Top 3 Benefits to Starting a Career Change Program Now
If this headline grabbed you, you likely already have a sense that it is time to see what else might be out there. Here are the top 3 benefits to exploring a new career now: 1. You may fall back in...
View ArticleChallenge Factory understands "Unretirement"
This past week, Sun Life released its 2015 Unretirement Index Report. The index is the result of an annual survey of Canadians, conducted in December, which identifies shifting trends, attitudes and...
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"No surprises" succession management
There are many lessons from my corporate career that influence how Challenge Factory operates. At the top of the list is one specific fundamental that large corporations treat as paramount: Be...
View ArticleWhat season describes your career? Are you stuck in an endless winter?
It's time for something new. You feel it. Your colleagues talk about it around the water cooler. Your friends post pictures and quotes about it on Facebook.We long to shake off winter, tired of the...
View Article5 tips to transition into a non-profit career
Here are 5 career tips that go beyond your usual 'do your homework' or 'use your network' kind of recommendation. These lessons draw heavily from the insight and wisdom our non-profit colleagues, like...
View ArticleMoving to Non-Profit? Don't be a Career Tourist.
Last week, the Globe & Mail ran a column from Marina Glogovac, CEO of CanadaHelps.org. She shared her experience of moving from an executive-level private sector career to be the CEO of a...
View ArticleSilence: Deadly or Golden?
Everyday at Challenge Factory, we talk with clients who are job seeking or launching businessesand are experiencing the mixed blessing of silence. For most, silence is interpretted as deadly. Career...
View ArticleTime to plant career seeds
Three times each year the career curious and talent trailblazers turn in droves to programs and resources that fuel career exploration. Three times when the question 'What's Next?' seems to get louder...
View ArticleThree MLB baseball related career change lessons
Last week in Major League Baseball, Gregor Blanco struck out at bat and ended up on third base. For those not familiar with the rules of baseball, typically three strikes are a bad thing. It is the end...
View ArticleYou may be saving enough and still not be ready for retirement
Recently, Malcolm Hamilton's C.D. Howe Institute paper, Do Canadians Save Too Little?, challenged the prevailing view that Canadians are not financially prepared for retirement. His Financial Post...
View ArticleOur Summer Challenge: Go Big!
This year, July and August in Toronto is a time of 'Going Big.' It's the time when the city will host the PanAm/Parapan Am Games. It is not your typical laze in the shade July and August. It's a great...
View ArticleLessons from the 2015 White House Conference on Aging
Adapted remarks from a teleconference on July 21, 2015 where Lisa Taylor shared with a Canadian audience perspectives from the July 13, 2015 White House Conference on Aging. I first met Nora Super, CEO...
View ArticleChallenge Factory team members win prestigious career development awards
Last week, Career Professionals of Canada announced their 2015 award recipients. These awards are peer adjudicated, requiring winners to be recognized by others in the field of career development. It...
View ArticleCanadian election ad draws attention to Broken Escalators
Over the past few weeks, the Federal Liberals have released a campaign ad that has their party leader, Justin Trudeau, on an escalator as he describes the difference between his party, the NDP party...
View ArticleChallenge Factory partner The MindSuite launching research project focused on...
Organizations large and small have devoted a lot of attention and resources to employee engagement, and for very good reasons. Organizations whose employees are engaged - go above and beyond - are...
View ArticlePrimed for Purpose?: A New Program for Professionals 50-plus
TORONTO,Sept. 24, 2015/CNW/ -Today, the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Challenge Factory open registration for a unique six-week course. Aimed at helping professionals 50-plus contribute to social...
View ArticleComing of age: How older employees are re-inventing themselves
Originally published at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/coming-of-age-how-older-employees-are-re-inventing-themselves/article26498818/ In the movie,The...
View ArticleWinners and Losers ? lessons from politics and baseball
It has been a week full of competition and contest. Canada went to the polls earlier this week and decisively chose change in who will govern the country. At the same time, the Blue Jays - Canada's...
View ArticleGlobe and Mail Explores the New Retirement Realities
This week, one of Canada's national newspapers is presenting a series called 'Boomer Shift' to explore all aspects of Canada's boomer population and how this cohort will affect Canada's economy over...
View ArticleLeaders Helping Leaders: Program for Corporate Execs and Veterans
Picture a room with twogroups of people: Executives considering retirement on one side. Veterans transitioning to civilian life on the other. The first group says: 'we have dedicated decades to our...
View ArticleOur Year in Review - and a Sneak Peek at 2016
At Challenge Factory, we are never satisfied with status quo. With 2015 not yet complete, we are already deep into planning and preparation for 2016. We thought we'd share what we've been up to and...
View ArticleResearch Projects - Study 2: Redirection: New Research on Career Shifts
If you are age 50 or over and seeking new employment (or have already found your new career), you may want to participate in important research about this topic in order to help others in similar...
View ArticleResearch Projects - Study 1: Experiences of Positive Growth and Energy at Work
Canadian workers aged 55 years and over, and in full-time, permanent employment are invited to participate in research on experiences of positive growth and energy at work. Why is this study being...
View ArticleFeatured Courses: 103 and 205
103 - Workforce Program ROI and Analytics Feb 22 and Feb 29, 2016 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM Downtown Toronto HR, Talent and Change leaders know new initiatives and programs are needed to better align talent...
View Article2016: Talent Revolutionaries take Center Stage
Three weeks into 2016 it is clear that this year will be marked by increased focus on our workforce. We hear it in Prime Minister Trudeau's remarks in Davos, Switzerland as he highlights the fourth...
