LeaderLab

A note to our listeners, 

Covid-19 has created an unprecedented time for leaders. There is no playbook or easy way for leaders to navigate the tremendous economic, social and emotional toll.  

With this in mind, we decided that it was important now more than ever for leaders to help each other by sharing their stories and practical experiences. So, we’ve decided to focus our upcoming episodes on how Leaders  are navigating this crisis: how they’ve shifted direction, what they are doing to keep their teams safe and motivated, and how they personally managing through this tremendous uncertainty.

We are grateful to the number of leaders who have offered up their experiences. Their creativity, resiliency, humility and positivity has been inspiring. Our hope is that by sharing their ideas and stories we can help each other find a way forward.

Jacqui McGillivray, executive vice president and chief people officer at Element Fleet Management, talks about what she’s learned about keeping employees motivated and connected as they work remotely and grapple with COVID-19 through openness, focus and understanding.

In this episode, Jacqui discusses: 

• The impact of COVID on her organization (03:18)
• How a culture of agility and accountability is helping her team be practical and deal with change (04:01)
• The importance of communication and trust in a crisis (06:12)
• The importance of considering people’s individual situations and being empathic to their needs (07:18)
• What her company is doing to help employees be productive while working form home (08:21)
• Creating connection points and collaboration when you aren’t face-to-face (13:19)
• Why you should be open to all ideas in this unprecedented time (18:01)
• Her self-care routine – and why these matter for leaders (19:33)
• Positive lessons from COVID-induced changes (22:12)
• Her hope for other leaders during this time (23:11)
• The importance of leaders being human in a crisis and showing vulnerability (24:44)
• Her favourite work-from-home attire (27:30)

Jacqui’s advice for leaders:

• Take care of your employees as people (08:31)
• Foster connections and collaboration (10:18)
• Build in space to be present (16:43)
• Slow down and listen effectively (17:16)
• Leverage the different generations in your workforce and the perspective they have to offer in challenging times (17:59)
• Be practical, not perfect (22:19)
• Be honest about how hard this time is for everyone, including yourself (25:00)
• Be flexible (25:27)

More about Jacqui McGillivray: 

Jacqui McGillivray is executive vice president and chief people officer at Element Fleet Management, where she’s worked to create a culture of collaboration to drive productivity. At Element, McGillivray handles talent management and development, global compensation and benefits, real estate and workplace and communications. She’s also responsible for the company’s global balanced scorecard, people and organizational performance.

Before joining Element, McGillivray was executive vice president of safety and organization effectiveness at Cenovus Energy. She has held senior HR leadership roles at Talisman Energy, Royal Bank of Canada and Nortel. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario and an international MBA from Manchester Business School and McGill University.

Links to additional resources:

https://www.elementfleet.com/news/industry-news/coronavirus-covid-19-preparedness

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/10/01/1588124/0/en/Element-Fleet-Announces-Plan-to-Enhance-its-Customers-Experience-Strengthen-the-Balance-Sheet-With-a-300-Million-Equity-Issuance-and-Achieve-150-Million-of-Run-Rate-Profitability-I.html

Transcript: 

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Hi, it's Tineke here. Welcome to today's LeaderLab. As you know, LeaderLab is focused on having inspiring leaders share their stories and practical leadership tips in order to help others be more effective. Today is March 26, 2020, and we are facing an unprecedented time for leaders as they navigate the uncharted world in dealing with the global health pandemic of coronavirus.

We debated internally whether to stop or postpone these podcasts when a leader we deeply respect suggested that we continue but refocus on helping leaders share their personal insights and tips on how they are responding to the crisis. Clearly, there's no playbook on how to tackle the economic, social, and emotional challenges that leaders are having to navigate through. But our hope is that by, perhaps, making lessons from others available, we might be able to help share some ideas and let leaders know that they are not alone.

Our next few episodes will be focused on how leaders are managing through these times and we hope you find them helpful.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: Welcome to LeaderLab, where we talk to experts about how leaders can excel in a modern world. Helping leaders for over 20 years, your host, Tineke Keesmaat.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Today, I'm joined by Jacqui McGillivray. Jacqui is the leader in the field of people and is passionate about helping individuals and their teams achieve their fullest potential. She's currently the executive vice president and chief people officer at Element Fleet Management. She has had senior leadership positions in a range of industries including financial services, oil and gas, and telecommunications.

Jacqui and I were planning on doing a podcast today on engagement when these COVID-19 crises broke. She has generously suggested that we continue with the podcast but focus specifically on practical leadership tips, on how she and her leadership team are responding to the crisis, knowing that there's no perfect answer and that every leader is trying to figure it out. Jacqui, thank you so much for joining me today on LeaderLab.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Thanks, I'm thrilled to be here.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So Jacqui, just help me help our listeners understand a bit more of who you are. First, can you tell me what Element Fleet is?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Element Fleet is a leading global fleet management company. So what that means is we provide both financing for commercial vehicles as well as services to manage those vehicles. So it's all about making the fleet safer, smarter, more productive for our clients.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: What is your specific role at Element Fleet?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: So I'm proud to be a member of our executive team, and I have three key areas of responsibility. One is what we call our balanced scorecard, so that's translating our strategy into key objectives and measurable outcomes. That's what creates focus for the organization in each year.

Secondly, I have the people function, so everything regarding human resources from start to finish. And then thirdly, I have our global communications and events group.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's a very interesting set of roles that you have. What has the impact of COVID-19 been on Element Fleet?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: It's an unprecedented situation for our business and our people. We've seen a softening of demand as people self-isolate, work from home. And as a result, the utilization of Fleet declines. Many of our clients are making changes to their operations and their needs are changing. Our suppliers are also responding in this environment. And so we're working with both suppliers and clients to understand and adapt to their changing business environments so that we can continue to deliver a consistent superior experience.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Jacqui, how has the leadership team been working through this crisis? What's the same and, potentially, what has had to be different?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Well, the team's been on a transformation journey for the last 18 months, so it's been quite a dynamic environment in and of itself. And we would be very honest in our approach to say that it's been difficult. But we've grown as a team. We trust each other and we lead with that focus, which is anchored in our strategy.

