April 7, 2008   

Have you heard the Caliber rumour?

A new era is beginning……and the story is now unfolding

As Caliber approaches its 10th anniversary this year, we celebrate 10 years of growth and success in the Vancouver and Toronto markets and appreciate the clients who have taken us around the globe in the delivery of our services and expertise to support their own growth and performance in business.

We have always known that the cornerstone for our success lies in our capacity to change, grow and develop expertise that meets our clients’ needs. Therefore, we continue to evolve and define ourselves to best leverage our strengths, expertise and to anticipate the changing needs of our clients. Based on our experiences with our clients, we are embarking on the next phase of our evolution with an exciting plan for the transition and expansion of the business over the next 6 months.

There are some exciting changes taking shape at Caliber. We are expanding our work in the areas of leadership and culture, introducing a new approach around corporate wellness, and also launching a new business with a unique offering for achieving entrepreneurial potential. More details on each of these areas as follows:

• Leading leaders through times of transition, organizational evolution and growth that include individual and group coaching, design and implementation of management systems and the facilitation of strategy development and execution.

Different from typical leadership development, this model recognizes that when leadership teams and practices in organizations are undeveloped or dysfunctional, the leaders need resources focused on leading them – directing, coaching, building skills, designing process, tools and facilitating the leadership teams through the normal stages of development – in order to make progress quickly, or to close significant gaps, or address leadership risks associated with the strategic plan.

• The identification of the desired drivers of organizational culture to support strategy execution, assessment of current cultural realities, and the measurement of the extent to which the organization’s talent and leadership systems are aligned in order to create tangible, practical actions for transitioning to or fostering the desired organizational culture.

Using Caliber’s integrated talent management model and our proprietary culture development tools, we have been leading clients to thoroughly understand the strategic implications of the current culture, define clearly how these behaviours or characteristics must evolve and the specific actions for getting there. Our approaches allow us to take what is often considered a difficult concept – culture – and make it strategically relevant in a way leaders can work with it.

• In addition to offering the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Emotional Quotient Inventory, we are excited to offer the Enneagram Personality Assessment for understanding and developing awareness of the self and its journey toward actualization. The Enneagram tradition defines personality as the lifetime accumulation of mental and emotional patterns that constitute the persona, the person an individual believes himself or herself to be and presents to the world. These patterns include, but are not limited to, habitual ways of thinking, believing, perceiving, and feeling.

Using the Enneagram allows us to meet the increasing need of organizational leaders for more authentic ways of engaging clients and employees. Leaders are also interested in developing a more humane and person-centered approach to the workplace so that they can attract and retain valuable employees and achieve peak productivity. This allows us to help organizational communities to maximize their productivity in the workplace, by learning how to manage themselves and different types of people. The Enneagram is uniquely capable of meeting both business and personal needs for awareness and development.

• Fostering a corporate culture of wellness that considers sustainability of the impact of business growth and change of people by taking the needs of leaders and employees into account. By identifying an individual's and teams' priority of needs through personality assessments, surveys, and group facilitation, we support the development of open and authentic dialogue so that basic fears that lead to cultural dysfunction and unwellness are removed. Through the practice of mindfulness, employees learn how to be present to what is going on in the moment, increasing their capacity for productivity, focused intention and stress management.

Caliber supports the health and wellness of the organization through ongoing, facilitated dialogue. The development of leaders' and employees’ emotional and social intelligence is made possible through a system of training/experiential sessions held on a regular basis to ensure continuity of behavioural change.

 

A new business is being launched by Heather Hilliard and Dr. Anne Dranitsaris. Heather and Anne were formerly partners in Sage Developmental Resources. Their new company is focused on individual, collective and organizational transformation, facilitating the capacity that is there for authentic growth for the actualization of human and organizational potential.  

 

Initially, the new company will work in partnership and parallel to Caliber. It will specialize in work with entrepreneurs, business owners and other leaders who want to approach the success of their business by understanding how their personality dynamics and leadership/relationship behaviours limit their ability to create their vision. It is a dynamic model of organizational and leadership maturation that includes exploring personal and team relationship systems, instinctual and self-preservation behaviours that impede growth, and organizational dynamics and dysfunctions. The new company will be offering workshops to introduce this exciting new approach later this spring. 

 

Watch for more to come on this leading model of development and leadership maturation including Dr. Dranitsaris’ book to be published later in 2008 / early 2009!

