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Angie McLeod

HIP Strategic Consulting

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Blowing away the winter blues | Get cozy & explore HIP’s top 5 blogs of 2018

Feb 21, 2019
2 min

Blowing away the winter blues | Get cozy & explore HIP’s top 5 blogs of 2018

If you are finding yourself cocooned in your house because of the winter wonderland that has descended upon us, now is a great time to explore some of our favourite blog posts from 2018. So cozy up with your tea, a blanket, and your computer and enjoy. Our Top 5 Blogs of 2018 are definitely worth a read, if you haven’t already, or a second look through if you have! #1) A leap of faith: from scarcity to abundance for non-profits What if we thought it terms of abundance … that

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How good is your conversational agility?

Oct 20, 2017
4 min

How good is your conversational agility?

The reality is that not all conversations go the way we want them to. Some plug along in neutral, wishy-washy by their very nature. Others we know going in are going to be tense, as the conversation topic is fraught with misunderstanding or the level of trust between participants is low. And still others take an unexpected turn and we lose control of where the conversation is going and the intent of connecting. This is real life. As individuals who are part of these conversat

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Transformational Conversations: Are you having them?

Oct 20, 2017
4 min

Transformational Conversations: Are you having them?

Judith E. Glaser, founder of the Creating WE Institute and author of Conversational Intelligence, notes that 9/10 conversations miss their mark. As someone who communicates for a living, this statistic is shocking. I’d like to think that my conversations are MUCH more effective and impactful than that. And yet, when I assess my conversations based on the three levels of conversation matrix (see image), I can see that I regularly have conversations in each of the zones – and a

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What’s in a Handshake? Creative Networking Ideas!

May 29, 2017
2 min

What’s in a Handshake? Creative Networking Ideas!

Researchers believe that handshakes started as early as the second century B.C. to prove your peaceful intent—since you weren’t holding weapons.[1] Nowadays, we don’t use handshakes in quite the same way, but they’re still extremely important in our society. Often, they’re used in a business context, so we’re using National Handshake Day on June 29 as an excuse to celebrate the value of networking! Experts agree[2] that networking can lead to more professional opportunities

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Out of bed and off the couch!

May 29, 2017
2 min

Out of bed and off the couch!

I love people—and I love meeting new people—but I am really an introvert at heart. I recharge by being at home, curling up with a good book and cuddling with my coffee. However, I know that in order to grow my business, I must get out and connect with other entrepreneurs. So on mornings like this morning, I drag myself out of bed, make myself look respectable, and head off to a networking meeting. Sometimes it’s a brunch or lunch meeting, other times an evening soiree. Someti

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The view from here

Apr 13, 2017
2 min

The view from here

As I write this I am sitting in White Rock on a nice spring day (considering the weather we’ve had) enjoying some fresh air. It’s been a long winter of rain, snow, and being cooped up in my basement office. It’s nice to get some new scenery … to change the view that I gaze at as I work at my computer. From here, I glance at the boardwalk and the seaside walk. The song “Jump” by Van Halen is blasting from a nearby restaurant. Couples and groups are walking by talking and giggl

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30%: The difference between setting goals and being truly accountable

Apr 4, 2017
2 min

30%: The difference between setting goals and being truly accountable

I found some statistics online about the success rate of goal setting and accountability systems from the Association of Training and Development (now the Association for Talent Development). These statistics struck a chord within me in relation to the accountability work I do with others. “The probability of completing a goal if: You have an idea or a goal: 10% You consciously decide you will do it: 25% You decide when you will do it: 40% You plan how you will do it: 50% Yo

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Personal Reflection: Get out and Play!

Apr 4, 2017
2 min

Personal Reflection: Get out and Play!

I love that the sun is out and that the trees are showing the first buds of spring. It is energizing. April is also the month that I begin to live at the ball field on the evenings and weekends.Both of my girls play ball and they love it. Seeing them so excited about doing something they love reminds me that I need to integrate more fun into my everyday life. To get out and play…. I’m often so caught up in getting things crossed off my to-do list, that I forget to take a brea

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6 surprising ways in which a Mastermind will help you

Mar 2, 2017
3 min

6 surprising ways in which a Mastermind will help you

Ongoing mastermind groups are an investment in business growth. However, many entrepreneurs hesitate to make this investment. Why? Some think of the process as something that they can do on their own with a friend or two. As someone who is part of, and who facilitates, ongoing mastermind groups, I can assure you that a mastermind is so much more than a simple conversation or an accountability group—although those are parts of it. Here are 6 surprising outcomes from being invo

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The tug-of-war between the heart and the mind

Feb 17, 2017
2 min

The tug-of-war between the heart and the mind

February has been all about leading with love: Family Day, Valentines Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day. But it isn’t all about hearts, love, and kindness… with February 22nd being World Thinking Day, it’s also about using our minds to get things done. As a woman, I carefully balance the many roles that I play: mother, wife, friend, daughter, business owner, volunteer, etc. I get tugged this way, and that way – often with in the space of 10 minutes. I am constantly strivin

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Small Business. Big Impact.