What's different is that we have to be very practical in our execution right now. And we can do that because we have created a culture of agility and accountability. And with that, we're able to play as a team, right? We all have a role. We all have a position. And we're playing both offense and defense.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Give me some examples of what that agility has looked like over the last four weeks as this crisis has unfolded.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Over the last four weeks, we've enacted our BCP, as many companies have. And we've taken the action to move 90% of our workforce to work from home. And for those that are within our facilities, we've taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that those facilities remain safe for our people.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And what does it look like in practice?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Yeah, so it looks like deep cleaning. It looks like strong security measures. It looks like really limiting the amount of work that needs to be done in the office-- because there are a few pieces of our processes that do-- to the essentials.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And I'm curious what that has been like for employees where so many people get to go work from home and some are still in the office. Has that created any tension or questions, or any concerns for folks that some people actually still need to go to the office every day and others are getting to work from the safety of their homes?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: It's actually created a feeling of connection and we're all in this together. We are rotating staff in and out of the office so that we don't have a full complement there. And that's doable because we have seen a slight softening of demand. And people are reaching out and making sure, what can I do? And also trusting in our leadership because of the credibility we've built throughout the transformation, that we're taking the necessary steps and we're putting our people first, and their health, and well-being.

And the last thing I'd say is we communicate every day. We have a goal of transparency beyond anything I've ever seen.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: What does that communication look like every day? Is that an email? Is it live chats? How are you communicating each day to team members?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: So it's been really fun. It's been tough messages but in creative ways. So we commit a daily update to our senior leaders. And then the following day, we send out employee communications. It can be over email. Our CEO recently did his own production of a video, which was so comforting and endearing. And people have responded wonderfully to it as we all learn how to work from home. We sent out a virtual care package.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: What was in that?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Yeah, so it was just a number of tips, and links, and information to help everyone adjust to working from home-- parents of younger children, people who are caring for family members-- just even apps that can help you be mindful, workouts, tips for healthy eating, exercise. And people got it. And they just responded in numbers to say, thank you for thinking of me because I don't even know where to start.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Well, that sounds sounds a very holistic, whole-person approach, right? It's not just come and get this work done it. It's hey, we recognize that this is uncharted, uncomfortable times and we want to take care of you as a person, not just an employee.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Absolutely.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Talk to me a little bit about helping people transition to working at home. You mentioned some people are caring for others, some people have small kids. How are you helping people think through how to be productive from wherever they're situated today?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: The challenge is we will all feel like we need to be on 24/7 and there's no clear division of work and home anymore. And so we need to step into that, and acknowledge, and accept that it's OK if children run in, dogs run in. It's OK if you need to take a break, step away. We've really got to create a structure, and a beginning, and an end to the workday. At the same time, we also ask that some of our people be available 24/7 in the event that we need to respond quickly.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And the structure-- so, is everybody expected to be on from 9:00 to 3:00? Or are sub-teams coming up with their working hours? How are you creating a structure that is both productive so that folks can get into a flow but also flexible to accommodate the dogs running in, and the children, and the random things that happen when you are just at home?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Structure feels somewhat nonexistent in this environment. I think what we're looking at is starting with, what's the work that needs to get done? Who are the people that we have? We do have excess capacity in some of our people. How do we redeploy them to where the priorities are or where they're needed most? Because we have some clients whose demand is increasing and we have others whose demand is softening. And so we're looking at active redeployment.

And then lastly, I would say the tools that we have, we all-- it was amazing what our technology team did in a week, not even a week. I would say in three days, we had 90% of our workforce working from home. We had a gentleman drive a U-Haul truck with 90 monitors--

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Wow.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: --from one site to the other site. These selfless efforts are part of who we are and we share those stories, both what we're doing for each other and what we're doing for our clients, particularly in the health care industry. And it is so uplifting. People just want more and more of that.

And lastly, I would say these tools, it's hilarious when you're sitting with the executive team on Zoom and we're all learning, oh, if you click this, you raise your hand.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS]

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, if you click this, you have the cool moon background. And it's almost somewhat juvenile but hilarious at the same time, right? We're forced to use these tools and in a fun, collaborative way.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And isn't it amazing how people that I've been really shy about tools or thinking that they're complex, how quickly people can learn and adapt? I think of some of my clients that-- oh, we're going to move to remote work. We will get there. But we have to go through these massive programs to get our teams ready. And yet like you said, in the course of three days, you've got 90% of your staff up and running on it. And I think it's fascinating just what is possible in organizations and how adaptable people actually can be when they need to be.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: The journey that we've been on, as I mentioned earlier, our transformation, it hasn't been easy. We've asked a lot of our people. We've made some difficult decisions. But through all that, the one thing that we have committed to is open, honest, frequent communications from our CEO right out through the organization. And we have committed that even through the most difficult decisions. And it's created that trust, right? And it's not something to take lightly because that can easily break if we don't follow through in this environment in particular.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: There might be some people listening to this who haven't got the right communication channels in place yet or they've not been the most open with team members. How would you advise them to get started? Because in this particular moment, it is more important than ever. Any advice for folks getting started, particularly at this rather unique time in our world?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Well, it starts with going back to the basics. Our CEO, Jay Forbes, laid that out as a key principle in our strategy when we started our transformation 18 months ago. And a lot of us went, what does that mean? And we quickly realized that it starts with the understanding of, what is the work we do? How do we work? Who do we work with? Why are we doing this, our purpose?

I don't mean to get philosophical on you. But I do think when you go back to your core purpose and the basics of how you work, you can think of it similar to how you communicate. And so let's now think we don't collide into each other at work because we're not physically present. I now need to create those collisions by setting up a daily meeting, a weekly huddle. I need to put one-on-ones with my direct reports into the calendar where I could have crossed the hall and knocked on their door. These are basic means of ensuring those connection points throughout the day.

And then encouraging people to come together and solve the problems in front of us and collaborate. This is-- I mean, we talk about collaboration, Tineke, so many times we've talked about it. This is collaboration at its best.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Right. Because there's no choice. There's no perfect answer. As you said earlier, there's no playbook. And there's just really tough problems everyday that companies are having to face. And so people need to be in it together in order to come up with the best possible solution in this moment. So collaboration-- I can see that the need for it is exponentially higher than people have experienced in the past.

And I think some people think, well, how can I collaborate if I don't have those collisions and if not sitting in the room with somebody? How are you guys using technology to facilitate people collaborating from a distance?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: It's almost expected, just assumed that we'll all jump on Zoom. We'll use our cell phones. And you know, it's funny. At the beginning of this, I would think about-- OK, so I've showered, I have makeup, I've dressed appropriately. Now it's like, OK, some days I need to put my hair in a ponytail and ask for forgiveness on what you're going to see. Because--

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS]

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: --this is isn't about looking pretty. This is about being present.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: It's amazing. From where I've sat, I've had so many client conversations or colleague conversations-- very humanizing, right? So I'm seeing the insides of people's homes. I'm seeing their children. I'm seeing people on bad hair days. I'm seeing people that have literally just come in from a run and their ponytails are all crazy.

