a meal in the oldest restaurant in London. Established in 1798, the venerable dining room is renowned not only for the food but also for the cavalcade of literary giants who through the years made it their second home. Over the centuries it has been a favourite haunt of such legendary writers as Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, John Galsworthy and H.G. Wells, as well as being a comfortable respite for British Royalty. In the more than 200 years since it was founded, spanning the reigns of nine monarchs, this restaurant has been owned by only three families. Today it seats 200 guests on three floors, employs 100 staff and serves an average of 500 people a day – that’s 150,000 customers a year. We had to find out how this business has not only survived but thrived. Edward Donnelly, senior manager, agreed to share the secret of the longevity and success of this fine, old business. The restaurant, Donnelly said, has only three rules–rules from which it never deviates. So these are the rules. And what is the name of the restaurant? You guessed it. It’s called Rules! Rule One: Serve and specialize in a niche market–game meats. Rule Two: Take game meats seriously at all times. Rule Three: Adapt easily – no hierarchy. Running a small business is not rocket science. The key tenets of success invariably come back to the simple, basic principles encompassed. Maintain a consistency of purpose or, as my chiropractor tells me, “Consistency outperforms intensity.” We, as business leaders, also need rules to guide our path, but let’s face it, nobody really likes rules – but we can cope with “tips.”

excellence.ca magazine | 23

d u o r p s i k r o w t e N l 6 a 1 0 b 2 o l e CEO G ponsor of th e c n e l l e s c x a E e s b s e to n i . s s u e B s s n e a i n i d s a u n B a e t C a v i r P r o f s d r a Aw

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www.ceoglobalnetwork.com excellence.ca magazine | 24

TIPS ON DOING BUSINESS IN TOUGH TIMES–STRATEGIES THAT WORK

Tip #1 Don’t Panic

This too will pass–keep on selling. Nothing happens until somebody sells something. It is the lifeblood of your enterprise. Keep on top of your sales. Certainly weekly, but daily is much better. Make your customer number 1. One of my mentors, Mel Cooper, former owner of CFAX Radio in Victoria said, “If you serve customers with creativity, competence and commitment, the competition may catch on, but they will never catch up.”

Tip #2 Attit ude

Maintain a positive attitude because your attitude determines your altitude and you become what you think about most of the time. If you add numerical values to the alphabet, the word attitude adds up to 100.

A T T I T U D E

= 1 = 20 = 20 = 9 = 20 = 21 = 4 = 5

AT T I T U D E =

10 0

Tip #3 Be Decisive

Take action. Nothing kills a good idea or an opportunity faster than procrastination. Survey the options, make the call, move on it, and never second-guess yourself. There is nothing to be gained from regret. Napoleon Hill once said, “The number one biggest problem in business is procrastination.”

Tip #4 Be Lean, But Not Mean

Practice zero-base budgeting in all departments. Stay on top of your costs, but make sure the cuts are not so deep that you destroy morale or compromise your staff. They are the foundation of your business. Former CEO of G.E. Jack Welch said, “I’ve never seen a business ruined because it reduced its costs too much, too fast.”

you are paid to do…and pretty soon you will be paid for what you do.

Tip #6 Know What’s Important

No matter what kind of challenge you find yourself up against, always face it with absolute clarity. Be specific about what you want to accomplish and be sure you’re perfectly clear on what’s most important.

Tip #7 Keep People Motivated

This doesn’t need to involve big bonuses, or expensive staff jaunts to Las Vegas. It requires only that you care about your staff, your product and your customers. Be your company’s biggest booster. Everyone needs a cheerleader. Be the one person they look to.

Tip #8 Stay Focused

Champion thoroughbreds that are easily distracted are often fitted with blinkers. This focus, without peripheral distraction, creates winners. Find out what is key to your company’s productivity focus on important work, not necessarily urgent work. Separate the two.

Tip #9 Be Positive

You become what you think about. If you refuse to accept failure and if you think like a winner, you will be one.

Tip #10 Celebrate Your Successes

Achieving a goal should be acknowledged and recognized. Keep celebrations inexpensive but do celebrate all your company’s successes. Success attracts success. The late Sir Charlie Chaplin, a master craftsman of mind-moving thoughts once said, “Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles.” Next time you are in London, try Rules.

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Tip #5 Be Creative, Be Resourceful And Be Inventive

Discover what people expect from you. What don’t they expect? Go beyond. Exceed their expectations. At Christmas, when your competitors are sending out cards, send out CDs filled with wonderful carols. Do more than

CANADIAN BUSINESS E XC E L L E N C E AWA R D S FOR PRIVATE BUSINESSES

Presented by: www.rules.co.uk

excellence.ca magazine | 25

relax, try mindfulness By jon athan l a gre ca

How does your day start? Mine used to start with my mind racing – instant on, before I even opened my eyes, I’d reach for my phone, and, trying to focus my bleary eyes, begin to check e-mail or my to-do list. It seemed my phone was being recharged more than I was each night. Imagine the impact this was having on my body, mind, and relationships. People are busier and more stressed than ever before. I’d had enough, so I took a step back, hoping to change my outlook and the outlook of those around me. Have you heard of mindfulness? Ten years ago, curiosity about the mind-body relationship led me to meditation and mindfulness. This discovery has helped me deal with the biggest challenges life has thrown my way, while also helping me be more grateful and present during the happy moments of my life. I wasn’t alone: Angelina Jolie, Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs, and many others attribute their success, in part, to meditation and mindfulness. The late Steve Jobs credited much of his creativity and success to meditation. He felt that it improved his intuition, allowing him

to be more empathetic towards the deeplyrooted desires of consumers. Besides the high-profile personal endorsements, research is now proving that mindfulness can help you feel healthier, happier, and smarter. Let’s take a closer look at how this works. How many thoughts do you have in a single day? On average, you have 50 thoughts per minute, which means your mind churns out about 48,000 thoughts a day. Unfortunately, most of them are negative. This ‘negativity bias’ has ensured the survival of our species by helping us notice and react to threats in our environment. Our prehistoric programming follows us into the modern age. Our minds reiterate negative thoughts related to what has gone wrong in the past, to help figure out what might go wrong in the future. This comes at the expense of noticing and enjoying what is happening in the present moment. This excess rumination and anxiety has a damaging impact on our bodies, emotions, and relationships. So what can we do? Do we simply need to stop thinking?

excellence.ca magazine | 26

Try a guided session gentlemind.ca

Meditation helps you stop thinking, right? Not exactly. I run weekly mindfulness sessions and when I ask new participants what they think meditation is, they almost always define it as an exercise that helps you to STOP thinking. Maybe you have tried meditating and “couldn’t do it” or you “weren’t good at it” because you “think too much”? What if I told you that it’s impossible to stop thinking and it is unrealistic to try? I’m inviting you to try meditation again, but from a new perspective that will increase the chances of succeeding more consistently. So if you don’t ‘stop thinking’, what do you do during meditation? The goal of meditation is not to stop thinking, but rather to practice being more alert to what’s happening in the present moment. It is about detecting when your mind drifts to negative memories or anxiously worries about the future. Then you gently let go of those thoughts and refocus on the present moment. The most familiar meditation is where you concentrate your attention on a specific anchor, such as your breathing, to keep you grounded in the present moment.

THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF CANADA

Supporting Workplace Mental Health Free Resources and Tools to Support Workplace Mental Health The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Standard) A set of tools — not rules — applicable to all organizations.

Most adults spend more waking hours in the workplace than anywhere else.

A free resource that can be downloaded at www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/nationalstandard. Currently being examined as part of the three-year Case Study Research Project, which is following more than 40 organizations as they implement the Standard.

Assembling the Pieces: An Implementation Guide to the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace A free resource that can be downloaded at www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/standardguide.

500,000 people in Canada, in any given week, are unable to work due to mental health problems or illnesses.

Training Programs for Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces The Working Mind A half-day, four-hour, basic course for employees that focuses on dispelling myths and reducing stigma. A full-day training program for managers/leadership which includes basic course content, plus workplace accommodations and how to communicate with employees about mental illness. A five-day, pass/fail, “Train the Trainer” course that equips participants with the tools and skills to present both the basic and manager courses.

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RELAX, TRY MINDFULNESS Naturally, your mind will wander and this is where most people get frustrated and believe that they are failing at meditation. They often give up shortly thereafter. Instead, reframe the situation. Your mind is programmed by history to drift to the past and the future. So in meditation, you are practicing detecting when this happens and bringing your focus back to your presentmoment anchor, breathing. Here’s an important mindset shift. Rather than get frustrated each time you realize that your mind has wandered into a vortex of negative thoughts, celebrate that you are getting better at noticing this pattern and improving your ability to gently return your focus. With practice, you will end up spending more time in the present moment and change the relationship you have with your thoughts, which are actually quite harmless when you don’t get lost in them.

What is mindfulness and how does it relate to meditation?

Mindfulness is the act of applying to the busier moments of your life the techniques and tools you use in that quiet place during meditation. Meditation is like soccer practice or piano lessons, and mindfulness is the application of your practice to the real game or performance. As you practice, you will get better at detecting when your mind wanders. You will notice negative thoughts and emotions sooner. The benefit is that you can reframe them, better manage your reactions, and possibly let them go altogether.

How do meditation and mindfulness make you healthier, happier, and smarter?

Happier? A Harvard study showed that we spend 47% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing1. The study correlated mind-wandering to unhappiness. Practicing meditation helps reduce the amount of mind-wandering that you do, while increasing your engagement in the present moment. Even your sensory experience improves, as you become more of aware of sounds, colours, and other stimuli in your everyday life. Meditations that focus on gratitude, compassion or empathy increase the likelihood of noticing positive aspects of situations and people more often, as well as helping you let go of negative thoughts more easily. Healthier? Several studies, including recent research from Carnegie Mellon University, show that spending time in the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future can reduce stress2. Consistent medi-

tation has also been shown to boost your immune system and improve the quality of your sleep3. Smarter? Meditation has been proven to improve your attention, concentration, and focus4. Special visualization exercises can also stimulate your imagination and creativity. Finally, mindfulness has been shown to improve emotional intelligence5, which leads to more successful personal and professional relationships. There are many different types of meditation, each with specific benefits that can help you become happier, healthier, and smarter. If one type doesn’t appeal to you, try another.

What is the optimal amount of time to meditate?

Some recommend 30 minutes twice a day, but that isn’t realistic, or necessary, for most people. Meditation is no different than going to the gym for the first time. You start small and build your strength over time. Consistency is the key, and even a short workout is better than not going at all. What if you committed to begin meditating for only a minute a day, just before going to bed, and then to increase the duration over time?

How can I start practicing being mindful?

In my experience, the best way to get started is by joining a guided group meditation because you will have an instructor to lead and encourage you, and you will feel a commitment to see each class through. Here are a few ways to get started… 1. Weekly Guided Group Meditations: this can be with friends or people who randomly join the group. 2. Corporate Team Sessions: this can be an ongoing team exercise, or an introduction to meditation workshop at a conference or team-building event. 3. Online Guided Meditations: Deepak Chopra and Oprah offer free 21-day meditation challenges and the Headspace app offers 10 free guided meditation sessions. Why not try it ? You can start with one minute a day and judge the results for yourself. You can research it online, or talk with friends and co-workers who meditate. It has changed my life and has done the same for the many celebrities, researchers, and executives who swear by it. news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/ forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/07/03/just-a-few-minutes-of-mindfulnessmeditation-may-reduce-stress/#66f5cc0e566c 3 archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2110998 4 content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2008914,00.html 5 www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/search-inside-yourself_n_6061586.html 1 2

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Ca n a d a ' s Hea l thy Wo r k p l a ce Month® ma n a g e d by E xce l l e n ce Canada i s a ye a r-ro u n d re s o u rce that e n co u ra g e s e mpl oye r s to promote h e a l thy wo r k pl a ce prac ti ces th ro u g h o u t th e ye a r, a n d celebrate s u cce s s e ve r y O c tober.

