Poor Innovation Ranking Dims the Lights on Canada's Competitiveness and Prosperity
“Overall, Canada’s ranking declined to 14th place in 2012 – from 12th place in 2011 and 10th place in 2010. But in the sub-area of innovation and business sophistication factors, Canada fell six places from 15th to 21st – no other top-ranked country dropped nearly as much.”
Ottawa, September 27, 2012
Conference Board of Canada
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So - the studies are telling us...
On a global scale, Canada is slipping down the ladders that measure business success.
What this means is Canada is having a tougher time exporting its products and services while at the same time other countries are having an easier time selling their products and services to Canadians.
It also means Canadians are spending too much time tripping over one another’s businesses…thinking small and doing unproductive, repetitive things.
Here's the picture...
This is about how the people in the rest of the world perceive Canadians: our clients are pulled toward other countries' innovation.
It’s also about what’s happening in our own back yards: We are struggling too much with one another and that’s not good for any of our businesses…we sell cars at employee pricing, we advertise almost everything with an 'On Sale' message. While we think we are doing our best to compete during these tough times, hindsight will show we are acting like Nero, who was fiddling while Rome burned….we are fiddling while Canada's economic backbone is getting burned.
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The Problem
Three aspects:
- We are falling behind other countries,
- We are struggling with local competition, &
- We are struggling with our own people…and not putting their Talents & Strengths to best use.
The Opportunity
Our business leaders are in the best positions to create opportunities.
The best way to do this is to put Talents & Strengths to Work [at work].
Here are the Major Advantages:
- It is Quick,
- It is Inexpensive, &
- It is the “Right Thing” to do...for their future, for your future...for our future.