And it's interesting. It's not getting in the way of productivity and it's helping me to connect with people in a different way than I have in the past. So I think it's very interesting that you've just raised that point that it isn't about looking pretty. It's just about being in the work together. And it is creating a way to connect that we may not have had in the past.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Yeah, it's being authentic, right? And that is what society, I think, forgets, is bringing your authentic self to every situation. Some days you're going to have good days. Some days you're not going to have good days. It's being present with yourself and your team. And I read something this morning. The common question we ask people is, how are you? How are you doing? And often, we don't listen to the response. Well, now we've got to listen.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And I imagine that you are getting answers to that question at a time where people feel like hey, I'm actually not doing really well, I'm scared at this moment. Or my husband is in a job and there's economic uncertainty with his. So how are you encouraging your leaders to really listen. And in those moments where an employee may not be having the best day ever, how are you encouraging them to connect? Or what resources are you providing to help people through these moments?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Yeah, I would say three things. One, build in the space. And I know that's hard because we're jumping from one call to the next Zoom meeting. But try to build in space such that you, yourself, can get up from your workstation and just go for a quick walk around the house. Grab a healthy snack. But create that space so you are present. And the reason I start with that is because a leader needs to be present, right?

Because the second point I would say is put the camera on. Look at people. See how they're doing. Is there a question in their eyes? Is there pause? And ask them. Be curious. What's going on? Talk to me. And if they can't right now, then give them the space. But come back to them. Don't forget them.

And the third thing I would say is there are so many wonderful resources. Bring those into the workspace. Make them available. You don't have to have the best written communication. You can do things through PowerPoint. You can do things through email. You can do a quick video. There's so many tools being made available now.

And leverage the generations, right? We've got people with so much experience and we've got people new to the organization. This isn't about hierarchy. This is about us all bringing our ideas to the table and leveraging the best of those ideas.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: The great equalizer, right? Focus on the ideas versus the role-- yeah, interesting.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, totally. I mean, this virtual care package that we created came from an individual that is quiet but creative. And we leveraged that person who doesn't sit on the communications team but who had capacity. So again, back to-- we want to protect our workforce. We want to leverage the capabilities within it. So let's be curious about who can do what and try things on.

And again, just slowing down to speed up. That's an advice that I took from somebody a long time ago. And I've tried myself to remember it. It really helps when you slow down and pause because then you're in the mindset to listen more effectively.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's great. I'm curious about you personally. It must be very difficult to be in a leadership role, and particularly one focused on the well-being of people, in a time when people are under so much stress. You raised a point around, hey, as a leader, you need to present. You need to up and take a walk. You need to make sure that you are able to be there for your team members. How are you managing the stress or how are you thinking about your own self-care through this?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: I try to get up at 5:00, maybe 5:30. Because being on the west coast, I start at 7:00 AM if I'm lucky. And so if I don't exercise, eat, and shower, it could be a tricky day. [LAUGHS] So I try to do work through things.

And look, I'm not looking to win any awards for the best bod by any means. But I do my 20 minutes of yoga. I have my brief little breakfast. And I at least try to shower. [LAUGHS] You know, there's something normalizing about that, right? Whereas if I was rolling out of bed every day doing this, I think I'd feel out of place.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Right.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Because I need to bring my routine to bear at home. So there's a comfort with that. The other piece that I would say is I travel quite a bit. And so I've been grounded since March 9. And my family loves it because I'm home. And I would say there was a bit of a reprieve initially. Like, oh, I have so much time on my hands. I don't have to pack. I'm not going to an airport. But with that, the weeks feel long and hard. And so the other thing we try to do every day is get out for a walk with the dog. And that happens towards the end of the day, and it has been a lifesaver just to feel the air and the sun, and see people at a distance.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Yes. [LAUGHS]

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Be outside and part of the world. It's very healing.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: It's been a big difference maker for myself and my 3 and 1/2 year old as well. The days we get him outside are the better days. And he is just a kid playing outside and making people laugh as they walk by because he's screaming at the top of the lungs, hello world! And so--

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: [LAUGHS]

TINEKE KEESMAAT: --I think that outside world is just-- it is very comforting. And even if you're at a distance, you can smile and say hi to people. And that, I think, helps me, personally anyways, believe that we're going to be OK and that people still can connect even if they can't be standing right beside each other. So that outside piece has definitely been huge for us as well here.

I'm curious. I know sometimes it's all uncertain and we're not sure what's going to happen next. But even in this moment, I'm curious if there's been any positive lessons that you've seen, or observed, or that you've learned that you think you may actually adopt to how you work going forward.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, I think a big one is being practical in our execution.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS]

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Really. I mean, we strive for perfection. We can over-rotate on decisions. And I think right now, time is not our friend. And we need to be focused on what matters most and be practical in our execution. So we might not get it perfect. But we ask for your trust and we're doing our best. And where we don't get it perfect, you will know because we will own that. And where we do get it perfect, we will make sure that we thank the people that helped us get there.

It's not one person. It's a team. I mean, I'm terrible with sports analogies.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS]

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: At college they were much better. But we are a team right now. We're in this together.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's great. And what is your hope for other leaders during this time?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: When people ask, how are you doing? Or they ask, wow, how difficult this must be. How are you coping? And I think that my job is easy compared to those that are on the front line, those that are doctors, or nurses, or health care workers. And so my hope is that we never forget how fortunate we are to live in a community where we do care about the health of others. And we need to bring that into our workplace.

And the health and well-being of our people continues to be our first priority. And as leaders, we need to remember that. Our people are our greatest asset. And I know when people say that, it sounds philosophical more than real. But in these times, remember that and act with that objective in everything you do.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And is there a practical piece of advice that you'd have for leaders on how to do that effectively? So how do they make people our most important asset? How do they make that more than philosophical?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: I think you have to remember that each individual is a whole person. So what they bring to work, there is more to them than that. And in this environment, this is beyond anything we've ever seen. Remember, we don't have the answers because we haven't been here before.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Right.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: So remember the whole person is what you see. And they may not share that whole person. And so just be mindful, and curious, and be your authentic self. Show vulnerability. Because you too are a whole person. And some days, you may not be your best self. And we will forgive that, right? Because we are human and we're a community that's going through something incredibly unprecedented. It's just unbelievable what we are experiencing.

And we will live through this, and we will learn from it, and we will be better for it. But wow, is it ever scary, is it ever different.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And it's hard, in that difference and the scariness, to balance between that and then productive work, right?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Absolutely.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So I think there is a need for leaders to just recognize that when I'm having a moment of, holy heck, what's going on? Are we going to get through this? You might be having a productive moment. And so you may have a collision of where you are on that cycle. And just being conscious of that so that you can kind of work through it together and meet people where they are in that particular moment.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Absolutely. And say, hey, I've got this. Give it to me. I'll take it because I know tomorrow I might not be able to, and you'll take it. So we're here for each other, right? That's what families do. That's what communities do. That's what our health care workers are doing for us right now. They're putting themself in the most dangerous situation and we need to appreciate that by staying home, staying safe, and enabling them to do what they do best.

