Jun. 12, 2017 The Ladder: Grant Sparling: Today I found this article by Grant Sparling in the Globe and Mail:
Grant Sparling, 24, is general manager and vice-president of Cowbell Brewing Co., a privately owned destination brewery under construction in Blyth, Ont., about 200 km west of Toronto.
While attending Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, I was surrounded by remarkable breweries, some in very remote locations, and I became excited about the opportunity to help build our own brewery.
Our building is a 26,000-square-foot barn on 111 acres and features the brewery, restaurant, bar, retail store, indoor and outdoor events space and, in the future, a working farm.
Cowbell is a family business, privately owned and operated. Family is the centre of everything. Before my dad pitched the idea of a destination brewery, I had planned to join the U.S. Navy. Cowbell is obviously a very different kind of endeavour, but I love the team and the authentic culture we share.
Strong. Decisive. Fun. Learning from my dad, personally and professionally, is the greatest gift he can give me.
Strong. Decisive. Fun. Learning from my dad, personally and professionally, is the greatest gift he can give me.
I had two formative business experiences outside of the family business, which was Sparling’s Propane:
1) I owned and operated ThirstD, a drink-delivery service at Dartmouth College;
2) As CEO of Medicine for a Better Tomorrow, a pharmaceutical company that invented a non-invasive influenza vaccine – to date it has received patents in Japan and China.
1) I owned and operated ThirstD, a drink-delivery service at Dartmouth College;
2) As CEO of Medicine for a Better Tomorrow, a pharmaceutical company that invented a non-invasive influenza vaccine – to date it has received patents in Japan and China.
Perhaps the entrepreneurial spirit is genetic, because I come from a long line of serial entrepreneurs. Some families have a professional or political or military lineage, but my family consists almost exclusively of entrepreneurs.
When growing up, if I’d tell my parents I was nervous before a track meet or a speech or a science fair, my parents would say, “That means you care.”
And it is the same with Cowbell. I care deeply about my family, the business and the people who are enabling Cowbell to be successful. Sure, I admit that I do feel the burden of high expectations, but it is also exhilarating.
And it is the same with Cowbell. I care deeply about my family, the business and the people who are enabling Cowbell to be successful. Sure, I admit that I do feel the burden of high expectations, but it is also exhilarating.
No one has openly questioned my youth (but most people also think I am about 30). I’ve had the incredible opportunity to be involved in Cowbell – and every part of the business – from the outset.
This includes, writing the business case for Cowbell, attending brewing school in the United Kingdom., researching breweries and suppliers, testing beer, delivering beer, cleaning lines, working events, interviewing, designing the building and brewery and managing construction of the Cowbell building
This includes, writing the business case for Cowbell, attending brewing school in the United Kingdom., researching breweries and suppliers, testing beer, delivering beer, cleaning lines, working events, interviewing, designing the building and brewery and managing construction of the Cowbell building
Learn from those with more experience, ask questions, listen and don’t pretend to know everything.
Cowbell is an ambitious project, but there have been many times, even the past few days, when I walk around the building and quietly smile to myself.
We are blessed with a great team. We dream out loud, we plan, we get to work and we have fun. We believe in the opportunity for Cowbell to create a unique brewing and entertainment experience.
It will be North America’s first carbon-neutral brewery, thanks to design elements that will reduce our carbon emissions, as well as 12,000 trees that were planted on site almost seven years ago – this will contribute to our carbon offset.
The most challenging aspect of this project is also the most exciting: pioneering technology. Cowbell will be the first closed-loop brewery, that we are aware of, in the world. This means that all our brewing and process water is sourced from a well onsite, and all effluent (waste water) is treated and managed onsite.
[Why Blyth?] Blyth is home. There are multiple projects under way to build on Blyth’s culture destination history. Recently, the ribbon was cut on a $4.2-million renovation of Memorial Hall, home of the Blyth Festival. … The Guelph-to-Goderich trail runs through Blyth and this place is just Country Cool.
Everyone should be hometown proud. The only story that is unique to any of us is our own story – in this case, the Blyth Story and the colourful historical figures from the village. These people have been influential, successful or unique, and their stories seem to resonate.
Consumers are more knowledgeable now than ever. They are seeking new and interesting flavours, and memorable experiences – all made possible by using quality ingredients, made by people who care about the beer and the people who enjoy it.