Caliber is a thriving business and we will continue to do exciting and impactful work in each of the core areas on which we have built our success. However, over time, some of our other practice areas that are not fully aligned will be phased out or offered through partner organizations. 

Our commitment, from the beginning of Sage Developmental Resources through the transition to Caliber, and now through our next evolution, is to help organizations and individuals to realize their potential.

We look forward to many, many more years of success within the Vancouver and Toronto markets as well as in all the other markets we work.

For more information contact:

Heather Hilliard (Principal) 604-980-9413 ext. 15, or

Liz Whalley (Business Manager) 604-980-9413 ext. 13

March 28 , 2007  

Caliber & BCBusiness Magazine Uncover the Best in BC.

Caliber Leadership Systems is excited to announce that we have been selected to partner with BCBusiness magazine to count down the Best Companies to Work for in BC.

We will be surveying employees throughout the province to find out which companies have the innovation, initiatives, and engagement levels to be among BC’s best. From large companies managing 1,000s to small companies of fewer than 100; this year even more companies are invited to participate and compete for a position on the Best Companies to Work for in BC list.

We’re excited to be working with BCBusiness to build and deliver a survey process that acknowledges the best companies in BC’s to work for. These companies are known to have a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining top talent. Do you have what it takes to be one of the best companies to work for in BC?

For more information about how your company can participate, email us at bestcompanies@caliberleadership.com. Watch for more information coming soon.

February 8 , 2007  

RISKY BUSINESS: Managing the risks associated with your talent

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007

While companies typically recognize and implement practices to address financial risk, IT risk, and other traditional "risk areas", they often fail to protect one critical aspect of the business – the people that deliver their results. Why is it that companies overlook the importance of proactively managing the risk associated with their talent? What talent risks exist in your organization? How do you create a plan to address your talent risk that works?

Heather Hilliard, principal of Caliber Leadership Systems, answers these questions as a guest speaker at the Vancouver Board of Trade Manager's Toolbox Series. See her on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 to find out what more you can do to manage your talent risk. For more information and to register, visit the Vancouver Board of Trade.

September 8 , 2006  

Caliber places 29th on list of BC’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies.

For the third consecutive year, Caliber Leadership Systems is proud to announce that we have earned a place on the Business in Vancouver 50 Fastest Growing Companies list (http://www.biv.com/). This year Caliber can be found at number 29 on the list.

Heather Hilliard, Principal of Caliber, recognizes our third straight appearance on the list as a significant accomplishment. “Through our growth we have been able to increase the expertise that our clients have access to and the depth and impact that our clients are looking for. In doing so, we have supported our clients with results that are meaningful to their businesses and they have helped us to reach this achievement.”

Caliber is an independently-owned organizational development firm located on the North Shore. Started in 1999, the company has evolved from SAGE Developmental Resources. For further information, contact Caliber at 604.980.9413.

June 5 , 2006  

Caliber is named to the 18th annual PROFIT 100 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies.

Ranking Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies by five-year revenue growth, the PROFIT 100 profiles the country’s most successful growth companies. Published in the June issue of PROFIT and online at www.profitguide.com, the PROFIT 100 is Canada’s largest annual celebration of entrepreneurial achievement.

“The PROFIT 100 are role models for anyone who wants to seize today’s best business opportunities”, says Ian Portsmouth, editor of PROFIT. “By differentiating their products and applying creative management thinking, Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies are outpacing the competition at home and abroad.”

Caliber analyzes organization systems and human dynamics to accurately define the performance elements needed to provide lasting results. Customized programs focus on three areas of specialization – performance and reward systems, leadership excellence, and talent strategies.

March 16 , 2006  



Building Business Results - 2006 BC HRMA Conference

Caliber Leadership Systems is proud to be a part of the 2006 BC HRMA conference – supporting you to Build Business Results in your organization. From planning on conference committees to presenting to conference audiences, Caliber is committed to the ongoing development of the HR community and the businesses you serve. At the 2006 conference, we will be offering 2 opportunities to access our expertise.

At Building a Culture of Performance: Lessons in Cultural Change, Heather Hilliard (Principal of Caliber) and Lissa-Maria Pietracupa (VP of People & Culture at Coast Hotels & Resorts) will provide participants with an eye opening look into the lessons learned when Coast Hotels made the conscious decision to distinguish itself through the development and implementation of a values-based culture of performance. Our participants will walk away with:

• Strategies to create and use senior management buy-in
• A detailed understanding of how values drive organizational leadership
• How to build a values-based leadership foundation
• How to successfully integrate business objectives and strategic plans with meaningful cultural change
• How to align and coordinate multiple cultural interventions simultaneously
• Tips to implement initiatives in multi-site and union / non-union environments.