NARRATOR: And now let's get to know our guests a little better with some rapid-fire questions.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So Jacqui, one of the things that we like to do on LeaderLab is to help our listeners get to know you better as a person. And in these crazy times, we do think humanization and humor is needed. So don't think too much to the answers that you have. They're really just intended to be fun, five quick questions.

First, what is your go-to comfort food?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Peanut M&Ms.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Peanut M&Ms, very specific.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Let's be clear, yes.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS] Number two, what is your preferred re-energizing time, going for a workout or curling up with a book?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, Netflix. Not a book, not a workout-- Netflix!

TINEKE KEESMAAT: One item you could never live without.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Peanut butter.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: I'm sensing a theme with peanuts here.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: [LAUGHS].

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Your favorite cartoon character of all time.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, I don't know! Oh my god. Does that make me a bad person?

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Not at all. I don't think I have one, actually.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: [LAUGHS]

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Your work from home attire-- PJs, fully dressed in a suit, or a little bit of both?

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Oh, it's a little bit of both, right? It's all professional from the waist up and then it's comfy slippers on the bottom down.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: I love it. Jacqui, this has been amazing. And again, you started this by talking about your curiosity and your care of people. And I've been struck by everything that you have said today is just how that curiosity and care is leading you to make amazing decisions for yourself and for your team. So I really appreciate you sharing your tips, and tricks, and advice, and for leading people through these uncharted times.

JACQUI MCGILLIVRAY: Well, I am honored that you asked me to join you. I think the world of what you're doing here. And I hope that your voice reaches many because it's comforting, it's reassuring, and it makes me smile.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS] Oh, that's good. Thank you.

NARRATOR: Thank you for joining us today on LeaderLab. LeaderLab is powered by Tilco, helping exceptional leaders achieve extraordinary results, and the Ivey Academy at Ivey Business School, Canada's home for learning and development. You can learn more about Tilco and LeaderLab at Tilco.ca. And to find out more about the Ivey Academy, go to IveyAcademy.com.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

In this episode, Dr. Ronald Cohn discusses:

• Why he chose paediatrics (1:02)
• When he first recognized himself as a leader (2:06)
• The difference between operational and visionary leaders (03:17)
• His leadership strengths (04:26)
• The importance of getting people on board with a new organizational vision (07:41)
• What he’s doing to get people onside (10:44)
• Why it’s important for the vision to be supported by people at all levels of the organization (12:52)
• The importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) for leaders (13:59)
• How leaders can display EQ with their team (15:16)
• How to foster autonomy in your employees so they’re comfortable taking initiative (18:26)
• His top piece of advice for leaders (19:30)
• The craziest place he’s been to (21:10)

Ronald’s advice for leaders:

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge the status quo (02:45)
• Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses (03:17)
• Be humble enough to delegate the work you need help with (06:04)
• Be empathetic and compassionate (14:33)
• Never underestimate the value of EQ to build trust, consensus and to motivate (15:52)
• Provide guidance and empower employees to make decisions (17:50)

More about Dr. Ronald Cohn:

Dr. Ronald Cohn has served as president and chief executive officer of The Hospital for Sick Children since 2019. He initially joined SickKids in 2012 as chief of the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, co-director of the Centre for Genetic Medicine, and senior scientist at the SickKids Research Institute. He became chief of Paediatrics at SickKids in 2016, as well as the chair of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, where he was also part of the Department of Molecular Genetics.

Dr. Cohn was the first combined resident in paediatrics and genetics at the Johns Hopkins University, later becoming the director of the world’s first multidisciplinary centre for hypotonia at that university’s McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine. His research focuses on implementing genome-editing technologies for the treatment of neurogenetic disorders, and he has developed an interest in applying a concept of “precision child health” to the care of children – something he has worked to implement at SickKids through the use of cutting-edge technology (such as artificial intelligence, genomics, advanced imaging and innovative procedures).

Some of Dr. Cohn’s awards include the David M. Kamsler Award for outstanding compassionate and expert care of paediatric patients and the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics Award in Medical Genetics.

Links to additional resources:

https://www.sickkids.ca

https://lab.research.sickkids.ca/cohn/

https://www.sickkidsfoundation.com/waystodonate

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2015/12/22/how-genome-editing-technique-known-as-crispr-is-giving-families-new-hope.html

www.tiltco.ca

https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/academy/

John Lounds reflects on how he achieved so much success. Good mentorship, building trust and building culture are all a part of the equation. 

Listen and Subscribe: 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify 

More about John Lounds:

John Joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada in 1997. Under John’s Leadership, NCC has grown from an annual budget of $8 million to approximately $80 million in 2017. NCC and its partners have helped to protect over 14 million hectares of ecologically significant land since 1962.

John was previously a governor of the University of Waterloo, as well as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. He has served as a director of the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, the Smart Prosperity Initiative, the International Land Conservation Network and on the Canadian councils of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

Links to Additional Resources:

natureconservancy.ca

Get involved with the Nature Conservancy of Canada

Memorable Quote:

“Nobody can do everything. If you can build partnerships, if you can build a team with those skills and abilities, the team can make it happen – but no one should think that they are the only person able to do all of this.”

Full Episode Transcript:

TINEKE KEESMAAT: This leader has helped protect over 35 million acres of ecologically-significant land across Canada.

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Leader Lab, where we talk to experts about how leaders can excel in a modern world. Helping leaders for over 20 years. Your host, Tineke Keesmaat.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: John Lounds is the president and CEO of Nature Conservancy of Canada. He is passionate about nature, conservation, and leadership. Under his guidance, the Nature Conservancy has grown exponentially over the past two years, from a budget of $8 million to $80 million.

On today's Leader Lab, he'll share some of the leadership lessons he learned along the way. John, welcome to the Leader Lab.

JOHN LOUNDS: Thank you.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: It's great to have you here, and I'm very curious if you could start by telling us a little bit about the path that brought you to the Nature Conservancy.

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, I never thought I'd start off working in a nonprofit charity. Many years ago in high school, I was-- studying computer science was one of the big areas I was going to go into, but I had a geography teacher who really inspired me and wanted me to think about how the world could be changed as a result of how you think about organizing on the landscape.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And what's kept you in nonprofit for so long, and specifically, in the environmental space?

