Estimated Time To Read This: 1 – 2 minutes       Each Christmas season I love the effort we splurge on to connect with friends and family. These are people we talk to on the phone, text, watch on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter – we know more about their whereabouts and life than we did 20 years ago when we saw them regularly: so why do we go through all the effort of planning events just so we can ‘connect’ when we really have never stopped connecting. The reality is there is no substitute for seeing the ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       I recently had the pleasure to attend the annual ATLE (Alberta Technology Leaders in Education) Conference in Red Deer, Alberta.  I go to many educational conferences and always come away with the impression that the people who attend these events are dedicated, committed and most importantly they care.  They really believe in what they are doing and are always looking for ways to improve and benefit their staff and the children whose education they are ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 3 – 4 minutes       In the modern business environment we know that relationships are everything. Honesty is a crucial component for any relationship. As the selling marketplace changes to a more online environment, trust becomes more challenging. This is why businesses need to be honest all the time. Word of mouth travels fast and to build long term success we have to make sure that every customer is satisfied, which starts with honesty and trust. Being honest has other benefits ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 1 – 2 minutes       There are times when things look like they are in chaos, the details become so overwhelming that the larger picture gets lost – and so does the project. It is common for people to go in to a project with amazing visions in their heads, and all the great things their new silver bullet will do to fix their business – and then reality sets in when their team just can’t put their vision in to action. This is not a failure of the vision, but the method through ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       Hello, I’m Richard and I’ve recently joined the CoreSolutions Software team as a Quality Assurance Analyst.  While the word Quality is often used in marketing campaigns throughout the business world, it’s far more than just lip service here at CoreSolutions.  In this role, working closely with our project manager and developers, it is our top priority to ensure our software systems are of the highest quality to ensure customer satisfaction. Whether ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 minutes       2011 CoreSolutions Food Drive We would like to give a HUGE Thanks to all the individuals and companies that donated to the Ailsa Craig and area food bank. They were in desperate need of help as their shelves were bare and you answered the call. The amount of food donated will greatly help the food bank service their 30-40KM radius! At CoreSolutions, community involvement has always been a priority. We stay connected with local organizations and the community in which we do ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       Yesterday Steve Jobs passed away and left a void in this world. He was a true visionary who had an uncanny ability to see into the future and create products that everyone else copied. In his address to Stanford University in 2005 Steve Jobs talked about his love of calligraphy and typography. He found it fascinating but at the time he did not know of any practical application for what he learned however when he was designing the Macintosh computer 10 years later ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: < 1 minute       Well, fall is officially here, and we managed to get our annual company barbecue in just under the wire.    The sun was shining, and the temperature was warm…. 25 staff and family members came out to enjoy a fun afternoon of games, great food and lots of laughs.   From Musical chairs to name that tune, we saw some competitive sides of employees and even their spouses!!!   Lots of great desserts from brownies & Scor Bars to healthy fruit.  Weigh in  for the ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       The leaves are falling One by one Summer’s over And school’s begun It was just about this time last year that I wrote a blog  on “Back to school once again”.   And here we are a year later.  How time flies!!!!!   Once again, I had my two kids (well teenagers) stand on the front step for pictures on the first day of school.   As in past years they did so to please me (albeit reluctantly).   It was a sad moment for me, as this will be the last ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 minutes       I make lists. I like lists. They keep me organized and help me prioritize my work. They also help me track where my time is going. Recently I have found myself focusing a great deal on my lists. Crossing things off my list has become a large priority. Just yesterday I crossed 6 things off my to do list while at work. I really like the sense of accomplishment that comes from taking my highlighter and marking a list item. Yesterday I noticed that as I was working ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       We recently attended the Desire2Learn Fusion 2011 conference in the ‘Mile High City” of Denver, Colorado. D2L are a very successful company that delivers eLearning solutions to academic and other leading organizations worldwide. Fusion is the D2L Users’ Conference which is held every July. This year D2L had a record attendance with over 850 attendees representing 212 institutions, 8 countries, 30 states and 8 provinces. I’d say that’s quite ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       Every time I attend a conference or trade show I always learn something new. In most cases people will come away with lots of ideas and useful information that will help them improve themselves both professionally and as an individual. Sometimes what you see and hear at a conference reaffirms what you are currently doing or gives you that extra push to implement something new. At a recent education conference, the presenter was showing a new system that his IT ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 4 minutes       I realize this post is a bit late (sorry Mr. Marketing Coordinator Kyle!) but I wanted to take a few moments and let you know about our recent visit to the ECNO conference at the end of May. Our CEO Barney Lawn and I attended and I think he won’t mind me saying that it was very worthwhile. ECNO is the Educational Computing Network of Ontario and they are a fine group of people – even if I do say so myself.  