Leadership development starts with YOU

The view from here

By Peter Jeewan, CA, President & CEO

At what point in your life or career do you decide that you have the capacity to show others the way—to be at once a guide and mentor? In other words, to be a leader. And why does the concept of leadership matter so much when it comes to personal, professional and organizational success?

In this issue of Market Update, we explore the notion of individual and organizational leadership...

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Are you ready to be a leader? 6 key steps to leadership development

Some say leaders are born, not made, while others argue the opposite. What most people are likely to agree with, however, is that effective leaders are critical to the success of business organizations.

A study of 143 multinational companies, completed last year by Kenexa Research Institute in Wayne, Pennsylvania, found that...

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Demystifying inspirational leadership

By Sarosh Contractor, Manager, Professional Services, CGA Ontario

In a U.K. survey of more than 1,500 managers, participants were asked what they most desired in their leaders. ‘Inspiration’ was the most popular answer, but when asked if they would describe their leader as inspirational, merely 11% said yes. When asked how they would describe them, the two words most used were ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘ambitious’.

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Featured Candidate

Name: Dwayne Walker
Position: Vice President - Finance
Company: I Love Rewards Inc.
Recruitment Company: Lannick Recruitment, Toronto
Recruiter: Jill Gibson, Senior Associate, Recruitment, Finance & Accounting

“Meet ‘n’ greets” are a big part of Recruiter Jill Gibson’s job. She has interviewed hundreds of people. Every so often, she’ll come across a standout candidate, or in the case of Dwayne, what she calls “a shiny penny.” In June 2010, she met Walker, who was looking for his next role...

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Social networks: A job hunter's best tool

Jeffrey Chan doesn’t know it, but a complete stranger named Amos Cumberbatch helped him get a job. In the spring of 2010, Cumberbatch was at a private barbecue, where he met Ramona Pinto, a Senior Associate Recruiter at Lannick Recruitment. In short order, Pinto introduced Cumberbatch to Recruiters Serena Kudchadkar, Brian Shin and Shannon Mandla at Pro Count Staffing, who found him a position with a large real estate company...

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How to spot a potential leader

By Vic Downing, President, Global Advantage Inc.

Personality tests and assessment centers don’t hold a candle to your own two eyes when it comes to spotting someone in your organization who will succeed in a leadership role. The reason is simple: leader is as leader does. The person who can perform well in a leadership position someday is the person who is leading today… even though he or she is not in a leadership role today. Read the five tests of leadership potential...

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4 Leadership Development Blind-Spots and How Performance Management Can Help

By Jilaine Parkes, President and CEO, Sprigg Software Inc.

Whether leaders manage people or process, lead a vision or execute a strategy, they need some fundamental skills in order to succeed... However, despite the hundreds of leadership models and gurus in the marketplace, many organizations and individuals continue to have blind-spots when it comes to effective leadership...

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Aligning leaders to strategy

By Doug Brooks, FCGA, CEO, CGA Ontario

If there is one thing known for sure, it is that the world is changing faster than ever before. For any organization, the external environment is filled with fierce competitive threats, regulatory changes, technology advancements, and increasing stakeholder demands.

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Latest release from the Labour Force Survey as of July 8, 2011.

Employment rose for the third consecutive month, up 28,000 in June. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.4% as the number of people participating in the labour market increased. Over the past 12 months, employment has grown by 238,000 (+1.4%).

For more details including student summer employment see Labour Force Survey found on Statistics Canada website.

Uniting the Canadian Accounting Profession

To position the Canadian accounting profession on the strongest possible course for the future, we are exploring the merits and feasibility of uniting Canada's CA and CMA professional accounting organizations together nationally and provincially using a single designation.

Visit the CPA Canada website to read more and to have your say in the forums.

Industry numbers

The employment market remained steady during the second quarter of 2011 with Lannick Recruitment placing contractors and permanent candidates in a wide range of accounting, finance and technology roles in the Greater Toronto and Ottawa Areas. We also placed a range of legal, government, HR and administrative professionals in the Nation's Capital.

The average rate of pay for finance and accounting contractors that we placed was $53 per hour in the GTA. Across all practice areas in our Ottawa office, the rate was $72 per hour for contract professionals (the higher rate in Ottawa reflects higher level positions). Our GTA Technology practice placed candidates at an average hourly rate of $40. 

Finance and accounting professionals placed in permanent roles had an average annual base salary of $100,000 in the GTA and $70,000 in Ottawa, while GTA technology professionals averaged $73,000.

Here we grow again

Our bench strength of talent continues to grow with the addition of: Kathy Kim, Senior Associate, Recruitment Services, Finance & Accounting and Taso Kremizis, Senior Associate, Client Services, Technology.

Specializing in mid to senior level roles, Lannick Recruitment is a member of the Lannick Group of Companies. Learn more about our team of Recruitment and Client Services Associates.

Industry Numbers

Pro Count Staffing placed non-managerial to managerial-level finance and accounting professionals in a broad range of roles and industries in the Greater Toronto Area. Average temporary professionals earned $21 per hour while permanent roles averaged $55,000 per annum.

Say hello

Pro Count Staffing’s team recently grew with the addition of Tim Cozier, Business Development Associate.

Specializing in junior to intermediate finance and accounting roles, Pro Count Staffing is a member of Lannick Group of Companies. Learn more about our team of Account Executives and Recruitment Associates.

The results are in!

CMA Creative Leadership Award is presented to a CMA who has demonstrated creative leadership to produce a significant results contributing to their company's success. This year's recipient is Matt Milovick, CMA, a VP of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Matt spearheaded the revitalization of Oshawa's core, through the development of UOIT's new location, creating a shift in Oshawa's economy from one rooted in manufacturing to a more diversified knowledge-based economy.

This year's Chartered Institute of Management Accountant's (CIMA) Mayor's Trophy, held on June 25, ended with Toronto Police winning the Cup and Metro News winning the CIMA Media Trophy. “We were delighted to see such a broad representation of Toronto’s public, private and media institutions coming together with CIMA in our annual community event,” says Amal Ratnayake, Chair of the Board of Directors of CIMA Canada. “With help from our sponsors and community partners, this event has helped CIMA give back to our community with a particular focus on youth. CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament and the Cricket Across the Pond scholarship program are direct results of the success we achieved through the Mayor’s Trophy.”

and Congrats to...

Lannick Group’s iPad 2 Contest was a great success with over 500 entries. Our lucky winner was Khalid Qureshi (to the right) of Zindagi Trust.

Another lucky winner was John Mackechuk of American Express who took home a $100 Future Shop Gift Card at CMA Ontario’s Strategic Management Accounting Conference in June.

Look for us next at

PDI`s Connections 2011 - Career & Networking Fairs, PDI is a division of CMA, on September 22 - Toronto, ON

CICA`s Financial Reporting and Accounting Conference on September 26 to 28 - Metro Toronto Convention Centre

CGA Annual Conference: Annual Conference & Admission Ceremony 2011 on November 10 to 12