Sam Hero AIA, NCARB, RAS
Sam Hero is the new Studio Manager of Method Austin office. In tandem, he has also been named Associate Principal, joining the firm's senior leadership team.
Sam brings over a decade of experience across industrial, education, and indigenous design. Since rejoining Method in 2023, he's led our largest project to date—the $122M Shonto Preparatory School in Shonto, AZ—and continues to lead impactful work through our Blue Arrow Studio team, dedicated to serving Indigenous communities.
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Time Business News
2 days ago
- Time Business News
The Missing Skillset in Most Executive Teams Today
In today's complex leadership environment, the traditional strengths of executive teams—strategic foresight, financial acumen, and operational oversight—are no longer enough. Boards and C-suites are now expected to guide organisations through rapid technological change, stakeholder scrutiny, and rising expectations around equity and inclusion. Amidst this shift, there is a growing realisation that many leadership teams share a common shortfall: the absence of a well-rounded, contemporary skillset that reflects today's ethical, cultural, and digital realities. These are not niche capabilities, but essential competencies that shape decision-making, trust, and long-term relevance. Here are the seven critical skill sets that are most often missing from executive teams today. Cultural intelligence—the ability to interact effectively and respectfully across diverse cultural contexts—is no longer optional in executive leadership. Many leaders operate with a limited understanding of Indigenous worldviews, knowledge systems, or protocols. This lack of cultural capability can lead to tokenistic efforts or missteps that damage trust and organisational reputation. Executives must be able to recognise and respond to the values, experiences, and histories of Indigenous communities and other underrepresented groups. This includes understanding how historical and structural inequalities shape current relationships. Cultural intelligence enables organisations to move from surface-level diversity efforts to meaningful engagement and long-term inclusion. In many organisations, inclusion is still treated as a peripheral initiative, separate from core business strategy. But inclusive planning is not a side task; it's a strategic competency. Executives must be able to embed equity and reconciliation across critical functions such as procurement, recruitment, policy development, and risk management. This requires co-designing strategies with Indigenous and marginalised stakeholders, aligning inclusion metrics with business outcomes, and building accountability into organisational systems. Organisations often work with consultants like YarnnUp to support inclusive leadership and reconciliation planning. Partnering with external experts can bring fresh insight, cultural context, and the objectivity needed to shift thinking and drive real change. Effective communication is central to any leadership role, but cross-cultural communication requires additional layers of awareness, nuance, and sensitivity. Executives must know how to engage respectfully with Indigenous communities and culturally diverse stakeholders. This means understanding protocol, embracing listening as a leadership tool, and avoiding language or behaviours that alienate or exclude. As Babson College highlights, poor communication can lead to confusion, mistrust, and missed opportunities—a reality that becomes even more pronounced in culturally diverse contexts. Many organisations suffer from failed partnerships or miscommunication simply because leaders lack the interpersonal skills to navigate cross-cultural spaces. Strong communication skills build trust, deepen collaboration, and prevent misunderstandings from escalating into reputational harm. As organisations undergo digital transformation, executive teams must ensure that technology aligns with ethical, inclusive practices. Digital literacy for leaders now includes understanding how digital tools can both enable and undermine equity. For example, how might algorithmic bias affect service delivery? How do Indigenous communities experience digital engagement platforms? Are accessibility and cultural relevance being considered in digital design? These are questions that modern leaders must be equipped to ask—and answer. They must champion digital strategies that are not only efficient but also socially responsible. Inclusive leadership starts with the ability to reflect critically on one's own position, influence, and assumptions. Executives often lead with confidence, but rarely with vulnerability. Yet it is self-awareness that allows leaders to recognise unconscious bias, address privilege, and create space for diverse voices at the table. This skillset involves emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths—not just in others, but in themselves and their organisations. Developing this capability builds authentic, values-based leadership and fosters a more inclusive workplace culture. Organisations are operating in increasingly complex environments—socially, politically, and technologically. Adaptive thinking is the ability to respond to that complexity with agility, creativity, and systems-level