A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a great event raising money for breast and ovarian cancer research at Mt Sinai Hospital in Toronto called Strike Out Cancer. It was a celebrity baseball tournament and the event raised more than $1m and provided an amazing day for the fundraisers. Former baseball players such as Devon White, Robbie Alomar, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and many more participated in the event.

I was part of the Leadership Sinai all-stars and we had the good fortune of playing with Alphonso Ribeiro (Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) who is one of the most engaging and hilarious individuals I have ever met.

Here is Alphonso and I. It was a great day for a great cause. I can't wait until next year.

Yesterday, I was privilieged enough to attend a lunch event where Frank McKenna was the keynote speaker. The event was hosted by Leadership Sinai, a group of young professionals committed to volunteer leadership and philanthropy and advancing the mission of Mount Sinai Hospital, and sponsored by TD Commercial Banking. The event was amazing. We had a great turnout and Mr McKenna was an amazing speaker. He told many great stories about some of the great leaders who he has had the pleasure of knowing and also talked about some of the characteristics of a great leader. What were they, you might ask? Hard work, collaborating with a great team, having passion for what you do and giving praise as often as you can. These are great leadership lessons from a great leader and we should all remember them to improve our lives and our businesses.