You can also visit us at the showcase. Come by to speak with our lead consultants about what’s happening in your organization and check out Caliber’s new and exciting service offerings and our great giveaway gifts.

January 9, 2006  



How can your company ensure its success in the labour market of the future? Caliber's latest edition of Practical Insight provides valuable information on how to align your people practices to your strategy. To read more, click on the link below.

Practical Insight - January 2006, Issue 3

October 20, 2005   



Heather Claridge joins Caliber Leadership Systems

Caliber continues to grow and enhance their capability as they welcome Heather Claridge to the team. Heather brings more than 20 years of global HR experience, including senior management and executive level HR roles with Motorola, Pivotal Corporation and Blast Radius.

As a Lead Consultant, Heather shares with clients her strategic, systems view of what drives an organization’s performance. She has a strong track record in helping companies to successfully execute on their strategic plans by ensuring the right people capabilities are in place and taking an integrated approach to talent management.

“Heather is well known in the community for her strategic business orientation and her ability to create HR systems that result in increased organizational performance,” says Heather Hilliard, Principal of Caliber. “Deep expertise in transforming organizations to maximize bottom line impact of HR practices is what our clients are looking for.”

Heather Claridge’s experience includes creating scalable infrastructures to support and sustain growth, developing change management practices in support of an IPO process, integrating mergers and acquisitions, and implementing HR strategies that maximize the return on investment. She holds an MA in Organization Design and Effectiveness from Fielding University in Santa Barbara, CA and is CHRP certified. Her bio is available on Caliber’s website at: http://www.caliberleadership.com/contact.html#HClaridge.

Caliber is an independently-owned organizational development firm located in Vancouver. Started in 1999, the company has evolved from SAGE Developmental Resources. Caliber has been on BIV’s fastest 50 list for the last two years. For further information, contact Caliber at 604.980.9413.

October 5, 2005   



Caliber places 17th on list of BC’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies

For the second year in a row, Caliber Leadership Systems is on Business in Vancouver’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies list (http://www.biv.com/). Caliber moves from 42nd on the list in 2004 to 17th spot this year.

Heather Hilliard, Principal of Caliber attributes the improvement to a growing client base and a capable and focused team. “We have the privilege of working with many new and exciting clients. The need for our services is expanding. We attribute our success to our capacity to deliver results. Our team is known for supporting our clients and delivering real value.”

Caliber is an independently-owned organizational development firm located on the North Shore. Started in 1999, the company has evolved from SAGE Developmental Resources. For further information, contact Caliber at 604.980.9413.

June 6, 2005   



Talent Management Integration is a key challenge for many HR practitioners. Caliber's latest edition of Practical Insight provides valuable information and examples of how to tackle this complex area. To read more, click on the link below.

Practical Insight - June 2005, Issue 2



January 28th, 2005   



Caliber Leadership Systems Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of our online newsletter – Practical Insight. Our informative articles, case studies and quick tips will provide you and your organization with the unique insight necessary to build people and systems that bring results. To view our first issue, please click on the link below. Our newsletter will be released twice annually. Look for our next issue in June 2005.

Practical Insight – January 2005, Issue 1



December 20th, 2004   



Caliber Leadership Systems Inc. - an evolution of SAGE Developmental Resources Inc. - announces its new name and launches its new website. The change in name reflects the expanded service offering and impact of the organizational development and management consulting firm. Caliber retains the great service and commitment to excellence clients have come to expect through SAGE, as well as the team of experts that have contributed to its success.

As part of this launch, Caliber has announced they will be delivering a series of breakfast seminars during 2005 for Human Resource practitioners and Senior Executives. The first one, entitled 'The Cost of Blame' will take place in February.

In addition to the above, Caliber has also revealed plans to distribute a semi-annual newsletter which will outline tips to make organizations more effective, leading research and trends in organizational development.

"Our new branding strategy more clearly aligns with what we do on a daily basis," said Heather Hilliard, Principal of Caliber. "This change represents an evolution of our former selves and the way we have grown as an organization."

For further information on this change, the service offering or to sign up for our semi-annual newsletter, email Caliber.