In the dim days of winter 2022, TEC Canada had the courage to be one of the first organizations to host a post-Covid conference for their Chairs from across Canada. Before their closing gathering, I was honoured to be inducted as a Chair Emeritus.

TEC Canada Chairs minister to over 1,000 business leaders in cells – groups of 10 to 18 CEOs of mid-market companies. Through this central agency, and other peer advisory or learning communities that reach deep into member organizations, TEC Chairs have a profound impact.

I’ve been one. For 32 years, chairing a TEC group was the centre of my professional work. I’d been intimately engaged with my members over the many ups and downs of business life. This event was the culminating marker of that involvement.

It’s a calling.

What do we do as Chairs? Push planning, urge confrontation with reality, encourage learning about trends and factors that have outsize influence on the fate of companies… this is our work. We are in close contact with our group members; this is not a casual or social involvement. The purpose is clear: “to improve the effectiveness and enhance the lives of members.”

Members are better for it.

At the banquet, I had the opportunity to speak for a few minutes. I summed up a complex career with an organization that is a curious blend of altruism for profit.

My new book, Fixing Fractures; Restoring Shattered Relationships in Business and Life was in the Chairs’ conference welcome package. So in this opportunity, I also took time to introduce them to this resource that I hope will be a core “go to” item for them…relied on whenever a thorny and difficult situation needs to be met head-on by their members.

On the selection, Todd Millar, CEO said:

“After reading it, I felt this book should be shared. It will be in the welcome package for all 100 of our national Chairs as a necessary resource for the betterment of them and their groups. Chairs see so much of the cost of disconnection in over 1,000 member businesses. This will be an indispensable guide for relationship rehab.”

The reaction is most gratifying. Several Chairs stopped by to say they needed the approach now, and were going to implement it with their son, or partner, or….

That assures me that Fixing Fractures meets a need; make a difference.

“Improving the effectiveness and enhancing the lives…” Can there be a better call to action?

TEC Chair Emeritus Awards