A non-profit co-operative that can boast 66 ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 3 – 5 minutes       The benefits of business blogs are numerous. They are a great tool for communicating with customers and for employees to share their expertise on a subject. They work well to build additional web traffic with little direct costs associated. They create a community and grab attention. For these reasons it is no wonder that business blogs are sweeping across the internet. My topic today is a little bit of an aside for myself – as well as offering some (hopefully) ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       Situations can arise where you need to have a “tough conversation”. It’s a conversation you don’t want to have but may be necessary.  It could be in your personal or work life, but one thing is certain, it’s not an easy task.  Weather you need to tell that client their project won’t be finished on time or you need to tell your roommate you accidentally dropped that special vase her grandma gave her while dusting, it’s difficult to bring yourself ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 4 minutes       I sit in an area of the office that does not get much natural light. There are no windows and not a lot of traffic comes by my desk. Because of this, I sometimes find it a real challenge to get past the dreaded 3 PM energy crash. Often, I am tired and hungry and find it challenging to really focus around this time of day. I am confident that many people have been in this similar situation so I would like to present you some of the ways I help combat the ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 minutes       Ahhh Spring! That lovely time of year where “rejuvenation and “fresh” are the themes of the season.  It also marks time for some “Spring Cleaning” for many of us. It’s time to clean out that closet, wash those windows and get the patio furniture out of storage.  Why not extend that to the workplace?  Here are some ways you can do just that: Clean up your workspace. De-clutter your desk and re-organize your filing system.  Your co-workers will thank you for ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 minutes       Do you find that as the weather continues to get warmer, your motivation switches from finishing that project on time to dreaming about warm sunny days at the cottage and backyard BBQs?  I do! It’s no secret. We all have an internal countdown throughout winter to the first nice days of Spring weather … unless you are a ski bum.  We are cooped up inside all winter and we can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the nice weather again! I also find that I might not be as ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 4 – 6 minutes       In my short time with the CoreSolutions team I have been astounded with the employees here and their commitment to providing customer’s relationships that deliver unique value. Everyone seems to be focused on delivering value beyond the intrinsic value of an initial purchase. They seem to really value relationships that go farther and deeper then what clients have paid for. We are committed to making sure that every interaction is a high value for our ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 3 – 4 minutes       Hi I’m Kyle and I’m new. The prospect of starting a new job is always very intimidating; no matter how qualified you are for the position. Questions arise like with whom can I align myself, who will help me get to where I want to be and who may inhibit my climb up the corporate ladder? It is very easy to get lost in the shuffle, especially when you come from a different industry. Learning new products and processes while dealing with the aforementioned ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes       Last month I read a great blog post about “Positivity in your Workspace” that you can read here.  It got me thinking about my own workspace and how I can create a “positive” atmosphere.  The blog suggests having pictures or reminders up about your “whys”.  Your “whys” are things that are most important in your life and the goals you want to achieve.  Also, you should have inspirational quotes and iPod playlists that are sure to get you pumped ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 3 minutes        I must admit February is my least favourite month.  The shortest in actual days, but it seems the longest in actual time….By now we are pretty much sick of Winter.  But the end seems so far away.   We long for Spring Flowers, Warm Temperatures, Sunshine….We just want to put those boots away and hang up that winter coat.  I searched out some tips on how to help you get through the month: Mood Food….We tend to load up on Carbs…Maybe even polishing ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 1 – 2 minutes       Criticism. We’ve all faced it in one way or another. But what happens when social media is involved? With the recent logos unveiled by Gap (and we saw how well that went) and Starbucks, it’s been interesting to see how companies are managing the firestorms brought on by Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more. While fake Twitter accounts have popped up to add some levity to the discourse, it seems companies are starting to understand that communication is a ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 2 minutes       I’ve had a Twitter account (@barney_lawn) for some time now but in all honestly I’ve hardly used it. I guess I’ve been one of those people sitting on the fence wondering what I’m going to say, why would people want to listen to me, and more importantly, what the value is in participating in this form of social media. It wasn’t until I attended a couple of conferences recently that the answers became very clear and I finally realized how valuable a tool ... Read More

Estimated Time To Read This: 1 – 2 minutes       With the holidays upon us, and likely a white Christmas due to London’s recent “snowmageddon,” it’s the time of year when many people give thanks. And companies too! Recently, local law firm Harrison Pensa released their 2010 holiday video. It’s a treat and definitely worth the watch, especially to hear Claude Pensa sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” HP’s video got me thinking about how we give thanks here at ... Read More