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, the environmental space is my passion. I think a big part of working in a nonprofit charity is that you need to have the passion for the work. If you don't feel it, believe it, think it, dream it, live it, the people that you're talking to about the work you're doing will not hear you, they won't understand why it's important or what the impact can be.

This field is my field, that's where I want to be. I also wanted to work in an organization that worked right across the country. I'm a proud Canadian and believe that we have one of the best countries in the world, and I just want to make sure that that's what I'm doing as well. So coupling the nonprofit work with my interest in the environmental world has been great for me.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's amazing. And 20 years ago, environmental issues were not as talked about as they are now. So what has been the big shift in leading an organization? May not have been on the first page every day to now where it's everywhere you look.

JOHN LOUNDS: I think that's true, and they weren't-- these issues weren't being discussed so much many years ago, but there were some big problems that came to the surface while I was growing up, and folks may not remember the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland catching on fire in Lake Erie, other events such as that, those-- a river catching on fire? Like, what is going on here? Those kind of events really affected my thinking then.

I would say today with the awareness that people have and concern about-- whether it be climate change, biodiversity conservation, et cetera, we're seeing way more interest in the work we're doing, and I think that's somewhat contributed to the growth of the work of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, because there's more people who are understanding the importance of this work, and we've been welcoming them to the fold.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's amazing. And over the last two decades that you've been leading the conservancy, you have had a dramatic impact. So you raised the budget from $8 million to $80 million, you've protected over 35 million acres of Canadian land. How did you create such an ambitious vision?

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, it wasn't just me. I'd say one of my first lessons was the importance of finding and surrounding myself with really great people who would always challenge me and the team to think bigger. If you can find them, if you can listen to what they have to say, and know in your heart that you can actually accomplish more than you think you can, that combination can lead to some incredible things.

So I remember one of my past board members who spoke about what is the conservation equivalent of a nation-building exercise? Like really thinking beyond we're not just going to solve this property problem or we're just going to solve this little issue. What is a big way of thinking about it?

I also had some mentors. We had a session where we were talking about how much money we could possibly raise for one of our campaigns, and this was-- we had thought we would set a goal of $300 million thinking that was a very big number over several years. And this gentleman came to the front of the room to speak and he said, $300 million? That's not nearly enough. It needs to be $500 million. And the $500 million was actually what we then went away to do as a result of just that person pushing the boundaries of my thinking. I would never have thought of that. They push, they ask the tough questions, that's how the people that you surround yourself with can help you.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So John, that's amazing to have different perspectives pushing and challenging you and helping you to imagine what is possible. I can imagine that time that that might create some tension if your board is saying $500 million and your team is saying $200 million. How do you manage that tension?

JOHN LOUNDS: Well I actually find that tension to be important. It's that space between the staff who are obviously implementing the work that needs to be done and the board's role pushing and asking tough questions to come to a place where we can all agree on what the right-- or the best way forward would be.

And I'm a firm believer that if you have the staff being stronger than the board or the board being stronger than the staff, that you end up in a space that isn't as productive, doesn't create as much energy, and doesn't challenge-- whether challenging staff or challenging board members-- to get to the right answer going forward. So I look at this as a very important aspect of board-staff relationships, and it's a really important role for the CEO and the chair of the board to handle.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And I imagine that requires creating a lot of transparency and trust, right? So the board has to have some depth into what the organization's capabilities are, what they can actually do, and conversely, the staff needs to understand the role of the board.

JOHN LOUNDS: Transparency, making sure that you're prepared, you've informed the board, you haven't hidden anything-- good or bad, the information, that's all important and needs to be shone a light on and discussed. I sometimes find-- I've seen in other organizations where the CEO-- because on the role, you know a lot about what's going on in all aspects of the business, but sometimes these CEOs are impatient and want the board to decide quickly and will jump in and say, no, no, what about this, what about that? But that's probably the worst thing you can do. It's better to just sit back, let the board have its full discussion, gain understanding, and come to conclusions that they wish to take, because by doing that, you're going to end up heading in the right direction.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's great. So when we started this conversation, you talked about how nature is your passion, and I've been reading more and more about the importance of purpose in organizations-- so really helping people connect their passion to the work that they are doing. And I imagine that in your organization, you have lots of passion-driven individuals.

JOHN LOUNDS: 340 of them.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's awesome. Not everybody can say that.

JOHN LOUNDS: No.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And I'm just curious, could you talk to me a little bit about the benefits of leading a passion-driven organization and maybe what some of the unintended challenges might be?

JOHN LOUNDS: The benefit of leading a passion-driven organization is that you really don't have to motivate people to get up in the morning and come to work and do the work they do. That is not the issue. They are ready to run and ready to do what they can because they so fully believe in the mission of the organization.

The key, then, is how do you direct that energy and enthusiasm? How do you keep that enthusiasm going, but how do you direct that energy and enthusiasm? So the 340 people kind of working in the same direction, that's the challenge.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And what have you found to be helpful in channeling that energy?

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, one of the ways that nonprofits and charities proceed is they organize campaigns. And often people will see in the news that there's a campaign for x hundred million dollars or whatever the case might be. And the number is important, because you do need funds to run the business. But more importantly than the money is actually the alignment that a campaign provides for everybody working in the organization. By setting a common goal, describing the impact of that-- what's the vision? Not the big vision over time, but over the next five years. And by organizing people toward campaigns, it's a really great way of ensuring that everybody's energy is channeled together.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Because I mentioned, the campaign is-- the fundraiser, clearly they're the target for them, but also it connects to the programmers because they need to think about how they'll use that money and have a clear message on it, and then your communications folks, the stories that they are telling. So all of a sudden this big goal that you've set out in the campaign, every individual that knows what they need to do to make it happen.

JOHN LOUNDS: Absolutely. And it starts with what conservation work are you're going to get done, right? And what is the impact of that conservation work and can you describe it well to people? Because you can't raise money for just raising money. What is going to be the outcome? If I invest in the Nature Conservancy of Canada, what will happen over the next five years? All donors and funders are looking to know what that is.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: I'm curious again on this notion of passionate-driven team members. I'm curious if you've ever had instances where somebody is hired, they're super passionate about the cause, they have great enthusiasm, and then they walk in the door and that enthusiasm doesn't necessarily translate to impact at an individual level. I'm curious if that happens and then how you handle it.

JOHN LOUNDS: I'd say folks that have come into the organization that don't have that passion, we've made a hiring mistake there, or they've made a hiring-- they've made a choice to come. We've had some people that come from private sector organizations that think, oh, I'll kind of retire on my way into the work here. That's never the case. And then they are suddenly surprised that they're working more than they were before.

