Five Good Ideas on how to manage the modern workforce
We can all agree that the world has changed in the last few years – and so have workplaces. Today, managers are facing a workforce shaped by changing demographics, shifting expectations, and growing pressures outside the workplace.
In this Five Good Ideas session, Dave McKechnie, Toronto Office Managing Partner of McMillan LLP and an expert in all areas of employment and labour relations law, offers practical strategies for managers who want to lead effectively in this new environment.
Five Good Ideas
- Introspection. What are your strengths and blind spots as a manager? What are your strengths and blind spots as an organization?
- Intention. Be deliberate in setting not just your goals or an employee’s goals but the steps to get there.
- Improvise. Be flexible as not all your employees are coming with the same experiences.
- Include. Be hyper-conscious of your words, actions, and behaviours. Are there unconscious biases that you have that you need to address?
- Insulate. Control what you can control. You need to be conscious of the outside world, but you cannot control it.
Resources
- Suzanne Wertheim, The Inclusive Language Field Guide, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2023
- Simon Sinek, Start with Why, Penguin, 2009
- Season 1, Episode 9 (“3:00 PM”) of “The Pitt”
- Amy Poehler’s podcast, “The Good Hang”
- Second City & Comedy Bar Corporate Improv Training Sessions (or equivalent outside of Toronto)
The video, text, podcast, and transcript are provided for general information purposes only. They are neither intended as, nor should be considered, legal advice and readers, viewers, and listeners should not make any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, a qualified lawyer should be consulted. © McMillan LLP 2026.