Richard Martin

Richard Martin brings his military and business leadership experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunities, and minimize risks.

He is based in Montreal but works across North America with public and private sector clients, both for and non profit. Past and current clients include The Empire Life Insurance Company, RBC Asset Management, City of Kingston, Kingston Airport, Kingston Transit, Environment Canada, Department of National Defence, Mutuelle des municipalités du Québec, Corporation des services d'ambulance du Québec, Association des professionels en gestion philanthropique.

Specific areas of expertise include: leadership development, strategy formulation and implementation, strategic planning, organizational development, emergency management, conflict management, project management, military technology, facilitation, and coaching.

HCM would like to thank Mr. Martin for joining us and providing permission to place his articles on our web site.

Hasty Decisions and Unintended Consequences

by Richard Martin

Reposted with permission from: http://exploitingchange.blogspot.com/2009/09/hasty-decisions-and-unintended.html

I once worked for a Colonel in the military who taught me a thing or two about decision-making. One day, a colleague and I were briefing him on a topic that we felt required an immediate decision on his part. Once we had completed our presentation and given our recommendation, he simply looked at us, said "thanks," and set the file aside. We were a bit surprised about the turn of events, having expected a quick decision in the "military" style.

When we questioned him about this, the Colonel said that no decision was required at that particular time and that the situation could change, which would obviate the need for that particular decision. Alternatively, there might be a completely different need down the road.

It's About Relationships

It's About Relationships: by Richard Martin

It is the quality of our relationships that will carry us through the tough economic times we are in. Economists, politicians, journalists, all of these people talk about society, organizations, and businesses as if they were objects that exist independently of people. They aren't; they are merely abstractions in our collective mind. Only people are "real" and it is their relationships that create the impression that we are bathed in a world of organizations.

It is crucial that we understand the power of relationships: Who we choose (or don't choose) to live with; how we live with them; how we work with others; the relationships we have with clients and buyers for our products and services; or the people we serve in our capacity as members of public agencies and not-for-profit associations. All of these relationships can make our lives better, or they can make them worse.

The Productivity of Technology is in Jeopardy

Note: This article originally appeared on CIOUpdate.com February 12th, 2008. Republished with permission.
The Productivity of Technology is in Jeopardy
February 12, 2008: While IT has provided huge gains in productivity, it’s time to revisit the issue, writes CIOUpdate columnist Richard Martin of Alcera Consulting.
The human resources future looks bleak for the IT industry. Why? Because of a lack of skilled labor. That’s right. Companies and governments are coming to grips with the impact of the demographic shift on their ability to attract and retain technological talent.