2025 Year-End Message - Geordie MacPherson

As we close out 2025, I’m feeling genuinely proud of what CPHR Alberta has accomplished this year, and grateful for the members, volunteers, partners, and staff who made it possible. Together, we’ve continued to strengthen the value of the CPHR designation, expanded professional development opportunities, and deepened relationships with government, post-secondary institutions, and business leaders. 

 

This year also brought some milestones worth celebrating. We’re ending 2025 in a financially stable position, and our membership grew by 7%, which is a nice reminder that the HR community is thriving, and that we are still the kind of people others willingly choose to join. 

 

One of the most important pieces of work this year was launching our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan. This roadmap was shaped by member input, market research, and alignment with CPHR Canada’s national priorities. It’s the product of a truly collaborative process led by our Board and operations team, forward-looking, grounded in data, and practical in how it positions us for what’s next. At its core, the plan strengthens the HR profession and supports the people who drive it, reinforcing our commitment to a resilient and inclusive HR community. I encourage you to read it and see where we’re headed. View the Strategic Plan here. 

 

Our pursuit of self-regulation remains a priority, and our advocacy efforts this year continued to deepen relationships with government and position HR as a trusted profession. We’re making progress, ensuring HR’s voice is present in key policy conversations and recognized where it matters most. If nothing else, we are getting very good at showing up, staying thoughtful, and keeping the conversation moving forward. 

 

To build on this momentum, we’re currently recruiting two Chartered Members and up to one Public Members to join our Board. We’re looking for candidates with prior governance experience and strengths in areas such as strategic business leadership, financial management, legal expertise, or IDEA. It’s also important to us to have meaningful geographic representation from outside Calgary and Edmonton, because Alberta is bigger than two postal codes, and our Board should reflect that. 

 

You can learn more about the process and requirements through our blog, and I’d encourage you to apply or share the opportunity with someone who’d be a great fit. 

 

Applications close January 9, 2026. 

  • Chartered and Retired Members: Apply through your member portal 
  • Public Members: Contact Heather McMaster at hmcmaster@cphrab.ca for application details 

 

As the holiday season approaches, I hope you find time to rest, recharge, and take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve contributed this year, professionally and personally. Thank you for everything you do to advance the HR profession. I’m confident that, together, we’ll continue building something even stronger in 2026. 

 

And if your out-of-office message is already drafted, I respect the efficiency. 

 

Geordie MacPherson, CEC, CPHR, SHRM-SCP 

Chair, Board of Directors, CPHR Alberta 


The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.



Leadership Opportunity: Chief Executive Officer for CPHR Canada

April 17, 2026
Original post by CPHR Canada, March 31, 2026

The Quiet Work of Becoming a Leader

By Jessica Jaithoo • April 13, 2026
Author: Kanwaljit Chaudhry , 2026 Editorial Committee Member Leadership rarely begins the way we expect it to. It doesn’t arrive with a title, a promotion, or a formal announcement. More often, it begins quietly, in moments that don’t look like leadership at all. A conversation where someone turns to you for direction. A meeting where the discussion stalls and you step in to move it forward. A situation where something feels off, and you choose to address it instead of walking away. These moments are easy to overlook. They don’t come with recognition or validation. Yet they are often where the real work of becoming a leader begins. It Starts Before You Feel Ready Many people assume they need to feel confident before they lead. In reality, leadership often shows up before confidence does. You may not have the answers. You may not feel fully prepared. You may even question whether it is your place to step forward. And yet, something in the situation asks you to. This is where leadership begins, not in certainty, but in response. The quiet decision to engage, to take responsibility, to move something forward. You Learn by Doing (and Re-doing) In the early stages, it’s common to try on different ways of leading. You might imitate someone you admire. You might try to sound more decisive than you feel. You might hold back when speaking up feels uncomfortable. Some approaches will work. Others won’t. That’s not failure; that’s formation. Over time, you begin to notice patterns: When do people respond to you? When do conversations open up or shut down? What feels natural, and what feels forced? This is how your way of leading starts to take shape not through theory, but through experience. The Moments That Stay With You There are certain experiences that leave a mark. A difficult conversation you didn’t handle the way you hoped. A decision you made under pressure. A moment where someone trusted you and you rose to meet it. These are the moments you replay later. Not because they were perfect, but because they mattered. They shape your instincts. They clarify your values. They quietly influence how you show up the next time. This is the deeper work of leadership. The kind that happens after the moment has passed. Learning to See What Others Don’t Yet See As you grow, leadership begins to shift. It’s no longer just about responding well in the moment. It becomes about noticing what might be coming next. You begin to ask: What risks are we not talking about? Where might this situation go if we don’t address it? What does the team need before the pressure builds? This is a subtle but important transition from reacting to anticipating. And it often develops quietly, through experience rather than instruction. Letting Go of What No Longer Works One of the less visible parts of leadership is learning to let go. Letting go of the need to have all the answers. Letting go of habits that once worked but no longer serve you. Letting go of the version of leadership you thought you needed to become. This isn’t easy work. It requires honesty, humility, and a willingness to change. But it’s often where the most meaningful growth happens. The Role of Reflection Leadership doesn’t grow from experience alone; it grows from reflection. Taking time to pause and ask: What happened there? What did I learn? What would I do differently next time? These moments of reflection don’t need to be formal. Sometimes they happen in conversation. Sometimes they happen quietly, at the end of the day. But they matter. Because they turn experience into insight and insight into growth. Becoming, Not Arriving There is a point many professionals are waiting for the moment when they will feel like a leader. For most, that moment never arrives in the way they expect. Because leadership is not a destination. It is an ongoing process of becoming. It is shaped in small, often unseen moments: when you choose to step forward when you learn from what didn’t go as planned when you adjust your approach when you stay open to learning The quiet work of becoming a leader is not always visible to others. But over time, it becomes visible in how you think, how you act, and how others experience your presence. And that is what leadership truly looks like. “Leadership is not built in the moments where everything goes right. It is built in the moments where you pause, reflect, and choose to grow.”

