Tag Archives: Edmonton

Structure Follows Strategy

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It has been a long time since Alberta had a Ministry of Economic Development & Trade, and it is long overdue. The announcement by Premier Notley last Thursday brought cheers from many across the province, as we can now establish focus and resources towards our most pressing economic issues:

  1. Building a culture of risk-taking and entrepreneurship in businesses big and small;
  2. Developing revenues, trade and investment from beyond our borders;
  3. Unlocking the value of our resource assets in mutually beneficial ways; and
  4. Leading an innovation system that is relevant and respected across Canada.

We have been talking about these four simple priorities for years as part of our provincial strategy; however, the ministerial structure never followed the strategy and past ministries lived through endless leadership changes and budget uncertainty.

This was a much needed change and, when led by a strong Minister, Deputy Minister and Premier’s Advisory Committee on the Economy, I believe we are now off to a great start.

The old models of economic development, diversification and innovation have not brought success or change, and I look forward to working with this new ministry to compete and win in today’s marketplace.

I am often hard on our government because I have high expectations. This is a timely and prudent move, and I compliment this kind of thoughtful stewardship.

I look forward to helping bring back our excellence.

Entrepreneurs Matter

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Becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business completely changed my life. At first, it was a quest for independence and freedom … to move away from working for someone else, to take the risk, to see if I could do it on my own. But the reasons I continued ran much deeper … reasons that motivate so many business owners each and every day … reasons I respect so very, very much.

Today, in a world where many students are taught that business and capitalism are fundamentally based on the pursuit of greed, selfishness, exploitation and profit maximization … there is a need to re-introduce and re-romanticize today’s entrepreneur … the lifeblood of our communities and our economies.

Entrepreneurs start things. They try things. They see the world as a system full of gaps, of opportunities, and they set out to solve those problems by envisioning something better. They set out on a wonderful journey of purpose, adventure, risk and creativity … not to maximize profits and greed … but to see if what they imagined is, in fact, possible.

That is what fuels the hearts of entrepreneurs.

They envision new ways to deliver groceries and advanced drill bits to work in extreme climates. They suggest better ways for dentists to serve the poor and they improve the ways 3rd world countries filtrate drinking water. They imagine new video games for disinterested teens and they design new vaccines for impoverished children. They also start shoe stores and daycares and construction companies and cafes and corner stores.

Entrepreneurs Matter.

Entrepreneurs not only solve some of our most difficult challenges, but they also sign the paychecks that feed, clothe and shelter 78% of our local families. They not only represent the largest contributors to charities and non-profits, but their pursuit of free enterprise innovation and social cooperation has also led to unprecedented prosperity for humanity.

Over the past two centuries, free enterprise entrepreneurs have brought extraordinary economic growth and prosperity to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Extreme poverty has declined from 85% of the world’s population to 16%. The undernourished population has declined by 50%. Average income per capita has increased 1000x, with only 5% of that population living in North America. Sanitation, medicine and agricultural productivity have progressed to maintain a world population that has grown from 1 billion to 7 billion. 84% of the world can now read. And average life expectancy has increased from 36 years to an astonishing 86 years.

Our world is far from perfect … we have much more to improve … but we also need to appreciate the progress that has been made.

Governments didn’t accomplish these feats … entrepreneurs did. They innovated. They experimented. They took risks. They tried new things. And guess what? When their solutions worked and people derived value, their businesses grew and became profitable … which allowed them to invest in more ideas, create a broader vision, pay more taxes and extend their solutions to new markets.

That’s what changes our world. That’s what improves our communities.

That’s what matters.

So, as we move forward and continue progress on environmental, inequality, health care, animal welfare, and other global challenges …. let’s let entrepreneurs continue to be the lifeblood of innovation, our communities and our economy …. and let’s not turn them into the lifeblood of government.

Wanted: 100 of Alberta’s Best

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Wanted: Over One Hundred of Alberta’s Best Leaders

Role: Dynamic team member responsible for building a better province.

Requirements: Abundance of ideas, strategies, policy capacity, courage, accountability, transparency and urgency.

Reward: Basic pay, limited bonus and tremendous significance.

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They may not contain the same words, but Government of Alberta job postings like the above will be plentiful over the next 6-12 months, and I’d like to encourage many of our best and brightest to take a serious look, take a risk and step forward.