I think you want to make sure you're getting the right people in the right seats on the bus, which is common parlance, but in nonprofits-- I'm a big fan of Peter Drucker in this regard. Basically that you need to look for that person's contribution. If they aren't working out in the role, it's best to think about can you re-pot these people into another role where they will be able to live their passion? And sometimes those require pretty tough conversations to get there, but I've found that that's not only for the person involved, but for the organization as a whole a better way to go.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So really thinking about what are their strengths, how can they have a contribution or make an impact here, and then thinking about where that actually fits with what the organization--

JOHN LOUNDS: Right. If they've truly come for the mission, if they're passionate about it, just leaving them by the wayside isn't going to actually help the overall cause as I was just describing. So you have to figure out how to use-- now sometimes the fit isn't quite right and those decisions sometimes are mutual, and perhaps other organizations that are working on environmental causes are a better fit in terms of their particular interests.

So we have lots of alumni from the Nature Conservancy of Canada and lots of other places for all sorts of good reasons.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's great. I love that. It's just this idea of really keeping the passion of the organization and the purpose, and then thinking about the individual-- what do they need? What are their strengths? Where is that going to be a fit? And sometimes it's here and sometimes it's elsewhere, but it really is thinking about what's going to make that individual thrive.

JOHN LOUNDS: In terms of choosing to work from home or wherever, that particular time is where we understand that, especially team members with young families. And in terms of the organization itself, we try and walk the talk that we are interested in the communities where we work, and where we believe that nature conservation is an important thing for Canada.

One of the things we actually instituted-- we did it as a special a couple of years ago, but one of the things we instituted this past year permanently was to provide staff with two nature days during the summer months so that they can go and appreciate and reflect on the work they do.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's amazing. I want to nature conservative day. [LAUGHS]

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, we'll set up a program and try and get many companies to do this. That'd be fantastic.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: I think it'd be super fantastic. That's great. John, I just want to continue this conversation on nonprofits, and I'm wondering from your perspective, what you think some of the unique characteristics are of these organizations and how, as a leader, you may have to adapt our style to manage them.

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, I think one of the important aspects, obviously, is reputation and trust. We're not selling a good or service, really, so unless our reputation is beyond reproach and people trust us with the funds that they're giving us, the rest doesn't really happen. As I said, we have to remember every day that every dollar is a gift and people have voluntarily provided this to us.

So I think the reputation, being transparent, integrity, all the good things that should be part of any business are even heightened further in a non-profit charity. And I think part of it is just knowing yourself. That's a common phrase, but knowing who you are and who you're not, and then nobody can do everything, but if you can build partnerships, if you can build a team and make sure the team around you has all those skills and has all those abilities, the team can make it happen, but no one should think that they are the only person able to do all of this.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That amazing. I've been thinking more and more about the importance of leader self-awareness in being able to drive impact, because I believe that-- exactly that. If you-- nobody can do it all with themselves, and so by being aware, you can know where you need to augment your team or what you need to keep your energy up through the highs and lows of driving or leading an organization. What have you learned about yourself over the years that you've had to kind of not deal with, but that you've had to incorporate into your leadership style? And how have you done that?

JOHN LOUNDS: I think I'm in with a good group of people, because I would say that largely, the team here at the Nature Conservancy of Canada are likely skewed to the introvert side of the scale rather than the extrovert side of the scale. I'm one of those, and I've had to learn and train myself to push through my inclination to not want to talk about what we're doing, not want to get out there and yell in the bright lights about the work that's being done.

We're plant and animal people. We would like to talk to the plants and animals, we don't actually know people, a lot about them. But since our business is a relationship with people business, frankly, that, I think, I've had to strengthen, I think I have a very good understanding of how to individually relate to people. The challenge has been to speak more broadly and speak to larger groups, and I've been able to get there.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And what have you done to help yourself in those moments?

JOHN LOUNDS: Practice, practice, practice. It's about the only way to get over it. And then when I'm giving those talks, that I've checked in with the people around me to make sure I've asked, how did I do? You can always improve, and you can always do better. It's important that you get others to-- who will tell you the truth, to reflect on what you did that could be improved and what you did that maybe you should leave behind next time.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So John, when we were talking before the podcast, you mentioned how important you feel it is for leaders to the culture of their organizations. Can you tell me why this is important to you and examples of how you've made this happen? So the nature days would be one of those examples, but what else have you done to really make the culture come to life?

JOHN LOUNDS: What I've tried to do is instill a culture where people should listen to each other. You can learn a lot from not assuming that when somebody has said something, that that's actually what they're thinking, and get underneath that and listen to what they're really saying. The culture as I see it is you listen hard, you work hard, you play some, and again, you need to know that you can actually accomplish a lot more than you think you can, especially if you're working with your team.

And I try and walk that talk. Like I said, trying to be a flexible, caring place to work, having people get out into nature so that they understand-- I mean, we've got a lot of people that work in the field, but we also have a lot of people that work in the office doing finance and other things that it's important for them to actually get to see the work. And if you're here for 15 years, which sounds like a long time, we give you a week and some funds to go and travel anywhere in Canada to go and understand what that part of the world is like and get outside. So we try and really live that as much as we can.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's amazing. John, I really enjoyed the conversation, and lots of amazing insights for myself and for the people who listen to the Leader Lab. I'm curious, just as we round out our conversation, if you had one practical piece of advice for leaders, something they can take away from this conversation and go do tomorrow that would really impact their effectiveness, what would that piece of advice be?

JOHN LOUNDS: Well, I always start with my Stephen Leacock quote, which is, "I'm a great believer in luck, and the harder I work, the more I have of it." That's always watchwords for me. And one of the ways I try and do that is by not get caught up in the day-to-day and remember what the important things are. And I've had to do that. I do try and set aside three to four hours at least once a week to work on something important, because once you set aside that much time, you actually can't do your job, which is to think several years out, not just worry about what happened this month, last month.

And I even take that to another place where I actually will go out to a place that's likely within a forest or nearby, and I'll take two to three days and actually just sequester myself and go and do that, because I find unless you actually step back from the day-to-day, you forget your perspective on what the important things are and what needs to be done in order to take you out for the next several years.

ANNOUNCER: And now, let's get to know our guest a little better with some rapid fire questions.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: As we wrap up the podcast, we have my favorite part.

JOHN LOUNDS: Uh oh.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: The random questions. Don't worry, they're not hard.

[LAUGHTER]

And just your first responses.

JOHN LOUNDS: OK.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: First, the craziest place in the world that you've been.

JOHN LOUNDS: Oh no.

[LAUGHTER]

The craziest place in the world that I've been? That's supposed to be my first response?

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Yeah. There's no right answer.

JOHN LOUNDS: I know there's no right answer, but I could do a lot of places.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: That's awesome. Or most surprising place.

