Good morning, and a Happy Canada Day this week. A speaker I heard once said that if you were born in Canada, you had won the only lottery worth winning! I'd add, if you immigrated here, you've shared in the winnings! 

I attended my second retirement party late last week; a rite of passage for those of a certain age.  One speaker found a memo the retiree had sent in 1987 that had challenged and provoked him. The two had been working in a large newspaper, and the retiree had been concerned about the calibre of the stories written by the team of reporters. He argued that taking the time to think was what was missing. It struck me that part of leadership was the responsibility to think before acting.

The memo had related that when fire fighters arrived at a fire, with all of the speed required and the importance of a fast response, most of the personnel and equipment hung back, and the most senior fire fighter donned a mask and went around and even into the burning building to decide on the best tactics for the particular fire. The memo ended with the caution, if fire fighters can take the time to think before acting, especially when faced with crisis, so can we.

I hope this week finds you thinking in the face of crisis. Your people are depending on it.