Category Archives: Life

Leaders Need to Model The Behavior

We are in funny period with our fight against the pandemic. It is very clear that the spread of the virus 🦠 is reduced when we reduce our mobility and congregating in large groups. Our leaders are frustrated with the public and how they will not adhere to the rules. Pause and look at what our leaders are doing. The first step in changing behaviour for any leader is to model the desired behaviour- whether you are a parent, government leader or manager. I find it almost comical that our public leaders in both government and our health industry are travelling outside of the country to visit their vacation homes or to get some time on the beach. The easiest and most important step for any leader is to model the desired behaviours. Walk the talk.

What Johnny B Taught Me About the Key to Success

I met Johnny B after I graduated high school and was in a Mechanical Engineering program at University. Johnny B and I met through mutual friends one summer – Johnny B was also in Mechanical Engineering but at a different University. Johnny B not only did well at school, he was also a world class rowing athlete. About my size but a cardio machine. Through Johnny B I learned the key to success was to be passionate about your goal. Johnny B would get up every morning, go to the rowing course and practice for hours before school. I learned about the discipline required to be a world class athlete – diet, exercise and rest. I learned about VO2 and how to measure progress. Johnny B was a world class athlete. He went to Olympic qualifiers but never broke through. As I got to know Johnny B, I started to listen more. You see, it was Johnny B’s father that woke him up in the morning, drove him to the rowing course and got the scull out. As I looked into it more I learned that Johnny B’s Dad was actually the driving force. Johnny B’s Dad was a rower as well. In his Dad’s case though, he broke through and competed on the world stage in the Olympics and other competitions. I understood that Johnny B was chasing his Dad’s dream and his Dad’s passion. Johnny B’s Dad passed away and within a few years Johnny B had found another sport. His dream was to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Johnny B got up in the morning on his own, trained vigorously and had huge gains in the sport. And then the unexpected happened, Johnny B had a stroke. It came out of nowhere. Between the ages of 41 to 44 , Johnny B had three strokes, the second of which led to Johnny B being partially blind for months. Johnny B didn’t stop because he had found his passion, not his Dad’s. Johnny B finally qualified for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii at the age of 50. He competed and placed fifth in his age category, achieving his dream. Johnny B taught me that the key to success is finding your passion, not someone else’s. Whatever happened to Johnny B ? He moved on from the Ironman Triathlon dream and opened a local rowing school for children. Everything came full circle. If you aren’t passionate for what you are doing , keep looking. That is when you will truly reach your top performance.

Spots on the Ceiling – Creating a Safe Zone for Bad News

To be a successful leader your team must be comfortable in providing you with timely updates. Everyone is eager to provide the latest good news but how does your team handle bad news ?

My greatest teacher in this has been my daughter. We had just finished a bathroom renovation. One of my greatest concerns through the process, being an Engineer, was to properly size the exhaust fan so we wouldn’t get moisture buildup and mold. Measurements of the room, calculations of air changes and fan selection complete and I was confident we were ok although I was considering upsizing to the next fan. In the end there was no need to upsize and we completed the renovation.

A couple months later I noticed some spots on the ceiling! Not possible, I calculated everything. First step was to repaint the entire ceiling with stain reducing paint and the next was to look at ripping open the ceiling and putting in a larger fan – I knew it! Before I went too far my wife relayed a message from my teenaged daughter – the spots were from hair colouring and not mold. She was just worried to tell me because of the reaction.

At home, as at work, my reaction to someone “not following the plan” or “not having the necessary discipline” or “not working hard enough” was not always constructive. I still work at this. One of the first messages for my teams is that there is no good news or bad new. It is all information we need to provide on a timely basis so we can react. Whether at home or at work when presented with bad news – Listen and don’t jump to conclusions, share the pain, don’t say “I told you so”, watch your body language, absorb the information and then work together to a solution. Reacting in the wrong way will stop the flow of information and you may find yourself needlessly spending time, effort and money on the wrong solutions.

Leaders Can Build Others Up or Tear Others Down

Entering Grade 8 I was introduced to a new style of leadership that I will never forget. My home room teacher assembled the class and stood at the front of the room behind a podium. The first words out of his mouth were “I am God to you this year. I hold your future in my hands. Follow my rules and you will be ok”. I can’t remember the rest, I only remember the message. Like many of my classmates, this took us off guard and set us back a bit as we were all looking forward to high school followed by a post secondary education. I didn’t respond too well to this type of leadership and did not have my best performing year coming off a string of good years. At the end of the year, the recommendation from this self proclaimed God was that I set my sights lower and not consider post secondary education, just get the basics.

Thankfully my parents built me back up, convinced me otherwise and I was capable of much more. I went on to high school and ended up with an Engineering degree followed by a career of increasing scope and leadership.

My preference in leadership has always been to build people up and help them reach higher, knowing that I will be there to support them should they stumble. Build confidence rather than tear people down and destroy it. Thankfully I didn’t listen to the advice of my Grade 8 leadership.

One day when I returned to my hometown I took a trip to the local hardware store to pick something up for my Dad. To my surprise (and to be honest bringing a smile to my face), the Grade 8 self-proclaimed God was stocking shelves. I never understood his motivation in his leadership style and really didn’t care enough to ask him.