As told to Tom Maloney.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/grant-sparling-we-dream-out-loud-we-plan-we-get-to-work-and-we-have-fun/article35264226/
Innovative work practices – such as team-based work, information sharing and learning, performance bonuses, and designing work to give workers more flexibility and autonomy in how to organize their time and do their work – also enable workers to contribute their skills and knowledge.
Dec. 26, 2017 "How to unlock the potential of Canada's work force": Today I found this article by Graham Lowe in the Globe and Mail:
Graham Lowe is a Kelowna, B.C.-based workplace consultant, author and speaker. His latest book, with Frank Graves, is Redesigning Work: A Blueprint for Canada's Future Well-being and Prosperity.
The latest census release suggests that Canada should have a big competitive advantage in today's information-driven global economy. That's because 54 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 25 and 64 have college or university qualifications, a sizable jump from 48 per cent in 2006 and the highest of any OECD country.
But do Canadians' investments in higher education pay off for themselves, for employers and for society? To answer this question, we must look beyond the census numbers to examine how well workers' knowledge and skills are utilized and developed in their jobs.
Canada's well-educated work force sets a high bar for employers' talent-management practices. Indeed, a pressing challenge for employers today is finding the best ways to translate human capital into productive potential in workplaces.
Research conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-ordination and Development (OECD) clearly shows that workers' productivity is directly related to their knowledge and skills. To unlock this potential, workers' jobs and workplaces must enable them to fully apply and further expand their capabilities.
This will require concerted effort by employers to close the gap between the capabilities workers possess and what they actually use on their jobs.
The OECD Skills Matter report documents widespread mismatches between workers' skills and their job requirements across 28 OECD countries, including Canada. Mismatches occur when either a worker's educational qualifications or skills are not required to perform their job.
According to the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills, about one in four Canadian workers reported being overqualified for their job and about one in 10 possessed higher levels of literacy than their job required.
Underutilized talent is associated with lower wages and reduced job satisfaction. It also means lost productivity and lower GDP growth. Over time, workers can lose capabilities they once possessed if they are not regularly used in their job.
Closing the capability gap will ensure skills do not atrophy, contribute to a more productive and satisfied work force, and potentially contribute to higher earnings.
New evidence of the capability gap is presented in a book I co-authored with Frank Graves of EKOS. Using EKOS Research Associates' national work force surveys, we conclude that employers' talent-management practices have not kept pace with rising educational levels.
Between half and three-quarters of the workers we surveyed in 2015 reported being "often" or "always" able to learn, fully contribute their knowledge and skills, and take initiative in their job.
So what needs to change? The OECD's Survey of Adult Skills confirms that being able to use co-operative skills, influence and task discretion, and information-processing skills all have a significant positive impact on wages.
Innovative work practices – such as team-based work, information sharing and learning, performance bonuses, and designing work to give workers more flexibility and autonomy in how to organize their time and do their work – also enable workers to contribute their skills and knowledge.
Yet, fewer than 30 per cent of Canadian workers are in these "high-performance" work environments.
In our book, we identify practical barriers as well as opportunities regarding the capability gap. On one hand, there is no real sense of urgency among Canadian workers about the need to improve innovation or productivity through job redesign.
Too few workers place high importance on job autonomy and decision-making – two key ingredients of a high-performance workplace.
Yet, on the other hand, many workers express a desire for greater job responsibility and feel most engaged in their work when it is challenging, interesting and varied.
Organizational psychologists have shown that straightforward job redesign, such as providing enhanced job control and feedback, lead to improvements in employee well-being and job performance.
As work organizations become more flexible and flatter, they will require continuous adjustments that depend on active input from front-line workers. That's the secret sauce of the much-lauded Toyota production system and its spinoff "lean" work processes in many industries.
Now that Canada's unemployment rate is below 6 per cent, we can expect competition for talent to grow even more intense.
One of the most effective ways for organizations to retain staff, increase engagement and achieve higher performance is to tap their existing talent pool more deeply.
Identifying and then taking steps to close the capability gap must be part of this renewed talent-management strategy.
Then, Canada will not only be the best-educated country, it also will be reaping the dividends of greater prosperity and quality of life.
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