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The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace and design are trademarks of The Great-West Life Assurance Company.

the dignity of social enterprise: doing well through doing good

MAKE PERFUME, NOT WAR By ba rbara st e ge mann

excellence.ca magazine | 30

e have an opportunity to leave a legacy through business. Consumers want products that are good for the world and stand-alone excellent. Today’s world-conscious consumers and especially millennials are hungry for social enterprises that focus on empowering others, preserving/building a healthier environment and they want products that are free of harmful chemicals. We’ve found a niche: buying rose flower and orange blossom oils from farmers in Afghanistan. It’s a bio-friendly, sustainable crop; plus it supports farmers who want to get out of growing opium poppies. It began after my best friend, Capt. Trevor Greene, was attacked while serving with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. You probably know his story: He was sitting under a tree in Shinkay Village, talking with the elders about aid and infrastructure assistance when a youth cracked open his skull with a blow from an axe. His injury, in 2006, and his slow, painful, remarkable recovery, have been much in the news. In the dark days just after the attack, I promised Trevor I would take on his mission of peace. Realizing I had no way of doing so, I created a new way – through business.

The social enterprise that will make lasting, measurable change has its mission built into its DNA, it is the “Why” behind how the company began.

I went on Dragons’ Den in 2012. Most of the dragons strongly supported the idea of investing with a social conscience: “Make money and change lives” they said. The company has taken off since then. Our business model is similar to that of fair trade coffee. We buy rose oil at US$10,000 per litre, to use as a base in our fragrances. Our fragrances are not tested on animals, they are good for one’s skin, are vegan and made without harmful phthalates, parabens and sulfates. The result? Many customers tell us our fragrances are the only ones they can wear that don’t cause allergic reactions. They are so light and natural that you can wear the fragrance at work, it doesn’t “walk into the room ahead of you.” For the farmer, we pay about twice the amount for the same effort as growing opium poppies, so there is an economic incentive to switch. And it gives the farmer the dignity of growing a legal crop versus the soul-destroying business of ruining others’ lives by supporting heroin use. It also eliminates the risk of creating “opium brides” – the Taliban traders, if the farmer’s crop doesn’t meet requirements, take the daughter as payment. So there is more dignity, there is a moral incentive to switch.

It’s still a confusing world when it comes to what a social enterprise is. The term has long graduated from businesses donating-aproduct to people in nations rebuilding. It is in our interest to care. As citizens, we cannot expect our military to do all the heavy lifting; we must join in the mission to build peace and find innovative ways to do so. Perfume made sense to me as a way to harness the power of positive change. The social enterprise that will make lasting, measurable change has its mission built into its DNA, it is the “Why” behind how the company began. It is not a halo placed upon the company afterwards. The driving force behind the team, from the start, is to fix a problem in the world. As I travel around the country, giving talks on how to build a social enterprise, how to do well by doing good, I meet young people who want to become entrepreneurs, and many who want to be social entrepreneurs. They want the freedom to break old rules and definitions. They have helped us find new ways to define our social enterprise, new ways to have a fragrance in the beauty business. We don’t use skinny models to promote our products. But we do distribute a book

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at the beauty counters – The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen. The book shares that excellence is not perfection, and how to tell the difference is simple. For example, when you bake a loaf of bread at home, it can bubble over and have jagged edges, and not look like the loaf you buy in the store. It is not perfect. But it is excellent, it tastes excellent. None of us looks like an air-brushed model. That is not real. That is not attainable, even if it were desirable. Instead, we conclude that: “The most beautiful model in the world is a role model.” Let’s leave a legacy: social enterprises that will lead and will change the world. Barbara Stegemann is founder and CEO of The 7 Virtues. You can find her on YouTube or at www.The7Virtues.com

Did you know that companies taking action and offering work‑life balance services are almost 70% more likely to receive fewer mental health‑related claims?1

Manulife is dedicated to helping Canadians be their best. Every day. We offer our clients, their employees and their families mental health education, prevention, intervention and support programs. We are Excellence Canada’s Mental Health at Work® Champion of Excellence.

To learn more about our solutions, visit manulife.ca/mentalhealth or contact your Manulife representative. 1

SALVEO study conducted by Alain Marchand from University of Montreal and Pierre Durand from University of Montreal, September 2009‑May 2012, sponsored by Manulife

the fine art of authenticity and how to hack it with body language great leaders are good at making clear decisions about which traits they should reveal and amplify, to whom, and at what points.Â By ma rk bow d en

excellence.ca magazine | 33

O ne i n five peo ple i n Canada exp eri ences a men tal h ealth p rob lem or i llness. M an y o f t he most at- risk i ndi vi dual s are i n t hei r early wo rki ng years. 1 1

Ment a l H ea lt h Co mmis s io n o f Ca n a d a

Your employees’ mental health is critically important—it has a direct impact on your organization's productivity and bottom line. That’s why Excellence Canada offers the Mental Health at Work ® Framework—an integrated step-bystep approach to continual improvement towards achieving a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. By implementing our program, you can expect to: lower costs associated with disability, absenteeism, and presenteeism; increase productivity; and create a culture focused on the well-being and resilience of your employees. Invest in your employees' mental health today, it's the right thing to do! Download the requirements at excellence.ca/MentalHealthatWork

154 University Ave., Suite 402, Toronto, ON M5H 3Y9 | tf. 800.263.9648 | t. 416.251.7600 | f. 416.251.9131 | www.excellence.ca

the fine art of authenticity and how to hack it with body language

Display Yourself When speaking at a large event have a lavaliere or handheld mic and step away from the podium. If sitting with a client, pull your chair back from the table—in short, display more of your body to your audience. Your audience’s instinctual “reptilian” brain needs to see your body and your body language to decide what they think your intentions and feelings are towards them. Place your hands in what I have trademarked the TruthPlane, the horizontal plane that extends 180 degrees out of your navel area. Show your palms open with nothing in your hands to let others know that you mean no harm and are speaking for their benefit. This is a universally recognized “friendly” gesture. Bringing the audience’s unconscious attention to this vulnerable area of your body makes them feel that you are very confident. By assuming this physicality, you will feel really confident too even though you may have felt like you were bluffing it moments before. Attract Recognition Keep your gestures symmetrical. The brain understands symmetry in the body more easily than asymmetry, and we find it more appealing. When giving a complex message, avoid complex asymmetrical movement—so no fiddling with your pen even though it feels comfortable for you! It is hard for the brain to decode complex verbal language when it is concentrating on complex nonverbal behaviour. Although the message may be complicated, keep your body language simple. Stop Reading—Start Leading We instinctively, unconsciously and consciously read each other’s body language to develop theories about how others feel and what their intent is. We judge others and feel that our judgments are spot-on accurate, even though much of the time our judgments are inaccurate. So, instead of focusing on reading others’ body language, concentrate on projecting the body language you want them to read. Pay attention to your audience. Make sure your non-verbal body language is simple and mirrors what you are saying. The result – your audience will be much more likely to trust you and engage with you.

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M a n u l i f e i s E xc e l l e n c e C a n a da ’ s ch a m p i o n o f e x c e l l e n c e f o r m e n ta l H e a l t h at w o r k ®

e all want to be sold to by somebody who seems “real” to us. People associate authenticity with sincerity, trust, and credibility. When we feel someone is “authentic” we assume that person is without doubt “The Real Thing!” The reversed bias on the other hand, has become a shorthand for not “liking” another’s presence: we end up saying: “they don’t seem authentic” rather than “I just don’t like their ideas! It’s not a fit.” However, this thought process is predicated upon a utopia whereby if everyone were 100 percent authentic with each other all the time we would all get along fine, and that’s far from the truth. I would suggest that what defines our authenticity is at least in part a collaboration of perceptions between you and others that produces an ongoing idea of you. This makes authenticity more of a developing work of art than a finished object. So for the people that I help in leadership and sales to communicate with more impact—the question becomes: “what idea of ourselves do we want to co-create with those around us?” I have found the most effective method to develop a perception is the use of nonverbal communication—body language! For me, adjusting and augmenting our body language can cut straight to the stimulus for the ideas we can have about ourselves and consequently that others have of us. Yes, of course this is a manipulation. It’s manipulating what skills and tools we innately have to work better for us at helping us get closer to how and what we want to be. Great leaders are good at making clear decisions about which of their traits they should reveal and amplify, to whom, and at what points. They furthermore make strategic decisions about what more to reveal (and when) and what to leave concealed. They are behaving on purpose rather than by accident, cognizant of their responsibility for the successes or for the fall-outs. I am not advocating “fake it till you make it.” What I am suggesting is “behave like it—so you are it.” Those who know how to manage their authenticity in this way will be all the more effective for it. So here are my top three body language tips to help you take more control of the idea of who you are by choosing to employ those behaviors that help you realize your goals.

Asking for ideas is a bad idea By Stephen s hapiro

n April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, spewing 180 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico off

Louisiana before being capped on July 15. After several failed attempts to stop the flow of oil, the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command turned to a technique used by many organizations when looking to innovate: crowdsourcing. excellence.ca magazine | 36

They created a website where concerned citizens could submit ideas on how to stop the flow of oil. It is reported that they received nearly 123,000 submissions. On the surface, this might sound like a huge success. People were clearly engaged. But out of all of these ideas, only a dozen or so were deemed as having any value. This means that 99.99 percent were duds. The amount of energy required to submit and process this many bad ideas is massive. A major UK bank tried a similar approach, asking their employees for suggestions on how to improve the business. Although they received several thousand ideas, none were implemented, and the entire innovation team was fired. A well-known software company used the same strategy, hoping for different results. After receiving over 10,000 ideas yet only implementing two, the program was shut down. Suggestion boxes might provide some initial value helping you capture low-hanging fruit. But in the long run, they produce low innovation ROI. Your organization is probably drowning in a sea of ideas, suggestions, and opinions. Although there might be some nuggets of value, it takes a lot of panning to find the gold. What if one simple change could have a massive impact on your organization’s ability to innovate? Ask the Right Questions Instead of focusing on ideas, get everyone in your organization focused on finding solutions to important, well-framed challenges. Ask better questions. Albert Einstein reputedly said, “If I had an hour to save the world, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute finding solutions.” From my experience, most organizations spend 60 minutes of their time finding solutions to problems that just don’t matter. One tool for asking better questions is something I call “The Goldilocks Principle.” In that children’s fable, Goldilocks enters the house of the three bears and tests out their respective beds. One was too soft, another was too hard, and the third was “just right.” Like the bed, you want to frame your challenges “just right.” Ensure that they are not too broad/abstract (soft) and not overly specific (hard). Avoid Overly Abstract Challenges It is quite common for a company to ask its employees to find ways to improve productivity or increase revenues. But these are broad (too soft) questions that lead to

