BES Insights

Professional Development

Explore practical insights and leadership perspectives from BES on talent strategy, organizational performance, and future-ready teams.

Professional Development

  • Professional Development/Helen Mekonen

    Let’s Go to Lunch! One of the Many Ways to Integrate Culture into Strategy

    In this article, Helen Mekonen explores how culture in today’s workplace is shaped not only by where we work but by how we come together. She argues that while digital platforms remain useful, the true power of connection is revealed when people share space: in a meeting room, at a conference, or over lunch. These face-to-face moments build trust, sharpen cultural fluency, and foster collaboration in ways digital exchanges alone cannot. By intentionally making room for in-person interaction, leaders can design strategies that are not only human-centred but also resilient and performance-driven.

    Read Let’s Go to Lunch! One of the Many Ways to Integrate Culture into Strategy
  • Professional Development/Urmilla Mahabirsingh

    Elevating Talent Management and Recruitment with Yoga: Cultivating Mindfulness and Wellness

    In the demanding world of talent acquisition and management, professionals often face high stress and complex challenges. Yoga offers a powerful tool to cultivate balance, resilience, and mindfulness, enhancing both personal well-being and professional effectiveness. By integrating practices like deep breathing, meditation, and targeted poses such as Mountain Pose or Warrior Pose, professionals can reduce stress, boost creativity, and improve communication. This article explores how yoga can empower talent managers to navigate their roles with composure and innovation, fostering a healthier work-life balance and driving organizational success.

    Read Elevating Talent Management and Recruitment with Yoga: Cultivating Mindfulness and Wellness
  • Professional Development/Jason Murray

    From Competent to Compelling: Six Tips for Elevating Your Leadership

    In this article, Jason Murray offers six practical and personal strategies for individuals who want to deepen their impact as a leader and grow in their leadership abilities with intention. Rather than focusing on titles or external validation, he emphasizes the importance of building confidence through experience, developing a clearly articulated leadership identity, and cultivating the emotional intelligence required to lead others well. He reminds readers that leadership is not about having all the answers but about staying flexible, curious, and anchored in service.

    Read From Competent to Compelling: Six Tips for Elevating Your Leadership
  • Professional Development/Melissa Sumnauth

    The Hidden Conditions Leaders Overlook: Unlocking Creativity

    In this article, Melissa Sumnauth invites us to rethink how workplaces approach growth and learning, challenging the contradiction between a desire for innovation and cultures marked by stress, fear, or emotional rigidity. With over a decade of leadership development experience, and certifications in Adult Learning & Development and Transformative Mediation, Melissa merges her professional expertise with her lived experience as an Indo-Guyanese-Canadian settler woman to offer an intersectional perspective on what it truly takes for people and organizations to thrive. She argues that learning and creativity cannot simply be demanded; they are cultivated through psychological safety, trust, and inclusive design that values every voice.

    Read The Hidden Conditions Leaders Overlook: Unlocking Creativity

Thought Leadership Videos

Watch recent thought leadership videos on inclusive leadership, workplace culture, and transformation.

Why Confidence Stops Working at Executive Level

Watch on YouTube

Why Confidence Stops Working at Executive Level

When interviewing for jobs at the executive level, confidence is expected—and so it’s no longer a differentiator. In this short, Jason Murray shares tips on what executive hiring committees are listening out for, which includes evidence of sound judgment and being able to navigate ambiguity.

Watch Why Confidence Stops Working at Executive Level
The Interview Mistake Strong Leaders Make

Watch on YouTube

The Interview Mistake Strong Leaders Make

When interviewing for executive roles, strong delivery is expected—so it’s no longer what sets you apart. In this short, Jason Murray shares a common mistake leaders make: answering like high performers instead of future peers.

Watch The Interview Mistake Strong Leaders Make
What Executive Presence Actually Is

Watch on YouTube

What Executive Presence Actually Is

In this short, Jason Murray breaks down why hiring committees look for calm, clarity, and restraint, and how presence often comes through in what you don’t say.

Watch What Executive Presence Actually Is

Sustainability/Stephanie La

Green AI: The Role of AI in Sustainability

Green AI emphasizes the importance of balancing innovation with environmental responsibility, addressing the significant environmental and ethical challenges posed by AI development, such as high carbon emissions, energy consumption, and data privacy concerns. While AI offers transformative benefits, including climate change prediction, pollution monitoring, and public health insights, its rapid advancement often prioritizes speed over sustainability. By adopting Green AI practices—such as energy-efficient algorithms, renewable energy sources, and sustainable development goals—organizations can reduce their environmental impact, align with sustainability objectives, and foster long-term growth while contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future.

Learn more
Learn more about Green AI: The Role of AI in Sustainability

Leadership/Melissa Sumnauth

The Importance of Pronouncing a Name: An Act of Inclusive Leadership

Names are not just labels; they are powerful reflections of identity, culture, and history. In this article, Melissa Sumnauth explores the significance of correct name pronunciation in leadership and organizational culture. Drawing on her experience in executive coaching, executive search, facilitation, and people & culture she illustrates how mispronunciation can function as a microaggression and a barrier to inclusion, while intentional effort to say names correctly fosters dignity, belonging, and trust. With practical tools and a call to action for leaders, this article reframes name pronunciation as a vital practice in advancing equity and respectful engagement.

Learn more
Learn more about The Importance of Pronouncing a Name: An Act of Inclusive Leadership