Maria Berntzen

It’s election time in Alberta. Voting is important. Informed voting is more important.

Leadership is walking the field before a game to thank all your players for their hard work and commitment. Football is a sport like no other. I love the game and I love the lessons that my 16 year old learns about leading himself and about being part of a team of people, committed to a common goal. #NotreDameHighSchool #WorldClass #Leadership #YYC #RealLifeLearning

We often beat ourselves up for the things we don't do well and forget to remind ourselves about the things that make us great. EVERYONE has gifts and talents! What are yours??

"You can never make the same mistake twice because the second time you make it, it's not a mistake, it's a choice."

People won't respect you because you say they should. Your title means nothing without a committed group of followers who are inspired by your leadership. #LeadershipIsNotAtitle

As much as I can appreciate good marketing that drives sales, I fundamentally take issue with the "enjoy now, pay later" concept for retail purchases. Treat your finances like a fitness competition - in order to be truly successful, doing the hard work up front is what ultimately will give you the best result.

The discussion around whether setting New Year's resolutions is effective seems to be happening more this year than ever. I think that focusing on goals at ANY time of the year is a good thing. You should set goals for yourself whenever you feel motivated to do so. If the New Year happens to be that time, good on you! A big part of the issue is, people set big goals that they genuinely want to achieve but fail to break that big goal down into smaller, measurable, more easi...ly achievable goals, noting the CLEAR BEHAVIOURS necessary for achieving those goals. Being able to measure your progress along the way is key. It's the daily, weekly and monthly inspection process that lets you know that you are either on or off track. "Your focus should be on your system, not your goals. Your system is the thing you do every day to achieve your long-term vision. If you want to write a novel, you need to set small word-count goals to achieve that. If you want to run a marathon, you need to put in the miles every week. Action, not planning, is the true key to success."

Another impactful documentary on women in media and in leadership. It can't be denied and this documentary very succinctly displays the mis and under representation of women. Watch it with an open mind, keeping in mind what you want for yourself, your sons and daughters or other women in your life. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W2UZZV3xU6Q

See you later to physically scanning documents. Take a picture with your smartphone and the App Camscanner (or the Scanner Pro App) converts it to a PDF.

** A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said, "I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one." The grandson asked him, "Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?" The grandfather answered: "The one I feed." ** Be conscious of the thoughts you have and the decisions you make. The will form the way that you act and behave.

I'm trying really hard to channel my disappointment about how some people are reacting to the devastation in Fort McMurray. I've read so many negative tweets/posts/articles as of late and (over the past two years), about the Oil & Gas industry. I'd like to encourage those who are less than compassionate to understand how your comments might come across as not only hurtful but self-righteous and hypocritical as well. You cannot have access to the many things that you use and ...consume in your life without this industry. Hundreds of thousands of people have worked hard to try to provide a life for their family in this province. Over the past two years that has become a huge struggle not only for those that work in the Oil and Gas industry but for everyone that lives and works in this amazing province. The worry and stress that some people are facing every day is nothing short of heart breaking. And now the northern city of Fort MacMurray (and surrounding area) continues to be devastated by a raging fire, consuming their homes. When you point the finger and place blame on the people who have worked so hard up in Fort McMurray, you not only lack compassion, you lack basic human kindness. Their world is falling apart around them and making insensitive comments about "karma" blaming them for these fires, reflect on your role in the problem as well then. Read over the list below (which is only 144 of 6000+ products), and let me know if you can honestly say that you are not a supporter of this industry that you condemn so heartlessly. See more

Business is like a Rubik's cube. You can peel the stickers off and make it look like you did it right, or you can work through the steps, learn the process, and solve it again and again!

This is a great, very simplified article about how communication breakdowns happen between people. Just because you perceive something one way doesn't make it true! Be mindful of how much of your own "story" you project on to others. https://hbr.org//a-mental-trick-to-help-with-challenging-c

A great graphic to help businesses manage through change. https://www.thehrlandscape.com.au//Approaches-to-managing-