The shift from an idea-driven to challenge-centered approach can in fact lead to a tenfold (or better) improvement in your innovation ROI. abstract and irrelevant solutions. Unfortunately, as we saw with the Deepwater Horizon and bank examples, this unbounded approach actually reduces creative thinking and leads to abstract or impractical solutions. In fact, contrary to conventional wisdom, to create a culture of innovation, you do not want people “thinking outside the box.” The belief behind this overused and potentially damaging philosophy is that by eliminating constraints and allowing people to think freely, they will increase creativity. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Instead, help them “find a better box” - a well-defined challenge with proper constraints. This will reduce the low-quality solutions while increasing the speed of finding good ones. Establishing boundaries does not necessarily put constraints on innovation efforts. In actuality, if done correctly, it has the capacity to dramatically enhance creativity and increase organizational effectiveness. Avoid Overly Specific Challenges Conversely, sometimes challenges are overly specific (too hard), reducing the possible areas where you can find solutions. This was the case with the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup efforts back in 1989. Although some of the oil was recovered, a large amount remained trapped under the ice. When teams tried to move the oil, the water/ oil mixture “froze.” For two decades, oil engineers worked on this challenge without any viable solutions. Only when they stopped thinking about the issue as an oil problem, and reframed the challenge as a more general fluid dynamics issue (technically called “viscous shearing”), were they able to find a suitable solution. In just six weeks, it was discovered that a similar problem exists in the construction industry where wet cement pouring through chutes can sometimes ”freeze” preventing flow. The solution that solved the cement problem was successfully adapted to solve the oil challenge. This example powerfully demonstrates that when challenges are overly specific,

excellence.ca magazine | 37

you limit the potential areas where you can find solutions. Challenges should not imply a particular domain of expertise. And they certainly should not be solutions masquerading as challenges. Getting 10x Improvements on Innovation ROI There is one more valuable aspect to a challenge-centered approach versus an idea-driven one. When you focus on challenges, you are able to assign owners, sponsors, resources, money, evaluators, and evaluation criteria up-front before you invest significant energy. This means that you will have objective criteria for determining a good solution. And, when you find a good solution, you have all of the resources and support necessary to start implementation. The shift from an idea-driven to challengecentered approach can in fact lead to a tenfold (or better) improvement in your innovation ROI. It focuses your energy on the true value-creators and ensures you are working on the right opportunities. And it increases the likelihood of a successful implementation. We often hear the mantra, “Don’t bring me problems; bring me solutions.” This is bad advice. Instead, look for bigger and better problems. When you can turn a problem or opportunity into a well-framed – and important–challenge statement, you will massively accelerate your innovation efforts. In other words, don’t think outside the box, find a better box!

TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS* Current Ranking: 6 Career High Ranking: 4 ATP Race to London Rank: 3 Number of Titles: 8 Wimbledon Finalist 2016 Fastest Serve: 250 km/h

"excellence is about the process as much as the goal."

*As of October 3, 2016

in t e r v i e w

Q&A

MILOS RAONIC Excellence Canada had the opportunity to interview Milos Raonic, Canada’s most successful singles player of all time. Milos reveals the reasons for his success and what drives him in his continual pursuit of excellence. Interview / allan n. ebedes photography / kc armstrong

You made the men’s finals at Wimbledon and had every Canadian cheering for you. Congratulations! What would you say are the three most important reasons for your success to date? 1. 2. 3.

Focus My team Drive

In your continual pursuit of tennis excellence, how do you stay focused, committed and keep a positive attitude, even when things may not be going according to plan? Surrounding myself with a good team.

Who has had the greatest influence in your tennis career? My coaches over the years.

In order to be ranked in the top three in the world, what aspects of your game do you need to improve in order to consistently beat Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer? They are all talented players with different strengths, so each one is a different challenge. I have to adjust my game to each match.

You grew up in Thornhill, Ontario and went to Thornhill Secondary School. What influence did your teachers and peers have on you and your love of the game of tennis? They were supportive of the flexible schedule needed to practice and play every day.

Any closing thoughts on your journey to "Excellence”? Excellence is about the process as much as the goal.

excellence.ca magazine | 39

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YOUR NEEDS. OUR FOCUS.

Message from the Governor General

Get to know the recipients Profiles

Culture Matters by Daniel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke

World-class performance Celebrating the Best in Class:

2016

Award Recipients

TTC on the fast track to modernization by Mike DeToma

Board of governorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recognition of achievement award recipients

H i s E x c e l l e nc y t h e Righ t H ono u r a b l e D a v i d J ohn s t on , C . C . , C . M . M . , C . O . M . , C . D . , G o v e r no r G e n e r a l o f C a n a d a

Patron of Canada Awards for Excellence

THE STANDARD of excellence The Canada Awards for Excellence is the nation’s pre-eminent recognition of organizational excellence award. The program, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, involves meeting and exceeding rigourous Standards and Requirements, demonstration of continuous improvement, measurement of progress, and verification by an external team of volunteers from Excellence Canada. Th e A w a r d i s T H E s ta n d a r d o f e x c e l l e nc e . t h e s e A w a r d s a r e p r e s e n t e d a nn u a l ly. To receive the Award, an organization must demonstrate outstanding performance in the appropriate award category including Excellence, Innovation and Wellness®, Quality, Healthy Workplace® and Mental Health at Work®. The recipients are role models of excellence in the areas of leadership, governance, strategy, planning, customer experience, employee engagement, innovation and wellness. The organizations come from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, from coast to coast. Each has a unique story to tell of their excellence journey, but one thing that they all have in common is a focus on continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence. Embarking on an excellence journey takes time and effort. To support organizations on their journey, Excellence Canada offers comprehensive products, tools, and services to help at every stage of the journey - and valuable connections to a network of organizations that have achieved the standards or are en route to achieving them. Years of planning, hard work and dedication go into achieving and sustaining the high levels of performance that merit these Awards. Please join with us as we celebrate these achievements. Here’s to Canadian excellence and the 2016 Award recipients….Congratulations!

“This year’s award recipients have made a significant contribution to the national economy and to the quality of life of Canadians.” Allan N. Ebedes President & CEO Excellence Canada

For more information, visit www.excellence.ca/awards

excellence.ca magazine | 44

La norme d’excellence

« Les récipiendaires des Prix Canada pour l’excellence de 2016 ont fait une contribution importante à l’économie nationale et à la qualité de vie de tous les Canadiens et les Canadiennes. » Allan N. Ebedes président et chef de la direction Excellence Canada

Les Prix Canada pour l’excellence sont les plus hautes distinctions remises au Canada pour l’excellence organisationnelle. Il s’agit d’un programme, sous le patronage du gouverneur général du Canada, qui prévoit que les organisations en quête d’excellence doivent atteindre et dépasser des normes et des exigences rigoureuses, et se soumettre à des évaluations des progrès accomplis et à des vérifications de la part d’une équipe externe d’Excellence Canada. L e p r i x e s t l a no r m e d e l’ e x c e l l e nc e . L e s p r i x s on t r e m i s ch a q u e a nn é e . Les prix sont attribués à des organisations qui ont démontré un rendement exceptionnel dans l’une des catégories suivantes : Excellence, Innovation et mieux-être, Qualité et Milieu de travail sain et Santé mentale au travail. Les récipiendaires sont des modèles d’excellence dans les domaines du leadership, de la gouvernance, de la stratégie, de la planification, de l’expérience client, de l’engagement des employés, de l’innovation et du mieux-être. Il s’agit d’organisations des secteurs public, privé et sans but lucratif d’un océan à l’autre. Le vécu de chacune d’entre elles est unique, mais elles ont tous une chose en commun – elles sont axées sur l’amélioration continue et sur la poursuite de l’excellence. La quête de l’excellence exige temps et effort. Pour appuyer les organisations dans cette aventure, le programme d’Excellence Canada offre une gamme complète de produits, d’outils et de services à toutes les étapes. Il offre aussi des liens précieux avec un réseau d’organisations qui ont atteint les normes requises ou qui sont en voie de le faire. L’atteinte et le maintien des niveaux élevés de rendement qui mènent à l’obtention de ces Prix nécessitent des années de planification, de travail acharné et de dévouement. Veuillez vous joindre à nous pour célébrer ces réussites. Nous saluons l’excellence canadienne ainsi que les récipiendaires des Prix 2016… Félicitations! Pour de plus amples renseignements, visitez www.excellence.ca/awards

excellence.ca magazine | 45

canada awards for excellence

Awa r d

previo us Awards

2016 awa rd re ci p i e n ts

(Category, Level)

Acadian Seaplants Limited

Quality—Gold

Quality—Silver, 2014

Project—Certificate of Merit

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness— Platinum (2015), Gold (2013); Project— Certificate of Merit (2015, 2014, 2013)

Manufacturing www.acadianseaplants.com Dartmouth, NS Employees: 350

Architecture, Information Management & Project Management Office, Central Agencies I&IT Cluster, Treasury Board Secretariat Technology www.ontario.ca/page/treasury-board-secretariat toronto, on/Oshawa, on Employees: 600

British Columbia Pension Corporation Pension Services www.pensionsbc.ca victoria, bc Employees: 505

Calian Business Services www.calian.com ottawa, on Employees: 2500

Canadian Forces Housing Agency Federal Government www.cfha-alfc.forces.gc.ca ottawa, on Employees: 280

Ceridian HCM Canada Human Capital Management www.ceridian.ca markham, on Employees: 1,673

Conceptromec Inc.

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

Quality—Gold (2006), Silver (2004); Healthy Workplace ® —Gold (2009), Silver (2006)

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Silver, 2014

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Order of Excellence

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Platinum (2013), Silver (2011); Quality & Healthy Workplace ® —Bronze, 2009

Quality—Bronze

Design and Manufacturing of Automated Equipment www.conceptromec.com Magog, QC Employees: 85

Distech Controls Inc.

Quality—Gold

Energy Management Solutions www.distech-controls.com Brossard, QC Employees: 144

Groupe AFFI Logistique

Healthy Workplace ® —Silver

Quality—Bronze, 2015

Quality – Order of Excellence

Quality—Gold (2007), Silver (2006)

3PL Logistics www.groupeaffi.ca Boucherville, qc Employees: 450

Information Technology Services (ITS), Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Transit (Transportation) www.ttc.ca toronto, on Employees: 370

Lafontaine Inc.

Quality – Bronze

Construction www.lafontaineinc.com LÉVIS, QC Employees: 250

excellence.ca magazine | 46

canada awards for excellence

Awa r d

previo us Awards

2016 awa rd re ci p i e n ts

(Category, Level)

Lassonde Industries Inc. and A. Lassonde Inc.

Healthy Workplace ® —Gold

Healthy Workplace ® —Gold, 2012

Healthy Workplace ® and Mental Health at Work ® —Silver

Quality—Order of Excellence (2012), Gold (2009), Silver (2008)

Manufacture and Marketing of Food Products www.lassonde.com Rougemont, qc Employees: 1,468

Manulife Financial Services www.manulife.ca Kitchener-Waterloo, ON Employees: 12,000

Property Valuation Services Corporation Not-for-profit www.pvsc.ca Dartmouth, NS Employees: 140

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

Résidence Wales Home

Quality—Bronze

Société de transport de Laval

Quality—Silver

Soprema

Healthy Workplace ® —Gold

The Canadian Real Estate Association

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

The Office of the President, University of Waterloo

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Silver

Valacta

Healthy Workplace®—Silver

Workplace Safety North

Healthy Workplace®—Silver

Not-for-profit, Member-based Association www.rebgv.org vancouver, bc Employees: 91

Quality—Order of Excellence (2013, 2010), Gold (2007), Silver (2005)

Healthcare (seniors’ residence) www.waleshome.ca cleveland, qc Employees: 145

Public Transportation www.stl.laval.qc.ca laval, qc Employees: 886

Manufacturing www.soprema.ca Drummondville, qc Employees: 280

Real Estate www.crea.ca ottawa, on Employees: 108

Education www.uwaterloo.ca/president waterloo, on Employees: 5

Advisory Services in Agriculture www.valacta.com Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Employees: 325

Not-for-profit www.workplacesafetynorth.ca North bay, on Employees: 70

excellence.ca magazine | 47

Quality—Bronze, 2013

get to know the recipients 2016 Canada awards for excellence recipients

faites connaissance avec les lauréats récipiendaires des prix récipiendaires des prix canada canada pour l’excellence pour 2016l’excellence 2016

Feature world-class performance: celebrating the best in class

Acadian seaplants Limited Quality - Gold Acadian Seaplants Limited manufactures premium seaweed products and is the largest manufacturer of its type in the world. The company is diversified across a variety of markets, with a strong presence in the food, feed and agricultural sectors, exporting to more than 80 countries. The company also maintains a dedicated seaweed research facility, and employs 25 scientists who study how seaweeds can be used to make the world a better place. Acadian Seaplants partners with research institutions, agencies and businesses. Its stewardship of the natural resource shows a respectful approach to the coastal marine ecosystems and close partnerships with local government authorities and scientists. The company has been honoured by government and business organizations for excellence in innovation, environmental affairs, exports, management, safety and business ethics.