After 20 years working in the private sector, I took a risk, I took the challenge, and I became part of a team with the vision of transforming EEDC into a market-facing organization responsible for helping build a great city.

And nothing has been more rewarding.

The change came with responsibility. It came with accountability. And it came with a deep sense of purpose … three things that are desperately needed in our public service.

Today, our province needs to undergo the same leadership, management, professionalism and cultural transformation, and it will require a new generation of leaders and future leaders to be part of the journey.

Alberta will need you to step forward … in public service … to build a better province.

If you are stalling in your career, looking to make a contribution, wanting to leave your mark, or seeking a sense of purpose … I encourage you to take a similar risk and help accelerate our great province towards our potential.

I’ve never regretted a day in my role, and I love implementing the change that is needed.

When opportunity comes calling … which it will … I encourage you to step up and be bold.

Some of our best people are needed.

Lessons from the Waiting Room

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My appointment was for 9:30am. I got in at 10:30am. Not bad, because my expectation is so low that I brought two hours of reading materials. This was a smart move, as the most current magazine in the waiting room was published in July 2006.

After waiting five minutes the nurse came in, asked me my height and weight, and then told me to strip down while handing me a glamorous turquoise paper gown. Not sure why, as this was just a consultation. She left in a hurry.

After sitting somewhat exposed for another ten minutes, the doctor finally charged in through the door. We had never met.

He confirmed the name of my family doctor, the one who ordered the colonoscopy two months ago. He confirmed my age, which has been correctly increasing every year since date of birth on my file. He confirmed that I have a family history of colon cancer, which again was clearly on my file.

He pulled out a stethoscope and confirmed I was breathing.

We wrote a few things down. I wonder what possibly he could be writing down.

Then he turned to me all serious-like and said, “Yup, at your age it’s a good idea to get a colonoscopy. They’ll book you in at the front desk and they will give you instructions on the prep that’s needed.”

He smiled, politely said goodbye and left the room.

I looked down at my beautiful paper gown. I felt exposed and defeated. I felt ashamed for the incredible waste of time and money and waiting time and lost productivity that just disappeared during this “consultation” that provided me with absolutely no value and that surely undermines the abilities the family GP who was very capable of providing me with an instruction sheet.

After booking the first appointment available three months out, I headed back to the office. Someone asked, “Hey, where have you been.”

I answered, “I’m really not sure … but I think I found that $7 billion the Premier is missing.”

Upgrading our Strategy

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I used to struggle with the number of hours kids spend playing mindless video games. Minecraft, Farmville, Tropico, Settlers …. there seems to be an endless supply of, and demand for, non-violent nation-building games.

I used to think they were wasting their time. But I have come to develop great hope that they in fact are developing the skills to run our province with much greater foresight than previous generations.

Think about it. If you were given this wonderfully productive piece of land called Alberta, what would you do? What would you build? How would you create a society so productive and so prosperous that you would be the envy of the world?

Imagine digging a hole in the northeast part of the province and discovering what is now the Oil Sands – an endless supply of thick, dark, peanut butter like substance worth trillions of dollars. Would your first move be to build a railroad or pipeline and ship it out of here? Or would you build upgraders and refineries, petrochemical facilities and manufacturing factories that allowed you to control the market on everything from jet fuel to fertilizer to plastic toys?

Imagine planting a farm in southern Alberta and you were able to produce high quality Durham wheat. Would your first move be to harvest the crop and put it in rail cars to be shipped to a pasta plant in Italy? Or would you consider building your own pasta company, under a Canadian brand that exports and competes worldwide?

Imagine raising cattle on some of that land. Would your first move be to sell your young cattle to someone across the border who will beef them up before sending them to a slaughterhouse? Or would you consider building your own beef processing plant, a steak & hamburger restaurant chain or Alberta BBQ beef skewers which are exported to China.

Just daydreaming here … but you get the point.

Occasionally, opportunities present themselves to re-start the game, and to make better decisions. Over the past decade, building value-added upgraders and refineries didn’t make a lot of financial sense as margins were better from existing refineries south of the border. But now as labour becomes more available, input costs come down, the Canadian dollar falls, technologies are improved, risk of building upgraders/refineries have been mitigated, and neighboring provinces refuse unrefined products through pipelines, it’s time to think strategically and make some nation-building investments.

We can keep shipping stuff out of here and shipping out our wealth in the process. But these video-game-addicted kids are telling me that’s not the best way to win the game.