JOHN LOUNDS: Manila. Oh, a surprising place? Labrador.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: Are you an early bird or a night owl?

JOHN LOUNDS: Early bird.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: I'm not surprised. You as a teenager in three words.

JOHN LOUNDS: Lost, driven, and a bit unsure of myself.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: So a typical teenager.

JOHN LOUNDS: Yeah.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: And your favorite emoji?

JOHN LOUNDS: I hate emojis.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS] Fair enough. And the all-important final question-- how do you feel about Brussels sprouts?

JOHN LOUNDS: I'm not a fan.

TINEKE KEESMAAT: [LAUGHS] Awesome.

ANNOUNCER: Thank you for joining us today on Leader Lab. Leader Lab is powered by Tiltco, helping exceptional leaders achieve extraordinary results. And the Ivey Acedmy at Ivey Business School, Canada's home for learning and development. You can learn more about Tiltco and Leader Lab a tiltco.ca. And to find out more about the Ivey Academy, go to iveyacademy.com.

In this episode, Jeff Fielding discusses:

• His job trajectory (01:04)
• Four leadership principles and how they’ve guided him through challenging times (02:07)
• How to handle a crisis (04:15)
• How to develop “leadership courage” to have difficult conversations (06:13)
• The value of humour in tense situations (07:20)
• Lessons learned from navigating complex stakeholder relationships (08:16)
• Managing the impact of social media on public discussion (10:13)
• The importance of lifelong learning to remain current and connected (12:50)
• How to prepare for the first month of a new leadership role (15:32)
• How leaders can bring people together and build consensus (19:27)
• How he feels about brussel sprouts (23:08)

Jeff’s advice for leaders:

• Do the right thing and do it well (02:10)
• Care about other people (03:16)
• Be true to yourself and lead by example (06:16)
• Communicate clearly, and with the goal of being understood (09:26)
• Listen and learn before taking action (15:50)

More about Jeff Fielding

Jeff Fielding has been in civil service since 1978. He’s a consensus builder and passionate civil leader known for speaking truth to power. Now the Chief of Staff to the city manager for Toronto, he’s also held the job of city manager for Calgary, Burlington, Ont., and the City of London. Fielding is also an educator who has lectured at Western University’s Ivey School of Business in the MBA and Executive MBA programs, as well as in the University of Winnipeg’s Geography Department.

Fielding was the first recipient of the Award of Excellence in Local Government from Western University. He also received a John Robinson Award for Reducing Violence Against Women and a Calgary Construction Association Partnership Award for Industry Partnership. He’s a board member of the Canadian Council for Private Public Partnership and an Executives-in-Residence at the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at the Ivey School of Business.

Links to additional resources:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/city-manager-jeff-fielding-1.4974968

“There’s a lot going on in people’s minds today and trying to understand that and gain those insights is absolutely critical as a leader, because you can misstep so easily.”

In this episode, Michael Downey discusses:

• The culture change he felt was needed at Tennis Canada (02:00)
• What he did to create change (02:54)
• The importance of having people at the top who support your vision (04:03)
• How he managed push back from those in the industry who weren’t on board with this plan to bring in external talent (05:12)
• Key lessons learned (07:52)
• How his vision for the organization developed over time (09:09)
• His approach to creating the right strategy and culture (14:34)
• The importance of continuing to push for growth (17:36)
• Advice for other companies looking to shift their strategy (20:55)
• His favourite emoji (25:10)

Michael’s advice for leaders:

• Look at the problem from every angle (02:54)
• Know where your resources are and make the most of them (07:52)
• Be nimble (09:46)
• Get outside help if needed and keep your board on board (21:18)
• Let your passion show (22:21)

More about Michael Downey:

Michael Downey has been the President and CEO of Tennis Canada since 2004, with a brief break between 2013 and 2017, when the left to head up the British Lawn Tennis Association.  During his tenure at Tennis Canada he set out to transform the organization from one known for hosting tournaments to a leader in talent development and high performance. He’s credited with changing the company’s culture and prompting its board of directors to invest in new talent. His work helped develop tennis stars such as Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard, whose performances on the world stage raised the profile of Tennis Canada to unprecedented levels. In 2013, he was recruited to oversee British Tennis, where he led the development of a new strategic plan focussed on reversing a decade long decline in grassroots participation.

He was previously the president of the Ontario-Western Canada region at Molson Breweries and held senior executive positions with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors. He also served as President of Skydome and Molson Sports and Entertainment. Downey lives in Toronto with his wife Jinder and has three children, Schara, Mackenzie and Sam.

Links to additional resources:

http://www.tenniscanada.com

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/tennis/article-rising-stars-boost-interest-in-tennis-in-canada-but-lack-of-winter/

Memorable quote:

“It’s about focus, and doing your best practices and developing the strategies – and then basically sticking to the approach because it may not be easy out of the gate.”

Hilaree Nelson is the first woman to climb Mt Everest & Mt Lhotse within 24 hours, she’s trekked through the jungles of Mynamar in a quest to map out its tallest peak, and, has led teams through expeditions in some of the most wild and wonderful corners of the earth. National Geographic named her 2018 Adventurer of the Year. North Face has named her their Athlete Captain. And, she’s become a strong advocate for environment and the foundation Protect Our Winters

Leadership lessons learned:

1. Failure alone is a moment, it’s what you do after that creates growth.
2. Say what’s on your mind, say it early and be direct.
3. Help teams find trust in each other, it will enable them to perform in the tough moments.
4. Take time to understand each team members backstory , understanding motivations will help you in a crisis situation. 
5. Never let yourself become a know-it-all, be a lifelong learner
6. Don't get caught up in your mistakes, it is how you handle it that will make you a strong leader. 
7. Follow your passion, the rest will follow.

Mentioned in this episode:

Hilaree Nelson website

Hilaree Nelson Instagram

Protect Our Winters website

TILTCO website 

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Michael Katchen has acheived personal leadership and company growth at the same time.  Wealth Simple started as a simple investment tool on an excel sheet and now holds over $6 billion in assets.  The company has a winning culture which plays a big part in its success. 