awareness. Leaders need to navigate change that is non-linear, sensitive to history, and grounded in real-world impacts. This is especially relevant when dealing with Indigenous engagement, where relationships span generations and are embedded in broader social systems. Adaptive thinking enables executives to lead through ambiguity, build bridges across perspectives, and manage competing priorities with long-term vision. The most significant leadership gaps today are not in traditional disciplines, but in the human, ethical, and cultural dimensions of leadership. These skillsets—ranging from cultural intelligence to ethical digital literacy—are foundational to organisational relevance, integrity, and impact. Executive teams that actively develop these capabilities are better equipped to lead through complexity, build genuine trust, and deliver on their commitments to inclusion and reconciliation. Those that don't risk becoming outdated, performative, or disconnected from the communities they aim to serve. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill becomes law despite Senate criticism
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's controversial legislation to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects received royal assent and became law after the rushed passage of Bill C-5 through the Senate on Thursday. But the legislative accomplishment — the first government bill to pass in both chambers under the minority Liberal administration elected April 28 — was marred by expressions of outrage from some senators, who criticized the legislation's creation of 'so-called Henry VIII' powers that allow the federal cabinet to override laws and regulations to approve development projects. Some also condemned what they saw as the bill's lack of consultation and requirements to respect Indigenous rights, suggesting the new process could get bogged down in the very opposition and delay that it is designed to avoid. 'Bill C-5 is not reconciliation. It's a betrayal of it,' said Sen. Paul Prosper, a Mi'kmaq lawyer from Nova Scotia, who told the red chamber his office received a deluge of 'racist vitriol' after he spoke about his desire to slow down the legislation that sped through the House of Commons last week with the support of opposition Conservatives. Yet some in that party still had concerns about the legislation. Mary Jane McCallum, a Conservative senator from Manitoba, argued Thursday that the bill gives too much power to the federal cabinet to choose projects, and to decide which laws and regulations are relevant to how they are approved. 'Canada is not a dictatorship, yet the so-called Henry VIII clauses in Bill C-5 bring us dangerously close to the precipice,' she said. After two days of debate, the Senate voted down several amendments that would have sent the legislation back to the House, and passed it as written without a recorded vote Thursday afternoon. It received Royal Assent from Gov. Gen. Mary Simon a short time later. Since introducing and pushing to pass the bill before Canada Day, the Carney government has defended the legislation as a necessary framework to boost economic growth and reduce reliance on the United States that has imposed steep tariffs that Ottawa deems illegal and unjustified. Last week, Carney also promised to host summits with Indigenous leaders in July to ensure there is participation on which proposed projects — from pipelines to ports and mines — are chosen for the fast-track process under C-5. The legislation gives the cabinet wide latitude to fast-track a development project based on 'any factor' it deems relevant. Although it's not written in the legislation, the government has pledged to finish the approval of fast-tracked projects so construction can begin within two years, while the special powers the bill creates are set to expire after five years. On Thursday, Sen. Hassan Yusseff, a former labour leader who advocated for the bill in the upper chamber, echoed the government's rationale that the special process to fast-track major projects — and a separate, less contentious part of the bill to lift federal barriers to trade and labour mobility inside Canada — are necessary because of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. His voice breaking with emotion, Yusseff made the case that the legislation is needed quickly to bolster the Canadian economy and help workers in the industries targeted by Trump's tariffs, from steel and aluminum to the auto sector. 'The men and women who build this country of ours are watching very closely,' Yusseff said. Throughout the day, senators debated the merits of the bill, with some arguing it forces Indigenous groups and environmentalists to trust the government to respect rights and standards, rather than force the government to do so. Some senators, however, said the bill's references to Indigenous rights in the Constitution, as well as the government's insistence it won't fast-track projects without provincial buy-in and Indigenous consultation, mean these concerns can't be addressed through amending the legislation. 'There's no bill we can pass that will guarantee the honour of the Crown,' said Alberta Sen. Patti LaBoucane-Benson. 