Oct 12, 2016
2 min

Small Business. Big Impact.

Did you know that October is small business month? It’s time to celebrate our choices and how our combined efforts impact our local economy. Keep up the great work! The Profile of Small Business 2015 shows that there are over 382,000 small businesses in BC with under 50 employees. The impact of these small businesses is BIG in BC with 33% of our gross domestic product (GDP) being generated by small businesses in 2014. Small business is an important component of job creat

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Honest conversation and belly laughter: a Collective Wisdom Evening Retreat specialty

Oct 5, 2016
2 min

Honest conversation and belly laughter: a Collective Wisdom Evening Retreat specialty

I don’t love networking. I know that those of you who know me are likely saying ‘yeah, right Angie!?!” And I get that as most people see me as outgoing and extroverted. However, I find networking in its’ traditional sense to be incongruent and uncomfortable. Too often I find myself in a networking situation where I’m chatting with someone, wanting to learn more about them and the conversation ends invariably ends up being a “sales” pitch from one or the other of us. And th

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Is opting out ever the answer?

Aug 9, 2016
2 min

Is opting out ever the answer?

I recently made a promise to myself … I promised not to “opt out” and take the easy road when it came to developing my business and moving ahead towards my personal and professional goals. I promised not to “opt out” just because I was faced with having to stretch my comfort zone to move up to the next level; and, because my actions are not bringing results to me as quickly as I’d like (even though my progress is aligned with my five year plan!). Let me explain what I mean by

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Simplify: habits and follow-through.

Aug 6, 2016
3 min

Simplify: habits and follow-through.

When I started writing this article it was going to be about simplifying our work processes so that we could streamline our day to day work. I was going to give you a list of 10 tips and techniques to help you streamline your processes. BOOOORING and DONE! As I sat here looking at my desk pondering what to write, I realized that controlling my clutter on my desk was probably the best way to simplify my workload. I try hard not to collect paper. Really I do, but I’m like a

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Route finding in business: redefine your path and get to your goal.

Jul 6, 2016
3 min

Route finding in business: redefine your path and get to your goal.

In my mid- to late- twenties, I was part of a volunteer search and rescue ground crew on Vancouver Island. As someone who loved being outdoors and who wanted to learn new skills – and connect with others who shared my love of being outside – it was a perfect blend of volunteering and expanding on my knowledge base. A core element of any ground search and rescue training program in BC is learning how to read and use topographical maps to chart your path from point A to point

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What is your idea:results ratio? How conversation and accountability improve results.

Jun 20, 2016
2 min

What is your idea:results ratio? How conversation and accountability improve results.

How many times have you set a goal and not achieved it? I know I have – many times. And yet, I consider myself to be a strategic thinker, someone who does push my business forward and who is constantly challenging herself to try new things and expand my horizons. Napoleon Hill clearly identified in his book “Think and Grow Rich” that successful entrepreneurs surround themselves with business owners who help them explore their ideas AND who hold them accountable to making th

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An intention poster: a colourful reminder

Jun 14, 2016
2 min

An intention poster: a colourful reminder

An Intention Poster: a colourful representation of what you are going to achieve I am always looking for simple tools and techniques that will help me manage my business more effectively and efficiently. After all there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. And there is always SO MUCH to do. We’ve all learned about prioritization, to-do lists, goal setting, and action planning … and my reality is that I use all of these systems to outline what I need to get done.

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Maintaining an opportunity mindset

Jun 13, 2016
2 min

Maintaining an opportunity mindset

Part 2 of 2 Following up on some seeds planted in the last blog post, I want to continue to explore the idea of requirement versus opportunity mindset that Scott Geller proposed in his TED Talk “The psychology of self-motivation.” The question that I want to reflect on is what strategies and habits can I put in place to keep myself in an opportunity mindset? After all, I now know that I am more energized and more driven when that is how I look at the work I do. So knowing th

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What's your mindset?

Jun 10, 2016
2 min

What's your mindset?

Life is busy. Business is demanding. Rarely do I have make the time to pause and reflect; to watch or listen to something that might inspire me; to slow down enough to actually learn something new and challenge my perspective. Today though, I took an hour and listened to some popular TED Talks that skirted around the theme “energy.” Where you get it? How do you maintain it? What keeps one motivated? How do we maintain high levels of productivity when things are crazy busy?

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Harness the power of many minds. Peer Power Think Tank

Jun 6, 2016
2 min

Harness the power of many minds. Peer Power Think Tank

My father who grew up listening to my ongoing chatter, is absolutely floored that I've found a way to make my living by hosting and facilitating conversations! He comes from a blue collar world where the results of the work he does are very tangible: there is a hole for a house foundation where there was previously simply a grass field (BTW - he's a retired self-employed excavator operator). The work that I do hosting conversation is exactly the opposite, there are no tangibl

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