Is it too early to say “what a year” yet? It’s felt like a heckuva year these first few weeks of January. I was back at work after 3 weeks off, which… was honestly a good thing. I was spending a little bit too much time following and getting very anxious about various things happening internationally.
Highs and Lows
My team finally has a Product Owner, MK, and we had some really awesome big picture conversations about the vision and roadmap should look like. Since I’ve joined at the end of October, one of the big things I observed is everyone involved in this product was just treading water. I’ve gathered that it’s been a very rough couple of years with a bunch of turnovers, reorgs after reorgs after reorgs, and unexpected personal circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
I believe both MK and I are bringing some much needed additional capacity at the senior analyst level which seems to be creating space for some conversation about what the product should be now and in the future. My manager, henceforth referred to as Coach (long story), commented that one of the meetings we had was one of the best he’s had in months. There’s still lots of work to do to rebuilding to do, particularly mentally for folks, but it feels like things are clicking more and people are more engaged.
A big old however, it was also a week in which a few GC departments, including ours, notified their employees that their position may be affected by Workforce Adjustment.
It’s very very annoying to fight for some scraps of psychological safety and team morale and good work and just have these things pop up beyond our control that takes our legs out from under us!! At the beginning of December it was the leak about potential returning to office 5 days a week (RTO5), this week it’s the world’s worst kept secret that affected letters were going out on Wednesday.
Related, this post from Jackie Tweedie on LinkedIn: Friday fun fact: JT is working into a paper the term ‘give’r’ as a uniquely Canadian description of a public servant who against all odds - austerity budgets, confused authorities, competing… | Jacky Tweedie
What do the youth say… just let us cook? Just let us cook!!! And something about 6 and 7. Sorry parents.
This reminds me, it’s apparently UK Gov Camp this weekend. This year it is in Birmingham rather than London. It’s an annual unconference where folks in/around the public sector in the UK get together to try and make things better. It’s described on their website as, “A day of discussions (not presentations). So come with ideas to discuss, questions to answer and interactive workshops you’d like to run (not slide decks).” The agenda is build with the attendees at the start of the day with topic pitches and a show of hands help determine room size.
I say this literally every year, one of these years I need to make the journey or finally find time to make a GC version happen. While I will be attending the upcoming GC Data Conference 2026: Navigating Canada’s Data Landscape, this year there’s a much smaller in person day which isn’t open to all attendees. Plus, the GC Data Conference is dominated by executive speakers and industry professionals, so there’s not much space for us lowly data practitioners except between sessions and out in the hallways. I feel like there’s definitely some unaddressed demand for some kind of unconference space where the doers can connect and dream and think, particularly as workforce adjustment continues to strain labour relationships.
French Training
I got great news while I was away: someone magical found French training money that needs to be used before end of fiscal which is allowing me (as an affected employee) to do 1 on 1 tutoring for an hour 3 days a week to complement self-paced learning that everyone at my department can access.
I absolutely love my French teacher, Guylaine. However / Because … She made me say “au-dessus” and “au-dessous” 100 times on Tuesday until I got the difference between them right and we were both hysterically laugh crying. She’s really helped me actually appreciate the language a lot and I’m having a lot of fun doing additional practice outside of class.
This documentary from RAD that I watched over the break as practice really stuck with me: Six mois pour apprendre le français | Radio-Canada. I was excited to share it with Guylaine when I got back because she use to teach in one of these francisation programs. She told me the people she got to work with were absolutely amazing. When my family landed in Vancouver in 2003, I was so young that I don’t really have any memory of learning English. It was like one day I had no idea what anyone was saying then the next no one could get me to stop talking. I’m definitely looking back on that time with new eyes as an adult trying to learn French.
My parents did these classes for a few months, but in English. And it was relatively easier compared to the Quebec immigrant experience, we landed in Vancouver where there was a huge immigrant community and well established community supports that could be provided in Mandarin and my parent were not starting from 0 English since they had been watching a lot of American television.
Learning French is really important for me right now because I have until 2027 to find a new role or be laid off and it’s so much more difficult finding an English Essential position. It’s important, but it’s not existential. It’s not having to do it which trying to figure out a livelihood, keeping your kids fed, in a brand new culture and language, and needing it to access critical services like healthcare. So I’m just so in awe.
Speed Mentoring
This week as part of the Federal Youth Network’s Career Boot Camp 2026, I participated as a Mentor in two Speed Mentoring sessions. I got to meet some really interesting new public servants and do a very easy thing, talk about myself. Given how much mobility I’ve had in the last few years as a Free Agent, soon to be alumni, is how to manage a mobile career and building networks with purpose. My goal in participating in these things is 1) don’t give boring advice and 2) be as truthful about the state of things but don’t be cynical or discouraging.
I feel like that doesn’t always land with everyone, but I have to remind myself that people come to these things to hear from you and there isn’t a way to “get on A” on being a mentor. The two things that seemed to have resonated with the participants and that I felt like was my most practical advice were:
- Stop talking to our bosses at networking events.
Well, definitely still talk to them. There’s tons to learn from them. But if you’re networking specifically for job opportunities… There’s always a line up to speak to people with big titles, but the Chief Information Officers or the Director Generals of the world don’t do the staffing and they’re probably not going to be your teammate or even your supervisor.
You know who does do the staffing and is going to be your teammate or supervisor? The person that’s been tasked to draft the response to your excellent follow up email that you sent to our Deputy Minister after a conference outlining how we’re not doing our jobs and all your suggestions on how to do it better. The person that’s now kind of annoyed with you.
Just a random example, of course.
I remember a career class in high school where they encouraged us to make a LinkedIn profile. They said don’t worry about only having other high school students to connect to, you’re not going to be in high school forever. Your peers in this room are going to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Talk to the other people in the line. Talk to the quiet people in the room.
Here’s an icebreaker that works almost every time from a fellow awkward person who has accidentally become a pretty good networker: “Hi, I’m Heidi. I’m trying not to be shy today.”
- Learn how to make colleagues at work, not just friends
Brooklyn 99, Season 8, Episode 1, "The Good Ones"
Amy: Okay, now we’re supposed to tell each other a secret no one else knows. I’ll go first. I once had a sex dream about Sanjay Gupta. Captain Holt: This is absurd. Amy: I know. And it was really graphic. Captain Holt: No, these exercises. We’re not lovers. We’re not even friends. We’re coworkers. I’m tired of Terry’s stupid book. Sergeant Jeffords: [enters] Scully’s book! [exits]
There’s inherently going to be power dynamics at play in a work environment, even if they are not visible. This is very different than how we’re use to developing relationships in places like school.
In school, the role of a student doesn’t inherently come with power. The building of social capital is ultimately elective (even if they don’t feel that way for youth who are still trying to figure out their own identity). It can be fluid, changeable through fandom, fashion, or shared experience.
In a work environment, power baked into the structure. This could be highly visible through rank or hierarchy or hidden based on influence, network, potential, and competence. Because of this structure, making a colleagues requires a different approach.
To make a colleague rather than a friend, you both need professional boundaries and mutual respect, but you don’t need shared interests or hobbies or even to enjoy talking to one another. A colleague is a strategic partner to further your mutual goals. They need to know that you can be trusted to do what you say and say what you do, and vice versa.
A friend might know you are fun to hang out and have a drink with. A colleague will provide you a peer recommendation with specific examples of how your skill benefits the organization.