A Fresh Start: How Spring Can Inspire New Goals

By Jessica Jaithoo • March 16, 2026
Author: Rheya Patel, 2026 Social Media Committee Member As days become longer and the weather warms up, the first day of spring brings a sense of renewal and new beginnings. A time that feels more energizing and people are more motivated to reset their routines, look for new opportunities and clear away old habits. While spring is commonly associated with “spring cleaning” in the home, perhaps the same principal can be applies to the workplace. For organizations and HR groups, spring can be the perfect opportunity to encourage employees to reflect and construct new meaningful goals and “clean” out the “clutter” of goals that no longer help them grow or have already been achieved. Why is Spring the Perfect Time for Goal Setting? With the rush of returning to work after the holidays and resuming normal life, spring gives a perfect moment to pause and reflect. Employees can check on their progress, realign priorities and continue the year with renewed motivation. For HR teams, encouraging this reflection can re-engage employees and increase motivation. In turn, employees are more likely to be focused and productive while creating a space for meaningful conversations about growth, development, and career progression. How Can We Encourage Goal Reflection? Believe it or not, HR plays a crucial role in goal setting whether it is realized or not. Creating an open work environment where employees feel supported and encouraged with professional development is key in reflection and goal setting. Below are several ways organizations can use the season of renewal to inspire growth and goal setting. Encourage Reflection What accomplishments have employees made that they are proud of? What challenges have they faced? Asking these kind of questions and having one-on-one check-ins with employees can help support employees to openly discuss their goals and aspirations, and potentially create new goals. Promote Professional Development and Growth The arrival of spring can also create the chance to introduce new learning opportunities. Having a fresh mindset combined with training, workshops, mentorship initiatives, or skill-building programs, employees can feel more motivated and supported in pursuing growth.  This helps employees expand their skillsets and strengthen the organization as a whole. Foster Collaboration and New Ideas Tying back to renewed energy, organizations can encourage teams to collaborate and share new ideas. Brainstorming sessions, innovation workshops, or team goal-setting can foster inspiration and connectivity, Having an open space for discussions can help teams align goals with organizational priorities to promote innovation and productivity. Celebrate Progress Recognizing progress along the way is essential. Celebrating achievements and acknowledging progress have a significant impact on employee morale. Employee recognition programs, team shoutouts, or words of appreciation can go a long way to remind employees how valuable their efforts and contributions are and continue to motivate them to strive towards their goals. Final Thoughts The arrival of spring represents renewal, growth, and new possibilities. For HR professionals, it’s also the opportunity to encourage employees to pause, reflect, and move through the rest of the year with renewed purpose. Encouraging goal setting, promoting professional development, fostering collaboration, and celebrating progress, can tie the season of newness to inspire meaningful growth. The new season reminds us that progress doesn’t need to start January 1st. Sometimes, a change in perspective, and a little springtime inspiration, can be the step towards pursuing new goals and growth with confidence.
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