Dominique O'Rourke

12 Lessons from my MA Leadership

Sitting in the lecture hall the very first night of the residence week that kicked off my 20-month MA Leadership program at the University of Guelph, I thought: “What will this mean to me. Will I be delivering the intro next year? What will be the focus of my research?” Sitting in the convocation hallContinue reading “12 Lessons from my MA Leadership”

Food for Thought: Cupcakes Challenge Assumptions

Home baked or store bought: Is one more considerate than the other? That depends on your perspective and your assumptions. Since my Mom was a great homemaker and a superb baker I always thought that home-baking showed love and care whereas store bought screamed “shameful last minute”. But recently I’ve been challenging those assumptions. First, I don’tContinue reading “Food for Thought: Cupcakes Challenge Assumptions”

Bring the Love to Work – Today and Everyday

Love is not about chocolate, flowers and doilies. It’s about compassion, caring and validating others. So, don’t hesitate to bring love to work. In The Leadership Experience (2008, p.152-3) Richard Daft writes: “Leaders who lead with love have extraordinary influence because they meet five unspoken employee needs: Hear and understand me. Even if you disagreeContinue reading “Bring the Love to Work – Today and Everyday”

Benediction… share a “good word”

I’m not sure why after almost 40 years of churchgoing I had never thought about the word ‘benediction’. I’m the type of person who’s really into words, puns, double-entendres, last names that were originally medieval trades – that type of thing. So how is it I thought of benediction strictly as a special blessing at theContinue reading “Benediction… share a “good word””