'I don't think there's anything more we can do to the text of the bill to protect Indigenous rights.' Others, like Ontario Sen. Bernadette Clement, argued Parliament should take more time to improve the legislation and address concerns raised by environmental groups, Indigenous communities, and organizations like the Assembly of First Nations. 'Growing our economy, nation-building — yeah, that's urgent. It requires a timely an efficient response. But it doesn't require the trampling of Indigenous rights and our environmental protections,' Clement said. Marilou McPhedran, a senator from Manitoba, expressed shock that Conservatives and Liberals in the House voted en masse to surrender 'parliamentary sovereignty' to the cabinet under the bill. 'As we watch the results of the C-5 juggernaut roll out and roll over Canada, please remember this key question: are the constitutionally guaranteed rights to equality, to Aboriginal and treaty rights, the first to go with Bill C-5?' she said. The House of Commons made several amendments to the bill that some senators welcomed, including new reporting requirements on how projects are selected, and the creation of a parliamentary committee to oversee how the legislation is being used. The House also added a requirement to publish details of a project at least 30 days before it is named in the 'national interest,' and introduced limits so no projects can be added to the new process while Parliament is prorogued or dissolved. The legislation also requires the minister responsible for the law — currently Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc — to consult with provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples whose rights 'may be adversely affected' by a project. The Commons inserted a clause that requires the government to get 'written consent' from a province or territory — but not an Indigenous community — if a project falls within an area of its 'exclusive' jurisdiction. Sen. Marc Gold, the government representative in the chamber, said the bill is 'fundamentally about trust' that all groups — including the government — will act in the best interests of Canadians during a time of crisis after an election he said gave the Liberal minority government a clear mandate to pursue rapid economic growth. 'C-5 is indeed extraordinary, and indeed it entails unprecedented trust,' Gold said. 'This is not about any partisan interest, but in the interest of our country.'
2 days ago
Brazil strikes deal with Musk's Starlink to curb criminal use in the Amazon rainforest
Brasilia, BRAZIL -- Brazil's Federal Prosecutor's Office announced Friday a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to curb the use of its services in illegal mining and other criminal activities in the Amazon. Starlink's lightweight, high-speed internet system has rapidly spread across the Amazon, a region that for decades struggled with slow and unreliable connectivity. But the service has also been adopted by criminal organizations, which have used it to coordinate logistics, make payments and receive alerts about police raids. It's the first agreement of its kind aimed at curbing such use following years of pressure from Brazilian authorities. Starlink, a division of Musk's SpaceX, will begin requiring identification and proof of residence from all new users in Brazil's Amazon region starting in January. The company will also provide Brazilian authorities with user registration and geolocation data for internet units located in areas under investigation. If a terminal is confirmed to be used for illegal activity, Starlink has committed to blocking the service. The deal is for two years and can be renewed. Illegal gold mining has contaminated hundreds of miles of Amazon rivers with mercury and disrupted the traditional lives of several Indigenous tribes, including the Yanomami. Starlink, which first arrived in the region in 2022, has enabled criminal groups to manage mining operations in remote areas, where logistics are complex and equipment and fuel must be transported by small plane or boat. 'The use of satellite internet has transformed the logistics of illegal mining. This new reality demands a proportional legal response. With the agreement, connectivity in remote areas also becomes a tool for environmental responsibility and respect for sovereignty,' federal prosecutor André Porreca said in a statement. Illegal gold miners and loggers have always had some form of communication, mainly via radio, to evade law enforcement. Starlink, with its fast and mobile internet, has significantly enhanced that capability, Hugo Loss, operations coordinator for Brazil's environmental agency, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. 'They've been able to transmit in real time the locations of enforcement teams, allowing them to anticipate our arrival, which seriously compromises the safety of our personnel and undermines the effectiveness of operations,' Loss said. 'Cutting the signal in mining areas, especially on Indigenous lands and in protected areas, is essential because internet access in these locations serves only criminal purposes.' Jair Schmitt, head of environmental protection for the agency, said what's also needed is tighter regulation on the sale and use of such equipment. The AP emailed James Gleeson, SpaceX's vice president of communications, with questions about the deal, but didn't immediately receive a response. ___