Les Algues Acadiennes Limitée

qualitÉ—prix or Les Algues Acadiennes Limitée fabrique des produits à base d’algues marines; c’est le plus grand fabricant de ce type au monde. La compagnie se diversifie dans une variété de marchés, ayant une forte présence dans les secteurs de l’alimentation, de l’alimentation pour animaux et de l’agriculture et exportant vers plus de 80 pays. La compagnie exploite des installations de recherche exclusivement consacrée aux algues marines et emploie 25 scientifiques qui étudient comment les algues peuvent être mises au service d’un monde meilleur. Les Algues Acadiennes Limitée travaille en partenariat avec des institutions et organismes de recherche et des entreprises. La façon dont elle gère la ressource naturelle atteste d'une démarche respectueuse des écosystèmes marins côtiers et d’une étroite collaboration avec les autorités gouvernementales et les scientifiques locaux. La compagnie s’est méritée les éloges de gouvernements et d’associations d’entreprises pour son excellence en innovation, en affaires environnementales, en exportation, en gestion, en sécurité et en éthique des affaires.

left A Bioassay Technician holds up a vial, checking plant root growth. Acadian Seaplants focus is on meaningful, results-based research.

get to know the recipients fa i t e s co n n a i s s a n c e av e c l e s l au r é at s

Architecture, information Management and Project Management Office Branch Central Agencies I&IT Cluster, Treasury Board secretariat project—certificate of merit The Architecture, Information Management and Project Management Office Branch (AIP) leads project governance and develops and implements enterprise architecture, information management strategy and future state technology directions to support the work of Ontario’s public service (OPS). An AIP team undertook a project to develop a technology roadmap for the OPS’ strategic document repository and recordkeeping system, the first time this had been done for a specific application. The roadmap determined the current state, possible options, and a plan for future work to accomplish business and I&IT goals. Results supported continuous improvement through the identification of time-phased sets of projects and initiatives, as well as the creation of innovative solutions to stabilize existing infrastructure by first identifying problems in the current state. projet—certificat de mÉrite La Direction de l’Architecture, de la Gestion de l’information et du Bureau de gestion des projets (AIP) dirige la gouvernance des projets, élabore et met en œuvre l’architecture organisationnelle, la stratégie de gestion de l’information et l’orientation future de la technologie pour soutenir le travail de la fonction publique de l’Ontario (FPO). Une équipe de l’AIP a entrepris d’élaborer une feuille de route technologique pour le système stratégique de dépôt de documents et de tenue de dossiers de la FPO, ce qui représente une première pour une application spécifique. La feuille de route a déterminé l’état actuel, les options possibles et élaboré un plan pour de futurs travaux afin de réaliser les objectifs d’affaires et d’ITI. Les résultats ont permis d’apporter des améliorations continues en identifiant des ensembles de projets et initiatives par étape, de même que la création de solutions innovatrices pour stabiliser les infrastructures existantes en cernant d’abord les problèmes de l’état actuel.

above Architecture, information Management and Project Management Office Branch Central Agencies I&IT Cluster, Treasury Board secretariat—The Project Lead Architect working on the final design.

British Columbia Pension Corporation Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

The British Columbia Pension Corporation serves the College, Municipal, Public Service, Teachers’ and WorkSafeBC pension plans – in all, more than 1,100 plan employers and 534,600 members. More than 500 dedicated professionals share common beliefs about excellent client service and encourage a professional, forward-thinking culture that supports change, innovation and improvement. The organization’s Going for Gold journey began in 2009. With an aging operating model, initial efforts were made to build resiliency, develop the case for change, and strengthen a growth mindset. Now, a nineyear strategic plan, called From 12 to 21: Our Way Forward, has become an ambitious program of business transformation and a path for internal organizational excellence.

excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix or La British Columbia Pension Corporation sert les régimes de retraite des collèges, des municipalités, de la fonction publique, des enseignants et de WorkSafeBC – en tout, plus de 1 100 régimes d’employeurs et de 534 600 membres. Plus de 500 professionnels dévoués partagent les mêmes croyances dans l’excellence du service à la clientèle et encouragent une culture professionnelle, avant-gardiste qui favorise le changement, l’innovation et l’amélioration. La quête de l’organisation Viser l’or a commencé en 2009. Avec un model opérationnel vieillissant, les premiers efforts visaient à renforcer la résistance, à développer les arguments en faveur du changement et à consolider une mentalité de croissance. Maintenant, un plan stratégique de neuf ans, appelé From 12 to 21: Our Way Forward, est devenu un ambitieux programme de transformation des affaires et un chemin vers l’excellence dans l’organisation interne.

above British Columbia Pension Corporation new Member Services Centre is their strategic response to changing customer expectations and the need for greater process efficiency. Staff are increasingly enabled through new technology and training to seamlessly deliver a member-centric customer experience.

excellence.ca magazine | 50

Calian

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—Gold

Calian is a leading, Canadian professional services company with a 35-year history, and is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company provides training and engineering services, health, information technology, systems engineering, and contract manufacturing in Canada and around the world. Committed to being the most desirable Canadian company to work for, buy from and invest in, Calian demonstrates a high standard of leadership and integrity. Commitment, teamwork, initiative, quality and innovation are values embraced by all employees and incorporated into Calian’s ongoing excellence journey. Some of the accolades Calian has received include being recognized as one of the Top 50 Defence companies, a top military employer and a top IT professional services company.

excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix or Calian est une importante compagnie canadienne de services professionnels, cotée à la bourse de Toronto, en affaires depuis 35 ans. La compagnie offre des services de formation et d’ingénierie, de santé, de technologie de l’information, d’ingénierie des systèmes et de fabrication en sous-traitance au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde. Déterminée à être la compagnie canadienne pour laquelle les gens veulent travailler, de laquelle ils veulent acheter et dans laquelle ils veulent investir, Calian fait preuve d’un haut niveau de leadership et d’intégrité. L’engagement, le travail d’équipe, l’initiative, la qualité et l’innovation sont autant de valeurs que tous les employés adoptent et intègrent dans le cheminement de Calian vers l’excellence. Parmi les honneurs glanés par Calian, notons celui d’être reconnue comme l’une des 50 meilleures compagnies du secteur de la défense, un des meilleurs employeurs militaires et une des meilleures compagnies de services professionnels.

top Calian Team Opens Trading at TSX. bottom Calian Heart & Stroke Big Bike Team.

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Canadian Forces Housing Agency

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—gold

The Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) manages a portfolio of over 12,000 homes and provides housing services for members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families. For more than 20 years, CFHA has worked hard to earn its reputation for exceptional customer service, professionalism and passion in improving the quality of life for families living in military housing. A sustained focus on continuous improvement has been achieved through the implementation of Excellence Canada’s organizational excellence certification program, with drivers of excellence that are well aligned with the Government of Canada’s priorities of efficient service delivery, management excellence, innovation and healthy workplace. CFHA shows strong senior leadership support and engagement of people at all levels towards achieving its vision.

Agence de logement des Forces canadiennes

excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix or L’Agence de logement des Forces canadiennes (ALFC) gère un portefeuille de plus de 12 000 logements et offre des services à la clientèle aux membres des Forces canadiennes et à leur famille. Depuis plus de 20 ans, l’ALFC s’efforce de se mériter sa réputation d’offrir un service à la clientèle exceptionnel, de faire preuve de professionnalisme et de passion afin d’améliorer la qualité de vie des familles qui habitent dans des logements militaires. La mise en œuvre du programme de certification d’excellence organisationnelle d’Excellence Canada avec des moteurs d’excellence bien alignés sur les priorités du gouvernement du Canada d’offrir un service efficace, de gérer l’excellence, d’encourager l’innovation et des milieux de travail sain a permis à l’agence d’accorder une attention soutenue à l’amélioration continue. L’ALFC peut compter sur un solide soutien de leadership et sur l’engagement de ses gens à tous les niveaux pour concrétiser sa vision.

above Canadian Forces Housing Agency— Military housing for Canadian Armed Forces members and their families.

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Ricoh Canada congratulates all the winners at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canada Awards for Excellence!

Making information work for our customers.

ricoh.ca

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Ceridian hcm canada

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—order of excellence

Ceridian HCM is an award-winning human capital management technology company serving organizations across the globe. Known for engaged employees, customer focus and innovative products, Ceridian’s cloud-based Dayforce HCM, Global Solutions and Small Business Payroll solutions provide control and visibility across a wide range of HR-related functions. Committed to employee engagement, Ceridian received the Top 100 Employers in Canada award for the twelfth consecutive year in 2015. Its operations, policies and culture support an engaged, respectful workplace that promotes collaboration, innovation and service excellence. Tools and methods seek input from employees and empower their involvement. This includes how they approach quality, align and cascade goals, communicate and reward, and demonstrate respect for diverse cultures, beliefs and values. Ceridian shares these best practices with its customers, partners and market communities.

excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix ordre de l’excellence Ceridian HCM est une compagnie primée du domaine de la technologie de gestion du capital humain servant des organisations partout dans le monde. Connue pour l’engagement de ses employés, son approche axée sur les clients et ses produits innovateurs, Ceridian offre, par le biais de Dayforce HCM, des solutions mondiales et de traitement de la paie pour petites entreprises en nuage, procurant contrôle et visibilité dans tout un éventail de fonctions liées aux RH. Ayant à cœur l’engagement des employés, Ceridian a reçu le prix des 100 meilleurs employeurs au Canada pour la douzième année consécutive en 2015. Ses activités, ses politiques, sa culture favorisent un lieu de travail engagé, respectueux propice à la collaboration, à l’innovation et à l’excellence du service. Ses outils et méthodes cherchent à mettre les employés à contribution et leur donne les moyens d’agir. Ceci comprend la façon dont ils abordent la qualité, alignent et enchaînent les objectifs, les communications et récompenses et le respect dont ils font preuve à l’égard de différentes cultures, croyances et valeurs. Ceridian partage ces meilleures pratiques avec ses clients, ses partenaires et les communautés du marché.

above Ceridian’s New Grad Program is an intensive eight-week curriculum aimed at university interns and new graduates. Each January and June, 14-20 new hires converge in our Toronto office to begin ‘Boot Camp’. Participants receive product, configuration, and skills training, along with job shadowing opportunities, a variety of team-building and networking events. Each participant is paired with a ‘buddy’ from their department, and a dedicated mentor.