View ArticleLive from #ENCORE2016 ? Canada shines on the global stage
Right now, more than 500 leaders in the longevity field have joined together in San Francisco for Encore.org's Encore 2016 Conference. This conference gathers leaders from academia, government,...
View ArticleThe Google Effect and Job Searching
We recently came across this article, How Has Google Affected The Way Students Learn?, that highlights the impact Google has had on students' abilities to explore, research and analyze complex...
View ArticleWall Street Journal Looks to Challenge Factory
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal asked Challenge Factory and a technology partner, Conenza, about the changing nature of corporate alumni networks. According to the article, companies with...
View ArticleChallenge Factory Round Up: The Encore Effect
In early February, Lisa attended the Encore.org conference held in San Francisco. The event brought together leaders from across the US and more than 12 other countries whose work focuses on the social...
View ArticleChallenge Factory Round Up: The Centre for Career Innovation
Over the last few months, many new initiatives, programs and courses have launched at Challenge Factory. We are now pleased to offer more than 12 new courses in our Centre for Career Innovation -...
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Perspectives on Ageism
Today's guest article was submitted by Stephanie Clark, a remarkable writer and four-time award-winner, who composes strategic job search portfolio documents - resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile...
View ArticleLet?s Tackle Ageism, Not Quibble About Age: OAS Eligibility to Move Back to...
In this week's budget, the Liberal Government will announce that they are returning the eligibility age for OAS back to 65. In recent years, the previous Conservative government had shifted the...
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Who Needs Retirement! Three Thoughts On An Engaged Life After Age 50
Today's guest article was submitted by Ian Munro, a leadership and vitality coach with a primary passion for working with senior professionals who wish to improve their connection to and vitality in...
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The Career Transitioning Journey - A Personal Account
Today's guest article was submitted by Kevin Waldbillig, a registered clinical therapist, educator and presenter who thrives in a training environment, and a Challenge Factory Alum. Kevin is able to...
View ArticleRe-Thinking Re-Employment
The economic realities of Alberta are challenging right now, to say the least. With the job market as moribund as it is right now, it is easy to wonder 'will I ever find work that I like?' or 'will I...
View ArticleReflections on Taking on an Internship
We asked summer marketing intern, Daniel Mester, to reflect on his experience as an intern. Internships are no longer a career strategy reserved for university students and recent graduates. The same...
View ArticleTrends and Statistics from the ?Challenge Factory Community?
Challenge Factory is a complex organization. We work inside of large organizations transforming and reinventing career path and talent management programs to better align with the realities of today's...
View ArticleWhy Your Next Career Move Depends on Understanding Pokémon GO
What do you know about Pokmon GO? Pokmon GO uses a staggering number of apps and data points that are already all available on our mobile devices to create an experience that blends real life with...
View ArticleDon't go back... Go forward
Everyone knows this is the week that everyone 'goes back.' In discussions with neighbours, in newspaper articles and in workplace conversations we talk about kids going back to school, about getting...
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Introducing Challenge Factory's first "Scientist in Residence"
It is uncommonfor a career and talent management company to have its own 'Scientist in Residence.' After all, what can science contribute into work focused on career paths, an ageing workforce,...
View ArticleToday's Truths and 3 Tools to Restore Optimism
Recently, I was with a group of powerful, successful women who were discussing, as you might expect, current global affairs, including Brexit and the US presidential election. Like so many discussions...
View ArticleQA on "Today's Truths and 3 Tools to Restore Optimism"
Following our last blog, 'Today's Truths and 3 Tools to Restore Optimism', we asked Dr. Nasreen Khatri to answer some questions that arose, and the following are her responses: CF: How does coverage of...
View Article10 Questions for 2017
We think the holidays are a natural time to reflect and askbig questions. Even before 2016 ends, we are already captured by what lies ahead. Here are 10 questions Challenge Factory will tackle in 2017:...
View ArticleWhat You Do Is Not Who You Are
When we meet people, the first piece of information we share is often tied to our career. 'Hi, I'm Lisa.' 'Nice to meet you, Lisa. What do you do?' This use of vocation to make sense of social order is...
View ArticleRetaining and Engaging Top Performers with Career Management
Originally published on Actionable Books website on January 30, 2017. It's 8:30 pm. There's a list of customers who need to be called back, the new product line is about to ship, and you need to decide...
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Your Next Steps: Bridging what was with what will be
Once a year, through most of Canada, there is a magical week. It is that moment when we realize we are almost finished with the winter thaw and there is evidence that a full and lasting spring is...
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Career Management: your secret weapon to be a winner in today's Talent...
How can small businesses benefit from career management tools? And what can large enterprises learn from small business owners? How can businesses of all sizes turn to career management to make sense...
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Lifelong Learning: The Art and Science of Career Reinvention ?Iteration?
We had a fantastic conversation at April's Coffee and Careers that was focused on Lifelong Learning.It's a conversation that fits in perfectly with the idea of 'Reinventing Yourself.' Lifelong learning...
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Planning for the Future of Work: Lessons from the Chronic to the Acute and...
Last March, my work was interrupted by a health issue. I often describe what happened to friends as a chronic underlying condition that had suddenly become acute. But that's not really true. I do have...
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2017: Year Round Up
What a year it has been! At the beginning of 2017, the Challenge Factory team set out to answer 10 ambitious questions. We decided that it would be a year when we would be curious about why myths...
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