Key Takeaways:

• Wealthsimple has disrupted the financial services industry, but it was an accident. Its creation came from a much more natural place. Michael wanted to make investing easier for his generation. 
• People and teams love big visions. Michael strives to get the best out of his employees by giving everyone a purpose and take on more accountability in their roles. 
• The scale of the business has grown dramatically and Michael is still trying to find his footsteps. He is a first time CEO managing 300 people. As a pretty green leader, he is constantly reinventing himself to meet the demands of each stage of the business. 
• As you scale drastically, you will have to give up some control or else the whole ecosystem just won’t work. 
• What kind of talent does Michael look for? He looks for a ‘Maker Owner’. Someone who has a desire to build new things and an owner that is willing to step up and face the problems or roadblocks in the way. 
• Good company culture has played a huge part in the success of Wealthsimple, but so many founders get culture wrong. Regular drinks outside of work or a ping pong table doesn’t make ‘culture’. 
• As a leader, it’s okay to admit when you don’t know something. Show vulnerability, have humility, and have good mentors on your side. 
• Figure out what kind of leader you want to be. There are a lot of leadership styles, so take on one that feels natural to you. 
• Stay until the end for some rapid fire questions with Michael! 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Wealthsimple.com

Give Away Your Legos — Article 

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Scott Rutherford is an Associate Professor and the Executive Director of the Weider Foundation Leadership Development Lab at the Rotman School of Management. Prior to this, Scott was the Practice Expert on Leadership Mindsets and Capabilities at McKinsey & Company. Today’s discussion dives into the differences between happiness and joy, and why it’s important to focus and pursue joy instead of happiness. With so many leaders in very rewarding and prestigious positions, why is it that they’re so unhappy? Scott weighs in! 

Key Takeaways:

• Scott shares the difference between chasing happiness and chasing joy. Happiness is temporary, but joy is a much deeper feeling. It is a mood. 
•  We want independence, autonomy, and freedom. We are granted those things by working fulfilling jobs, but as we climb up the ladder to continue to strive for these core desires, we end up moving further and further away from it as all of our free time gets consumed in the work. 
• How can you keep a pulse on your joy? It comes to deliberate thinking on what brings you meaning in life and being present with where you are. 
• Millennials want to do meaningful work and companies are noticing this. They see that in order to make their staff happy, they have to bring more to the table than just a paycheck. 
• Leaders can encourage their staff to experience joy by asking them meaningful questions about why they like the work that they do. Joy is a very personal thing, so each person is going to answer uniquely. Take that in and encourage them to keep pursuing their joy.  

Mentioned in This Episode:

Rotman.utoronto.ca

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior

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David Burnie is the Founder of The Burnie Group, a management consulting firm that focuses on helping clients design innovative strategies and continuously pursue operations excellence. On today’s episode, David discusses how no industry is safe from disruptive innovation and gives tips on how you can be proactive.  

Key Takeaways:

• Some may fear it but automation is going to help society. As more people retire we will have less workers to support them. It will allow people to focus on higher value jobs and eliminate some of the monotony. 
• We are experiencing the fourth industrial revolution. As technology increases exponentially, we will begin to see artificial intelligence, robotic process, and the internet of things explode. 
• With every industrial revolution, people have been scared about their jobs, but these revolutions have significantly improved quality of life. Today we are at the highest level of unemployment we have ever seen. 
• Every industry, even ones that haven’t been affected in years, will be disrupted with innovation, and that’s a good thing! We will be working more efficiently overall. 
• Examples of innovations include:
  • Internet of things will be elevated by 5G and will allow data to be transported very quickly. (eg. will be able to track bananas and optimized shipping conditions based on product demand)
  • Block chain will allow multiple parties to share information (eg. better sharing of electricity between homes)
  •  
• It's important to get ahead of the curve, before your competition does. Here are some things you can do: 
  
  • Get educated - read and go to conferences
  • Bring in experts - don't try to do everything yourself
  • Innovation training -  train your leaders and the front line on new technologies 
  • Embrace innovation - have a contest for employees to bring in new ideas 
  • Performance management & targets - allow people to fail and create incentives to try new things 
  • Innovation funds - work with entrepreneurs and offer to pilot new technologies 
  • Change how you recruit - look for flexibility and adaptability
• Stay until the end for some rapid-fire questions with David! 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Burniegroup.com

Burnie Group Twitter 

Burnie Group LinkedIn

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Joe Thacker is the Founder of Fusion Analytics, a Canadian company that helps retailers use their data to make smarter decisions. Fusion Analytics has been named one of Canada’s fastest growing companies five years in a row. Joe shares how to get a grip on your data and be able to understand it. Does everyone really need a data scientist? It all depends on what kind of problem you’re trying to solve! Before you dive into the data, it’s important to first ask the right questions about what you’d like to achieve with it. 

Key Takeaways:

● Data is exponentially growing, but it is important to not focus on what is available rather what you need. Start by asking what business problem you are trying to solve.

● Instincts are to go too deep too fast which makes you swim in a soup of data. Get alignment at the board and executive level first.

● Give your data scientist (could be internal or external) the problems you need to solve vs. the tools they need.

● Data scientist need so be able answer business questions using plain language (in a way you understand). This is a good screen for the right person for your team.  

● Need to move from being a data scientist to an artist where you can take different points of data and turn it into a story

● Automation is changing the way we work and will continue to make more processes dynamic

● Embrace it knowing we are moving to automation and see how you can get involved or be on the forefront of innovation

● Stay until the end for some rapid fire questions with Joe!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Fusionanalytics.com

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Janeen Speer is the VP of Talent at Shopify. She brings years of leadership experience to the table and has worked in management roles at Starbucks, Lululemon, and WestJet. It is in Shopify’s culture to build a human-centric organization that focuses on their biggest asset — the people. Janeen shares how Shopify leaders reinforce this vision everyday to their team and how current leaders can take some of these human-centric principles and apply it into their own businesses today. 

Listen in as Janeen shares practical ways that Shopify is building its human centric organization including:

- Innovating how it recruits people through a “life story” exercise- Providing free coaching at every level

- Giving people back time through Meetingless Wednesdays

- Hosting "Ask Me Anythings" where team members “vote up” critical questions on their minds; and leaders answer. Real time.

- Investing in understanding people’s personal objectives and considering them as they make work assignment

 - Valuing two distinct paths

                – a technical and leadership path

                – so people can best use their strengths and follow their passions

Stay tuned to the end where Janeen shares her thoughts on how to start your own quest to create a human-centric organization and answers some fun, rapid-fire questions

Key Takeaways:

• What is Shopify’s vision? 
• Janeen shares some practical ways Shopify puts their people first.
•  Free coaching is available to anyone at any level at Shopify.
• What happens on Meetingless Wednesdays and how has that improved mental well being? 
•  Shopify also has leader AMAs (Ask Me Anything), where people in the organization can ask their leaders some of their most burning questions. 
• Shopify has a deep commitment to understanding people’s personal objectives as well. 
• What kind of leadership qualities does Shopify look for? 
• How does Shopify support leaders in their journeys? 
• Janeen offers advice on how you can embark on your own journey to create a human-centric organization. 
• Stay until the end for some rapid-fire questions with Janeen!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Shopify.com

Janeen on LinkedIn

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