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Conceptromec Inc. quality—bronze

Conceptromec Export, located in Magog, Canada, designs, manufactures and markets automated equipment for the automotive sealing field. Customers in North America, Mexico, Brazil, Europe and Asia recognize the company’s outstanding customer service and the quality and reliability of its equipment. With a team of nearly 100 employees, Conceptromec has been pursuing a path for quality, continuous improvement and innovation that is embraced by management and staff. Team work has been applied to several projects, including machining productivity, design processes, information management and knowledge documentation, and supply chain optimization. Two new generations of equipment for customers have emerged this year, thanks to a product development program that rallies all staff towards the common goal of providing customers with innovative equipment that meets their needs. qualitÉ—prix bronze Conceptromec Export, située à Magog, Canada, conçoit, fabrique et commercialise de l’équipement automatisé dans le secteur des joints d’étanchéité automobiles. Ses clients en Amérique du Nord, au Mexique, au Brésil, en Europe et en Asie reconnaissent son service à la clientèle hors pair et la qualité et la fiabilité de son équipement. Avec une équipe de près de 100 employés, Conceptromec poursuit un cheminement constant en matière de qualité, d’amélioration continue et d’innovation auquel souscrivent la direction et les membres du personnel. Plusieurs projets émanent de ce travail d’équipe dont la productivité à l’usinage, les processus de conception, la documentation du savoir et la gestion de l’information, l’optimisation de la chaîne d’approvisionnement. Deux nouvelles générations d’équipement à l’intention des clients ont vu le jour cette année, grâce à un programme de développement de produits qui rallie tout le personnel pour tendre vers le but commun de fournir aux clients l’équipement innovant qui répond à leurs besoins.

TOP Conceptromec Inc.—Une équipe engagée envers sa clientèle et la réussite de l’entreprise… avec un brin de folie!

For our employees. For our customers. Ceridian. Makes Work Life Better™

2016 Order of Excellence winner Excellence, Innovation, and Wellness Excellence, Innovation, and Wellness

Learn more about Ceridian and our Human Capital Management solution

SPOTLIGHT : CANADA ORDER OF E X CELLENCE RECIPIENT

culture matters The outward markers of success are often the milestones by which progress is judged. While important to celebrate, they are ultimately just the product of who you are as an organizational community, and how well you have engaged that community to embrace challenges and deliverâ&#x20AC;Ś consistently and together. By Da niel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rourk e

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Feature world-class performance: celebrating the best in class

above David Ossip, Ceridian’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, presents at the Annual INSIGHTS Conference, where customers, prospects, industry analysts, partners, and employees meet for a week of education, thought leadership and networking events.

Ok, I’ll admit to being a bit biased…but Ceridian has accomplished some great things over the years. Think of the great things your own company has done recently. Everyone has examples I’m sure. Maybe it’s an innovative offering for your products or services, maybe you’ve recently undergone a major shift in adapting to a new market challenge, maybe it’s through the impact you’ve made through your Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Whatever they may be, you should be really proud of all you’ve accomplished! Now, think about what those great things really have in common. What enabled those accomplishments to happen? What continues to drive your organization forward once they’re achieved? Yes, we can all point to leadership directives, economic imperatives, market conditions, customer feedback, competitive challenges etc., and these are all valid drivers. But what allows your company, and most importantly your people, to answer those challenges effectively?

“our values are not just ideals, but through our brand promise, are demonstrably, and measureably, embedded in everything we do.” This year Ceridian is being awarded the Canada Order of Excellence and we couldn’t be more proud. While achieving it acknowledges that we perform at a high level across the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness standard, that is just an outcome or product of where our success is truly driven and how we answer our own challenges we face every day.

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Our success is measured in the engagement of our people, and our ability to effectively harness that engagement to come together at all levels to see through a common lens, and tackle the big challenges that drive those outcomes. We truly see that as Ceridian’s “X” factor and our unique advantage. It can be yours too.

It’s Not the Sistine Chapel But…

So how would you define your culture? Not easy, I know. Your own culture is an amorphous non-entity that everybody is aware of, but it is often difficult to fully characterize. Sometimes it helps to simplify the problem. For example, really great cultures can be compared to great art. The individual brush strokes if viewed too closely are sometimes too nuanced to see the broader portrait they’re creating. It’s too easy to get lost and miss the impact each one is making, but step back a little, and the brush strokes, colours and textures create a singular expression unlike any other.

E SS PROCE

EXCELLENCE I N N O VAT I O N & WELLNESS

ST OM ERS

excellence, innovation, and wellness ÂŽ It's our standard.

S PEOPLE

At Excellence Canada we are using our evidence-based resources, tools and best practices to transform

workplace cultures across Canada. Our Excellence, Innovation and Wellness ÂŽ Standard helps organizations

become the best in class.

To learn more about how we can help you create a better work environment and make your organization stronger visit us at excellence.ca/ or call 1-800-263-9648 ext 211 for a complimentary consultation.

154 University Ave., Suite 402, Toronto, ON M5H 3Y9 | tf. 800.263.9648 | t. 416.251.7600 | f. 416.251.9131 | www.excellence.ca

Culture Matters

So the question becomes, do you know what portrait your culture is painting? Is it the picture you want or need to see, to effectively address the challenges we noted before? If not, how do you change it? How much more could your company and people achieve if you did?

Start at the End

Whether solving an operational issue, launching a new product or service, or reengineering your processes to address new challenges, the same rule is true. It applies to cultural change as well. Define what you’re after, what its core characteristics are, how success is measured, and what impact you expect it to have. In other words, know what you want the painting to be. Then, compare that with your current state to define the gap in between. That defined gap informs the unique action plan you need in order to make your desired destination a reality. Sound simple? The truth is, we all know change is really hard. Cultural change even more so. That makes clarity and communication all the more important. Change has to have a purpose. The above approach gives you a clear starting point that makes it easier to communicate and connect the vision you have, the benefits it creates, and what the challenges are to get to where you need the organization to be. It’s a great first step in aligning different viewpoints to see through the same lens.

Make the Aspirational, Actionable

Ceridian has long been recognized and awarded for its culture, and that’s an achievement we’re very proud of. But, as noted ear-

lier, that is just an output of how effectively we value, support, measure and integrate employee engagement in our decision making. While this has been effective, we’ve recently gone a step further with the roll out of “Our Way.” “Our Way” is a representation of our values, including: Customer Focus, Transparency, Diligence, Optimism, and Agility that drive our brand promise to “Make Work Life Better.” These are not just ideals, but through the brand promise, are demonstrably embedded in everything we do. Our visible, tangible commitment to “Our Way” is actively measured through direct surveying of our employee base, much the same as we do for engagement. The measurement of our values is, I believe, a differentiator for Ceridian as it allows us to take our values from aspirational statements to quantifiable indicators of those values within our culture. We know the portrait we want our culture to look like. Define the one that works for you.

It Won’t Be Easy, But It’s Worth It

Enabling your culture, depending on your starting point and where you’re looking to get to, won’t be easy. This type of change in particular can be really hard for everyone involved. It requires some honest reflection, humility, and genuineness – all traits good leaders and good people should have, regardless of their functional position in your firm. Start with clarity of purpose, define the benefits it enables, and engage at all levels to hold each other accountable for its creation. Your own unique advantage is yours to paint.

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SU N l i f e F I N A N C I A L i s exc e l l e n c e c a n a da ’ s ch a m p i o n o f exc e l l e n c e fo r E xc e l l e n c e , i n n ovat i o n a n d w e l l n e ss ®

above The Top Talent program helps to promote talent and develop skills. This program is designed for strong performers who embody our corporate values. It offers an opportunity to work on a crossfunctional team, tackling key business issues. The program attracts employees looking to kick-start their career and be seen as leaders within the organization. Selected applicants attend workshops on presentation skills, team dynamics, project management, and finance. They work on projects teams, and present the results to the Executives.

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Distech Controls Inc. quality—GOLD

An innovation leader in energy management solutions, Distech Controls provides unique building management technologies and services that optimize energy efficiency and comfort in buildings, while reducing operating costs. After completing a first ISO registration in 2005, Distech Controls’ management team realized the benefits of a continuous improvement system and made it part of all strategic and operational activities. At its core is a Quality Promise to advance customer, supplier and employee satisfaction. Every customer-facing group identified and implemented process improvements to boost customer satisfaction. Today, more than 40 KPIs provide a global view of the organization’s health and are shared with all employees. A new headquarters design perfectly aligns with a Quality Promise to offer employees a safe and motivating workplace. Now part of Acuity Brands, Distech Controls is implementing new tools and methods to continue its journey.

qualitÉ—prix or Un chef de file de l’innovation en solutions de gestion énergétique, Distech Controls propose des technologies et des services uniques de gestion des bâtiments qui optimisent l’efficacité et le confort tout en réduisant les coûts d’exploitation. Après son premier enregistrement ISO en 2005, l’équipe de direction de Distech Controls a tiré profit des avantages d’un système d’amélioration continue et l’a intégré à toutes ses activités stratégiques et opérationnelles. À sa base une Promesse Qualité place la satisfaction du client, des fournisseurs et des employés au premier plan. Chaque groupe qui traite directement avec les clients a identifié et mis en place des améliorations des processus pour rehausser la satisfaction des clients. Actuellement plus de 40 indicateurs clés de performance offrent une vue d’ensemble de la santé de l’organisation et sont partagés avec tous les employés. Le design du nouveau siège social est en parfaite harmonie avec la Promesse Qualité d’offrir aux employés un lieu de travail sécuritaire et motivant. Faisant maintenant partie d’Acuity Brands, Distech Controls met en œuvre de nouveaux outils et de nouvelles méthodes pour poursuivre son parcours.

top left Distech Controls Inc.—Salle de test de nos controleurs. top right Distech Controls Inc.—Production. Bottom left Groupe AFFI Logistique—Mechoui annuel.

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Groupe AFFI Logistique

healthy workplace ® —silver Founded in 1971, Groupe AFFI Logistique specializes in B2B and B2C value-added logistics: order picking, assembly, packaging, inspection, distribution, warehousing and shipping. It counts on almost 500 employees and operates from five locations. An adapted enterprise, the company has been integrating workers living with functional limitations. A well-defined health and wellness policy covers living habits, work and personal life balance, working environment, and management practices. With visible CEO support and a health and wellness committee that implements and improves activities, the company has successfully created a healthy enterprise at every level. Daily walking groups, healthy snacks, weekly Olympic events as well as fitness programs and sports games are offered. Annual barbecues, health days and 5-day outdoor camps help engage employees in a wellness agenda.

Milieu de travail sain—prix argent Fondé en 1971, Groupe AFFI Logistique se spécialise dans la logistique à valeur ajoutée B2B et B2C : préparation de commandes, assemblage, emballage, inspection, distribution, entreposage et expédition. Le groupe compte près de 500 employés et exerce ses activités à partir de cinq places d’affaires. Le groupe est une entreprise adaptée qui intègre les personnes vivant avec des limitations fonctionnelles. Une politique bien définie de santé et de mieux-être couvre les habitudes de vie, l’équilibre entre le travail et la vie personnelle, l’environnement de travail et les pratiques de gestion. Avec le soutien visible de son chef de la direction et un comité de mieux-être qui met en place et améliore les activités, la compagnie a réussi à créer une entreprise saine à chaque niveau. Des groupes de marche quotidienne, des collations santé, des olympiades hebdomadaires de même que des programmes de conditionnement physique et des jeux sportifs sont offerts. Des barbecues annuels, des journées santé et des camps de 5 jours en plein air aident les employés à s’investir dans un programme de mieux-être.

Information Technology Services (ITS), Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) quality—order of excellence Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is North America’s third largest transit system, providing 1.86 million rides every workday – around 538 million rides per year. Information Technology (IT) Services supports and enables the reliable, efficient and integrated operation of TTC business departments. With an Excellence Journey dating back to 2000, IT Services has been addressing business processes, customer satisfaction and employee morale, as well as financial, contractual and technical control. A Strategic Plan has been aligned with the Corporate Plan to drive continuous improvement. Today, there is a top-down and bottom-up communication strategy, planned goals and objectives are systematically tracked using project management software, and IT Services’ key processes are monitored using scientific methodologies. A key undertaking, the Employee Engagement survey, shows employee satisfaction at 8.1 out of 10.

Qualité – Ordre de l’excellence Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) est le troisième plus important système de transport en commun d’Amérique du Nord, effectuant 1,86 million de trajets chaque jour de travail, soit autour de 538 millions de trajets par an. Les services de technologie de l’information (TI) soutiennent les différents services de TTC leur permettant ainsi de fonctionner de manière fiable, efficace et intégrée. Le parcours vers l’excellence des services de TI a commencé en 2000, ils voient au bon fonctionnement des processus opérationnels, à la satisfaction de la clientèle et au moral des employés, ainsi qu’aux contrôles financiers, contractuels et techniques. Un plan stratégique a été aligné sur le plan de la Commission afin de donner une impulsion continuelle aux améliorations. Actuellement, une stratégie de communication du haut vers le bas et du bas vers le haut est en place, un logiciel de gestion de projets permet de suivre systématiquement les bus et objectifs et les principaux processus des services de TI sont surveillés par des méthodologies scientifiques. Le sondage sur l’engagement des employés est une initiative clé qui a permis d’établir la satisfaction des employés à un taux de 8,1 sur 10.

above A TTC Ambassador in local city event – Caribbean Carnival.

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Lafontaine Inc.

quality—bronze

Established in 1975, Lafontaine excels in executing civil infrastructure projects, mainly street and road construction, and water and sewer installations. The company, based in Lévis, Quebec, also operates several quarries, produces and sells aggregates, and removes snow from roads and industrial sites. With a commitment to rigor in all practices and to “do well the first time,” management recruits strategically and emphasizes occupational health and safety. A site management manual establishes rigorous work methods and guides managers in their daily activities, allowing for standardized operations and increased productivity, and compliance with ISO 9001 standards. To ensure quality, contracts and projects are subject to strict controls, as the company seeks to meet prescribed timelines, ensure organized, clean and safe construction sites, and achieve growth through each individual’s contributions. qualitÉ—prix BRONZE Établie en 1975, Lafontaine excelle dans les travaux d’infrastructures de génie civil, principalement en réfection et construction de rues et de routes et d’installations de réseaux d’aqueducs et d’égouts. La compagnie, située à Lévis, Québec, exploite également plusieurs carrières, produisant et vendant des agrégats en plus d’exécuter des contrats de déneigement de rues et de routes et de sites industriels. Ayant pris l’engagement d’agir avec rigueur dans tout ce qu’elle fait et de toujours « bien faire du premier coup » la direction recrute de manière stratégique et fait de la santé et la sécurité au travail une priorité. Un manuel de gestion de chantier établit des méthodes de travail rigoureuses et guide les gestionnaires dans leurs activités journalières, permettant la standardisation des opérations et l’amélioration de la productivité, tout en se conformant aux normes ISO 9001. Pour assurer la qualité, l’exécution des contrats et des projets est soumise à des contrôles rigoureux, pour permettre à la compagnie de respecter les délais fixés, exécuter des chantiers ordonnés, propres et sécuritaires et réaliser la croissance de l’entreprise grâce à la contribution de chacun.

SPOTLIGHT : CANADA ORDER OF E X CELLENCE RECIPIENT

The TTC is delivering change on an unprecedented scale: a five-year transformation that would take most organizations double that time to achieve.

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Feature world-class performance: celebrating the best in class

TTC on the fast track to modernization The Information Technology Services (ITS), Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), received the 2016 Canada Order of Excellence for Quality—the highest award under the Canada Awards for Excellence. TTC gives us a glimpse at what is to come, as well as how they are getting there. By Mik e D e To ma

Andy Byford, CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission, envisions the future journey from the suburbs to downtown on Toronto’s transit system to be like this: You arrive on a modern, spotlessly clean, articulated bus at a state-of-the-art and architecturally stunning station (that does not currently exist) on a subway extension that has not yet been built. You use your smartcard at the all-new fareline to enter the station and are greeted by a smartly uniformed customer service agent who is equipped with a tablet to provide you with real-time information. You then descend to the platform of this fully accessible station and make a cell phone call while you wait for your immaculately clean, accessible train to arrive shortly. It is in automatic mode. It leaves on time and you arrive at your interchange, ready to seamlessly transfer onto an accessible, airconditioned streetcar. The future is right around the corner, thanks to a Corporate Plan anchored in several core objectives, numerous mega-projects and hundreds of work streams that have transformed the way the TTC transports well over half-a-billion customers from A to B every year. The TTC launched its inaugural Five-Year Corporate Plan in 2013, a comprehensive, top-to-bottom modernization of the company to transform the customer experience and to deliver a transit system that makes Toronto proud. In just three short years, the TTC has made huge progress towards implementation of a modern safety, health and

environmental management system, a first for any North American transit. The TTC has developed a Risk Register to capture and quantify key risks, tightened up on all aspects of operational safety and has embraced best practice in enterprise risk management. It has become a leader of city agencies in this discipline. The TTC announced changes to its station management model, promising a new focus on the customer’s experience. Customer satisfaction is at an all-time high, increasing and maintaining that high into the first quarter of this year. Currently into its fourth Customer Charter, the TTC has delivered more than 110 time-bound promises to date. The Corporate Plan placed the emphasis squarely on the need for a new way of managing and motivating our employees – our most valuable asset. Through regular employee engagement surveys, the TTC gains invaluable insight into what we need to address to truly motivate our teams, to give them the tools to do the job and to unlock their potential to excel. When it comes to managing assets, the key to reliability is attention to detail. The TTC has changed the way it manages transit routes, ensuring that procedures are customer-led rather than production-led. Bus and streetcar reliability is up. Emergency alarm activations on the subway are down, subway punctuality is up and we have delivered reductions on Line 1 Yonge-University delay minutes and overall incidents by 25 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.

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The maintenance focus is changing from fix-on-fail to fix-before-fail. And with a new Chief Service Officer in place, short turns have been reduced by nearly 90 per cent, resulting in tangibly improved service for bus and streetcar riders. The TTC is growing! The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension will open in 2017. It will be a spectacular 8.6-km, six-station extension that crosses municipal boundaries for the very first time. And that’s just the beginning. Working with partners Metrolinx and City of Toronto Planning, there is a whole other raft of projects to deliver. The TTC’s next five-year plan, currently in development, has an equally impressive contents list. The Scarborough Subway Extension, SmartTrack, the Relief Line, Waterfront LRT and Crosstown LRT – all must progress and the TTC will be front and centre in these signature projects. Further ahead, the TTC is developing a master plan for total route modernization of Line 2 Bloor-Danforth: new trains, new signals and potentially a new storage and maintenance facility. The TTC is delivering change on an unprecedented scale: a five-year transformation that would take most organizations double that time to achieve. And all this on what is still the least-subsidized transit system in North America. That’s why Byford calls TTC employees miracle workers, criss-crossing the city, morning, noon and night, delivering a transit system that makes Toronto proud.

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Manulife

healthy workplace ® and mental health at work — Silver

above Lafontaine Inc.—Ponceau Jean Perrin, Québec.

Lassonde Industries Inc. and A. Lassonde Inc. healthy workplace ® —gold

Lassonde Industries Inc. develops, manufactures and markets ready-to-drink fruit and vegetable juices and drinks. The company is the second largest producer of store brand shelf-stable fruit juices and drinks in the United States and a major producer of cranberry sauces. Believing that health, safety and wellness are an integral part of a company’s management functions, Lassonde Industries Inc. and its subsidiary A. Lassonde Inc. have well-developed strategies for advancing employees’ health and quality of life. They cover four key spheres of activity: living habits (providing health challenges, fitness programs, healthy food choices, for example); work/life balance (daycare, phased retirement, time-off and other programs); working environment (hearing protection, emergency response, post-disability return-to-work, OH&S, etc.); and management practices (annual blood drives and vaccination clinics, sustainable development, succession planning, employee assistance and more).

Industries Lassonde inc. et A. Lassonde inc.

Milieu de travail sain —prix or Industries Lassonde inc. développe, fabrique et commercialise des jus et des boissons de fruits et de légumes prêts-à-boire. La compagnie est le deuxième plus grand producteur de jus et de boissons de marques privées à conservation stable aux États-Unis et un grand producteur de sauces aux canneberges. Convaincues que la santé, la sécurité et le mieux-être font partie intégrante des fonctions de la direction d’une compagnie, Industries Lassonde inc. et sa filiale A. Lassonde inc. ont des stratégies bien rodées pour promouvoir la santé et la qualité de vie des employés. Elles couvrent quatre domaines d’activité clés : habitudes de vie (offrant par exemple des défis santé, des programmes de conditionnement physique, des choix alimentaires sains); équilibre entre la vie au travail et la vie personnelle (garderie, retraite échelonnée, jours de congé et autres programmes); environnement de travail (protection de l’ouïe, intervention d’urgence, retour au travail après invalidité, santé et sécurité au travail, etc.); et pratiques de gestion (collectes de sang annuels et cliniques de vaccination, développement durable, planification de la relève, aide aux employés et bien d’autres encore).

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Manulife is a leading financial services group providing financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for indviduals, groups and institutions. Its principal operations are in Canada, the United States (operating as John Hancock) and Asia. Manulife’s Canadian Division employs more than 12,000 people. Committed to an environment where every member of the team feels valued, supported, healthy and comfortable, Manulife has expanded its wellness journey to promote the awareness of the correlation between mental health, physical and financial wellbeing. Through its WorkSmart program, Manulife employees have greater access to flexible work arrangements and support resources. Online social media communities have helped increase awareness and provided a vehicle for employee queries and feedback. Since 2014, Manulife has participated in the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s 3-year case study research.

Manuvie

Milieu de travail sain et santÉ MENTALE AU TRAVAIL—prix argent Manuvie est un grand groupe de services financiers qui offre des services conseils financiers, des produits d’assurance et des solutions de gestion du patrimoine et des actifs aux particuliers, aux groupes et aux institutions. Elle exerce ses principales activités au Canada, aux États-Unis (sous le nom de John Hancock) et en Asie. La division canadienne de Manuvie emploie plus de 12 000 personnes. Bien déterminée à offrir un environnement où chaque membre de l’équipe se sent valorisé, soutenu, en santé et à l’aise, Manuvie a étendu son parcours de mieux-être afin de faire prendre conscience qu’il existe une corrélation entre la santé mentale et le bien-être physique et financier. Le programme WorkSmart offre aux employés de Manuvie un plus grand accès à des horaires de travail flexibles et des ressources de soutien. Les communautés de médias sociaux en ligne ont permis de créer une plus grande sensibilisation et fournissent aux employés un véhicule pour poser des questions et faire des commentaires. Depuis 2014 Manuvie participe au projet de recherche sous forme d’études de cas de trois ans de la Commission de la santé mentale du Canada.

Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC)

Excellence, Innovation a nd Wellness—go ld

An independent, not-for-profit organization funded by Nova Scotia’s 51 municipalities, Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) values approximately 600,000 properties annually and provides an assessment roll to municipalities, which is used to calculate property taxes. PVSC was the first property valuation jurisdiction in North America to achieve International Property Tax Institute (IPTI) Certification for excellence in property valuation, and is also Great Place to Work® Certified. The first step on the organization’s excellence journey was to put in place the building blocks of core values, systems, processes and technologies to enable best practices in the industry. It then identified opportunities to improve and innovate through employee engagement, relationship building, process improvement and leading edge technologies. Employees have been encouraged to play a leadership role in these improvement efforts.

above top Lassonde Industries Inc. and A. Lassonde Inc.—Annual employee health and safety BBQ. middle Manulife—Manulife’s Walk in Montreal. bottom Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) —Caring for our community, Habitat for Humanity build 2015.

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excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix or Une organisation indépendante sans but lucratif fondée par les 51 municipalités de la Nouvelle-Écosse, Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) évalue environ 600 000 propriétés annuellement et fournit un rôle d’évaluation aux municipalités dont elles se servent pour calculer la taxe foncière. PVSC a été la première administration nord-américaine d’évaluation immobilière à recevoir une certification de l’International Property Tax Institute (IPTI) pour l’excellence en évaluation immobilière; elle est aussi certifiée comme un des meilleurs endroits où travailler par Great Place to Work®. La première étape de l’organisation dans son parcours vers l’excellence a été de mettre en place les valeurs fondamentales, les systèmes, les processus et les technologies comme éléments constitutifs des meilleures pratiques du secteur. Elle a ensuite repéré les occasions d’améliorer et d’innover par l’engagement des employés, la culture des relations, l’amélioration des processus et les technologies de pointe. Les employés ont été encouragés à jouer un rôle de leadership dans ces initiatives d’amélioration.

TOP Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Team building exercise in action.

get to know the recipients fa i t e s co n n a i s s a n c e av e c l e s l au r é at s

Real Estate Board of Gre ater Vancouver

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—gold

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) is the second largest real estate board in Canada. It represents 13,100 members who are experts in the real estate profession, with specialties such as residential, commercial, investment, industrial, land development, rental property management and strata management. REBGV provides members with the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), research and statistics, education and training, professional standards and arbitration services, public and media relations, computer support, advocacy and more. The organization also advances and promotes the interests of those engaged in the business of real estate, and represents members’ and the public’s concerns on issues involving legislation and the vitality of communities at all levels of government. excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix or Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) est la deuxième chambre immobilière la plus importante du Canada. Elle représente 13 100 membres, experts de la profession immobilière, se spécialisant dans l’immobilier résidentiel, commercial, industriel, d’investissement, d’aménagement foncier, de gestion d’immeubles locatifs et de gérance d’immeubles. REBGV offre aux membres le service interagences® (SIA®), des services de recherche et de statistique, d’éducation et de formation, de normes professionnelles et d’arbitrage, des relations publiques et médiatiques, un soutien informatique et de représentation, et bien d’autres encore. L’organisation défend et favorise les intérêts des personnes qui œuvres dans le secteur immobilier et représente les préoccupations des membres et du public dans des questions législatives et de vitalité des communautés à tous les paliers de gouvernement.

above Résidence Wales Home—Darrell Gillim and Jim Beattie – Caregiver with resident. Resident was outside, called his wireless call bell for assistance to go back to his room.

Rés idence Wales Ho m e quality—bronze Recognized as the first seniors’ residence in Quebec, The Résidence Wales Home is a non-profit private organization that provides a continuum of care for 200 seniors. Respecting their dignity, it offers residents a clean, safe and secure home-like environment that promotes independence, friendship and comfort, as well as a welcoming atmosphere for their friends and families. A newly renovated wing has been tailored to meet the needs and expectations of an autonomous clientele and includes a wellness room, a peaceful regenerating retreat. Two new shower rooms for semi-autonomous seniors ensures safety, sanitation and ease of access. The nursing department continues to focus on the prevention of infections and quality of life. The residence is currently undertaking a major expansion to increase services for residents, and prepare for the next generation.

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qualitÉ—prix BRONZE Reconnue comme la première résidence pour personnes âgées du Québec, la Résidence Wales Home est une organisation sans but lucratif qui offre des soins continus à 200 aînés. Respectueuse de leur dignité, elle offre à ses résidents un environnement propre, sécuritaire et confortable comme à la maison qui favorise l’indépendance, l’amitié et le confort, ainsi qu’une atmosphère chaleureuse pour leurs amis et leurs familles. Une aile récemment rénovée a été pensée pour répondre aux besoins et attentes d’une clientèle autonome et comprend une salle de mieux-être, une retraite régénératrice paisible. Deux nouvelles salles de douche pour les personnes semi-autonomes assurent la sécurité, l’hygiène et la facilité d’accès. Service des soins infirmiers continue de veiller à la prévention des infections et à la qualité de vie. La résidence entreprend actuellement une grande expansion pour offrir plus de services à ses résidents et se préparer pour la nouvelle génération.

get to know the recipients fa i t e s co n n a i s s a n c e av e c l e s l au r é at s

Société de transport de Laval

quality—silver

The Société de transport de Laval (STL) is a public transportation company with 897 employees serving the third largest city in Quebec. In 2015, annual ridership on STL’s regular network included more than 20 million trips, while a door-to-door paratransit service gave 450,848 trips to people with reduced mobility. The progress of the company’s strategic plan is constantly tracked with performance indicators and shared with employee groups. STL continues to improve its service offerings by providing clients with new technological tools that facilitate travel. STL’s Quality Commitment is a formal commitment to punctuality, cleanliness, comfort, providing meaningful information, and the right to express opinions and be heard. This has directly contributed to improving service and reliability. The company has also implemented several measures and initiatives that encourage sustainable mobility. qualitÉ—prix argent La Société de transport de Laval (STL) est une compagnie de transports publics qui emploie 897 personnes et dessert la troisième plus grande ville du Québec. En 2015, la fréquentation du réseau régulier de la STL comprenait plus de 20 millions de trajets tandis qu’un service de transport adapté offrant un service de porte à porte offrait 450 848 voyages aux gens à mobilité réduite. Les progrès du plan stratégique de la compagnie sont constamment suivis de près au moyen d’indicateurs de performance et partagés avec les groupes d’employés. La STL continue d’améliorer son service en offrant aux usagers de nouveaux outils technologiques qui facilitent leurs déplacements. L’engagement de la STL envers la qualité est un engagement formel de ponctualité, propreté, confort, d’information utile et de droit d’exprimer des opinions et d’être entendu, ce qui a contribué directement à l’amélioration du service et à la fiabilité. La compagnie a aussi mis en place plusieurs mesures et initiatives pour encourager la mobilité durable.

above Société de transport de Laval—Cliente qui monte à bord de l’autobus

Soprema

healthy workplace ® —gold Soprema is an international manufacturer of innovative products for waterproofing, insulation, soundproofing and vegetated solutions for the roofing, building envelope and civil engineering sectors. Soprema Canada employs 500 people in seven manufacturing facilities and 10 support offices throughout Canada. In 2008, the company implemented a health, safety and wellness policy covering smoking cessation, nutrition, work-life balance and physical activity. Employees can participate in a number of initiatives, such as a Quit-to-Win Challenge, Québec TobaccoFree Week and other health challenges. Attendance at a workplace harassment conference is mandatory for all, while guest speakers train on such topics as motivation, self-esteem and team work. A workplace sports complex offers free training with cutting-edge facilities. The company also organizes, with the help of employees, various social and sporting activities.

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Milieu de travail sain - Or Soprema est un fabricant international de produits innovateurs d’étanchéité, d’isolation, d’insonorisation et de solutions végétalisées pour les secteurs de la couverture, de l’enveloppe de bâtiments et du génie civil. Soprema Canada emploie 500 personnes dans sept sites de production et 10 bureaux administratifs partout au Canada. En 2008, la compagnie a mis en place une politique de santé, sécurité et mieux-être couvrant le sevrage du tabac, la nutrition, l’équilibre entre la vie au travail et la vie personnelle et l’activité physique. Les employés peuvent participer à plusieurs initiatives comme le défi J’arrête, j’y gagne, la Semaine pour un Québec sans tabac et d’autres défis santé. La participation à une conférence sur le harcèlement au travail est obligatoire pour tous, tandis que des conférenciers donnent une formation sur des sujets comme la motivation, l’estime de soi et le travail d’équipe. Un complexe sportif en milieu de travail offre un entraînement gratuit dans des installations ultra modernes. Avec l’aide des employés la compagnie organise différentes activités sociales et sportives.

The Canadian Real Estate Association

Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—GOLD The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations, with a membership of more than 115,000 real estate brokers, agents and salespeople, working through 90 real estate boards and associations across Canada. CREA plays a unique role in achieving this community’s aspirations, contributing at times as champions, unifiers, partners, catalysts, facilitators and collaborators. CREA pursues its strategic promises and priorities with a set of beliefs around its customer, purpose and vision. The Excellence Canada program helps provide focus on what is important and relevant, not just on what is being done but how it is done. Everyone within CREA is actively engaged with the “how,” and is committed to values of teamwork, shared success, respect, continuous improvement, and a focus on members and staff. above The Canadian Real Estate Association—Continuous Improvement.

above Soprema—Activités d'équipe: compétition de bateau-dragon.

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L’Association canadienne de l’immeuble excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix OR L’Association canadienne de l’immeuble (l’ACI) est l’une des plus grandes associations commerciales à vocation unique au Canada, dont les membres représentent 115 000 courtiers, agents, vendeurs immobiliers qui travaillent par l’entremise de 90 chambres et associations immobilières partout au Canada. L’ACI joue un rôle unique dans la réalisation des aspirations de cette communauté, contribuant tantôt comme champions, unificateurs, partenaires, catalyseurs, facilitateurs et collaborateurs. L’ACI poursuit ses promesses et priorités stratégiques en se fondant sur un ensemble de croyances qui s’articulent autour de ses clients, ses buts et sa vision. Le programme d’Excellence Canada aide à donner une orientation sur ce qui est important et pertinent, pas seulement sur ce qui est fait, mais comment c’est fait. Tous les membres de l’ACI sont activement engagés envers le « comment » et les valeurs de travail d’équipe, de succès partagé, de respect, d’amélioration constante et fixent leur attention sur les membres et le personnel.

get to know the recipients fa i t e s co n n a i s s a n c e av e c l e s l au r é at s

valacta

healthy workplace ® —silver

above The Office of the President–The University of Waterloo—Office staff volunteer during orientation week to welcome first-year students.

The Office of the President– The University of Waterloo Excellence, Innovation and Wellness—silver University of Waterloo offers a leading co-operative education program, research-rich environment, and broad-based entrepreneurial culture. As the academic engine of one of the world’s top startup ecosystems, and with world-class research institutes, Waterloo is committed to utilizing new knowledge and ideas for the benefit of all. The Office of the President supports the president in governing effectively and achieving annual objectives, and facilitates the implementation of the strategic plan. Over the past few years, the Office has made significant changes and improvements to its structure and work processes to align with the University’s Excellence Canada efforts. These include developing a “robust employer-employee relationship” built on solid communication, and the execution of a comprehensive strategic plan under which progress and outcomes are measured and widely communicated.

excellence, innovation et mieux-Être—prix argent L’Université de Waterloo offre un programme d’alternance travail-études de premier plan, un riche environnement de recherche et une culture entrepreneuriale diversifiée. Moteur universitaire d’un des meilleurs écosystèmes d’entreprises en démarrage au monde et dotée d’instituts de recherche de classe internationale, Waterloo s’est engagée à mettre les nouvelles connaissances et idées au profit de tous. Le bureau du président aide le président à bien gouverner et à réaliser les objectifs annuels, ainsi qu’à faciliter la mise en œuvre du plan stratégique. Ces quelques dernières années, le bureau a apporté d’importants changements et améliorations à sa structure et ses processus de travail afin de les aligner sur les initiatives d’Excellence Canada de l’Université. Ces initiatives comprennent notamment une « forte relation employeuremployé » reposant sur de solides communications et l’exécution d’un plan stratégique complet selon lequel les progrès et les résultats sont mesurés et largement communiqués.

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Devoted to the dairy industry in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces for the last 50 years, Valacta’s mission is to contribute to the sustainable development and prosperity of the dairy sector through knowledge transfer and its analytical and information management services. In 2013, Valacta decided to invest the necessary resources to establish a culture that promotes physical and mental health. Management has since made health and wellness a strategic priority. Key performance indicators are monitored using a scorecard built specifically for health priorities. In 2014, an impressive number of initiatives were launched to address several health-related challenges. Valacta has also launched innovative solutions to develop staff competencies and to motivate employees through recognition. Results have been better than expected, with health-related costs reduced by 24.7% over two years.

Milieu de travail sain —prix argent Au service de l’industrie laitière du Québec et des provinces de l’Atlantique depuis 50 ans, Valacta a pour mission de contribuer au développement durable et à la prospérité du secteur laitier par le transfert du savoir et par ses services d’analyse et de gestion de l’information. En 2013, Valacta a décidé d’investir les ressources nécessaires afin de mettre en place une culture favorisant la santé physique et mentale. Depuis, la direction a fait de la santé et du mieux-être une priorité stratégique. Les indicateurs clés de performance sont surveillés à l’aide d’un tableau de bord propre à la santé. En 2014, un nombre impressionnant d’initiatives ont vu le jour visant plusieurs défis liés à la santé. Valacta a aussi décidé de lancer des solutions innovatrices pour développer les compétences du personnel et motiver les employés par la reconnaissance. Les résultats ont été meilleurs que ceux attendus, les coûts liés à la santé ayant baissé de 24,7 % en deux ans.

Wo rkplace Safety North

healthy workplace ® —silver As one of four designated health and safety associations in Ontario, businesses call on Workplace Safety North (WSN) for expert advice and information, classroom and online training, on-site consultations, health and safety audits, industrial hygiene testing, ergonomic assessments, and specific problem-solving. WSN’s service excellence strategy hinges on a focus on people. Its 70 staff members share a conviction that workplaces with a positive approach to health and safety have better employee engagement and productivity, are more creative and innovative, and achieve greater performance. With a vision of “Every worker, home safe and healthy,” WSN pursues and demonstrates values of wellness, client satisfaction, employee inspiration and empowerment, integrity, excellence, leadership and teamwork.

above Valacta—Nos employés sont aux services des fermes laitières du Québec et des provinces de l’Atlantique

above Workplace Safety North—WSN staff in the field on a health and safety video shoot.

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Milieu de travail sain —prix argent Workplace Safety North (WSN) est l’une des quatre associations de santé et de sécurité désignées en Ontario; les entreprises s’adressent à elle pour obtenir des conseils d’experts, de l’information, une formation en classe et en ligne, des consultations sur place, des vérifications en matière de santé et sécurité, des tests d’hygiène au travail, des évaluations ergonomiques et la résolution de problèmes spécifiques. La stratégie d’excellence du service tient de l’attention que WSN accorde aux gens. Ses 70 membres du personnel partagent une conviction que les lieux de travail qui abordent la santé et la sécurité de manière positive tirent un plus grand engagement et une meilleure productivité de leurs employés qui sont aussi plus créatifs et innovateurs et qui donnent un meilleur rendement. Avec sa vision que « chaque travailleur rentre chez lui sain et sauf », WSN démontre et applique les valeurs de mieux-être, de satisfaction de la clientèle, d’inspiration et de responsabilisation des employés, en plus de celles d’intégrité, d’excellence, de leadership et de travail d’équipe.

For more CAE recipient profiles visit www.excellence.ca/awards

b o a r d o f g o v e r n o r s ' r e c o g n i t i o n o f a c h i e v e mE n t award recipient

Margaret Trudeau Celebrated Canadian Mental Health Advocate

Margaret Trudeau is a recipient of the Board of Governors' Recognition of Achievement Award in recognition of her advocacy for mental health and environmental issues.

photo credit Sian Richards

Margaret Trudeau is a Canadian icon, celebrated both for her role in the public eye and as a respected mental-health issues advocate. From becoming a prime minister’s wife at a young age, to the loss of both her son and her former husband, to living with bi-polar disorder, Margaret tirelessly shares her personal stories to remind others of the importance of nurturing the body, mind, and spirit. Margaret is the author of four books, including her bestselling title, Changing My Mind, which charts her life’s ups and downs, and her latest title, The Time of Your Life,

board of governors' recognition of achievement awar d

2005 |

Dr. David Suzuki

Co-Founder , David Suzuki Foundation

2006 |

Edwin Mirvish

Founder, Chairman and CEO, Honest Ed's

som e o f o u r past awar d re ci pi e n ts

2007 |

Jim Balsillie

which offers women an inspirational and practical approach to creating a healthy, happy, secure and satisfying future. Margaret sits on the Executive Advisory Board of the UBC Mental Health Institute as a community advocate, and she is the Honorary President of WaterAid, a charitable Canadian non-governmental agency that is dedicated to helping poor communities in developing countries build sustainable water-supply and sanitation services. She is also the proud mother to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

2007 |

Co-founder and former Co-CEO

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

Research in Motion

Prime Minister of Canada (1984–1993)

2007 |

2008 |

Mike Lazaridis

Co-founder and former Co-CEO Research in Motion

Lieutenant-General The Honourable Roméo Dallaire

Senator (Retired) and Author of Shake Hands with the Devil

excellence.ca magazine | 72

Feature world-class performance: celebrating the best in class b o a r d o f g o v e r n o r s ’ r e c o g n i t i o n o f a c h i e v e mE n t award recipient

Christine Day CEO, Luvo

Christine Day is a recipient of the Board of Governors' Recognition of Achievement Award for her outstanding accomplishments as a successful executive and entrepreneur.

photo credit Paul Joseph

In 2014, Christine Day joined Luvo, a forwardthinking frozen food company with a focus on great taste, convenience and nutrition. Since then, she has assembled a world-class management team, streamlined operations and distribution, and provided the strategic direction and vision for the company’s growth. Previously, she was CEO of lululemon athletica for six years, during which the company grew in revenue from $290 million to $1.6 billion, becoming the world’s most profitable retail apparel company. She also helped build Starbucks

2008 |

Sir Richard Branson

Founder, Virgin Group

2009 |

The Honourable Flora Isabel MacDonald, P.C., C.C.,

O.Ont., O.N.S.

2012 |

into a global brand during her 20 year tenure where she held roles as President of the Asia Pacific Group, Senior Vice President of North American Finance and Administration and Vice President of Sales and Operations for Business Alliances. Among many accolades Christine has been selected as one of Fortune Magazine’s top five- “International Most Powerful Women”, “Canada’s Top 100 Women,” and named “CEO of the Year,” by the Globe and Mail and Business in Vancouver.

Mark Zuckerberg

2014 |

Colonel Chris Hadfield

2015 |

Peter Legge

Founder and CEO, Facebook

Astronaut & former Commander of the International Space Station

Chairman and CEO, Canada Wide Media

2013 |

2015 |

Rick Hansen

Co-Chair, Rick Hansen Foundation President & CEO, Rick Hansen Leadership Group

The Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., G.O.Q

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Bill Wilkerson

Executive Chairman, Mental Health International

Feature world-class performance: celebrating the best in class b o a r d o f g o v e r n o r s ' r e c o g n i t i o n o f a c h i e v e mE n t award recipient

Richard McLaren, OC, H.B.A., LL.B, LL.M, C.Arb CEO of McLaren Global Sport Solutions

Richard McLaren is a recipient of the Board of Governors' Recognition of Achievement Award in recognition of his work in anti-doping and anticorruption in sport.

Richard McLaren, Order of Canada recipient, is an international sports lawyer; professor of Law at Western University; Chairman Emeritus Advisory Board, National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University; and Special Advisor to Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University. As a long-standing member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Richard has served at five Olympic Games. As a Commissioner on WADA’s Independent Commission, he examined systemic doping and corruption in Russian athletics. He was appointed Independent Investigator into allegations of sample tampering at the Sochi Games. Richard is an anti-corruption hearing officer for the Tennis Integrity Unit and President of Basketball Arbitral Tribunal. To read Mr. McLaren’s article, an updated version of the one that originally appeared in the publication by Transparency International titled “Global Corruption Report: Sport” is available at www.excellence.ca/en/knowledge-centre/articles/richard-h-mclaren

The Board of Governors’ Recognition of Achievement Award is an honourary award apart from the Canada Awards for Excellence. From time-to-time, and not necessarily on an annual basis, the Excellence Canada Board of Governors recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canadian society and/or the global human condition. Past Award recipients have included Dr. David Suzuki, former Prime Minister The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, The Honourable Michael Wilson, Lt.-General The Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire, Sir Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Rick Hansen.

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Celebrating Private Businesses with Delighted Customers, Engaged Employees and Cultures of Innovation

Congratulations to this year’s recipients AppCentrica, Inc. Arrow Engineering Belmar Consulting Brainworks Candybox Marketing Dr. Raj S.Khanuja, DDS, MPH, FAGD (Castlemore Dental, Headwaters Dental, Flower City Dental under R. Khanuja Dentistry Professional Corporation) Interwork Technologies Inc. Hanson Canada Medgate O2E Brands Pound & Grain Digital Inc.

CANADIAN BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS FOR PRIVATE BUSINESSES 2016/17

RANA Respiratory Care Group Spark Power Corporation Stanhope Simpson Insurance Ltd. Symplicity Designs Tutor Doctor United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd. ValueTrend Wealth Management – WorldSource Securities Inc. WalterFedy

Presented by:

EXCELLENCE PAYS OFF ON THE STOCK MARKET LONG TERM The highs and lows of the stock market are generally cyclical yet unpredictable. We wanted to know if a focus on Excellence is associated with improved performance, and does it help make the stock market a little more predictable? By Dr. Ada m Stoe hr

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o see if there is any link between a commitment to Excellence and stock price, Excellence Canada tracks the stock performance for all of the Canada Awards for Excellence (CAE) recipients that are traded on a stock market. This year, 2016 is consistent with the results since 1984, when we began—the organizations that have won CAE Awards outperform popular composite indices by as much as 1.62:1. For this research, starting with the 1984 CAE Award recipients that are traded on a stock exchange, the researcher bought a hypothetical $1,000 worth of stock of the winners the day they were announced. On that same day the researcher invested a hypothetical $1,000 in three popular Stock Market Indices (TSX Composite Index, S&P 500, DJIA). Each year the researcher uses the same investment method. The chart to the right shows the comparison of growth. This comparison includes all 85 CAE Award recipients traded on a stock exchange between 1984 and 2016. The three biggest winners in terms of investment growth include IBM (CAE Recipient 1993), Texas Instruments (CAE Recipient 1992) and Dupont (CAE Recipient 1988). The three biggest losers in terms of investment losses include Nortel (CAE Recipient 1990), Dana (CAE Recipient 2001), and Chrysler (CAE Recipient 1991).

Investment growth 2002-2016 300% 250% 200% % growth

In total the researcher invested a hypothetical $85,000 ($1000 for each recipient) in stock of award recipients and $85,000 in a composite index. As of July, 2016 the CAE stock investment would be worth $308,202 (growth of 263%) where the S&P/TSX Index investment would be worth $190,614 (growth of 124%). Since we began this research in 2002, CAE recipients have consistently outperformed the market. On the chart below the blue line represents the investment growth for the CAE recipients and the other lines represent the investment growth of the indices. The peaks in 2007 and 2016 are higher than the peaks of the indices. The valleys in 2004 and 2008 are not as deep for the CAE index. A commitment to Excellence is clearly associated with improved performance, and it makes the unpredictable market a little more predictable.

CAE TSX

150%

S&P

100%

DJIA

50% 0% 2002

2004

2005

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2007

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE DRIVES RESULTS AND DIFFERENTIATION AMONG PRIVATE BUSINESSES. Excellence Canada and PwC Canada are pleased to present the Canadian Business Excellence Awards for Private Businesses. Applicants will be evaluated for excellence based on the following key performance areas: Delighted Customers; Engaged Employees; and Innovation.

FREE

APPLY TODAY

c b e awa rds. co m

Presented by: