Leader Impact Group - Leader Profiles

Paul Henderson - Hockey Legend

On Wednesday June 23, 2010, Paul Henderson made history again.

The hockey legend is well known for scoring the winning goal for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the former Soviet Union. Now, the jersey he wore when scoring that goal in the final game of the series has been sold for $1.275 million at an auction. According to the Toronto Star, that makes this jersey the most expensive piece of hockey memorabilia sold, beating the previous auction record of $191,200 paid for a Bobbie Orr rookie jersey.

Learn more about Paul as he shares his thoughts on life, leadership, and God. Read about the journey he went on to experience the greatest moment in his life. Read more

Esther Irwin - Former BC Regulatory Analyst, Conoco Phillips

''Money isn't bad, it's how you view it.'' We've often heard the misquote 'money is the root of all evil'. However, it's not the money that's inherently bad, but the love of money, or greed, that is the root of evil. Esther Irwin is at a stage in life where many are counting their pennies and thinking about how to use their money for themselves, but she has another outlook on what money can buy.

In this month's feature video, Esther talks about the joy of giving and her passion for helping others in need. Do you have favorite causes and charities you like giving to? Is giving just for the rich?

Talk about this video on our blog.

Esther De Wolde - CEO - Phantom Screens

Our business has been hit hard by the current economic downturn. Most of our customers are American, so the tumbling of the Canadian dollar and the crisis in the U.S. economy has forced us to tighten our belts and re-examine our position in the global marketplace. We started the year with 120 employees … now we’re down to 80.

Here’s failure number one: being a fat cat. For the past 16 years, our business has experienced unbelievable growth. But we were fat cats, we overlooked some inefficient spending and use of resources here and there. We took our success for granted and thought it would never end. It’s when things are going well that the greatest of leaders lose their edge – and I am definitely guilty.

The hardest part about fat cat syndrome is recognizing it when you’re in the thick of it. Being part of LeaderImpact group can help. The solid relationships you develop with other Christian business leaders keep you grounded and focused on what’s important. They’re people you can rely on when times are bad and celebrate with when times are good.

Right now, when times aren’t so good, it’s especially important to rely on each other. It’s incredibly reassuring to talk to others who are experiencing similar struggles and to encourage one another as business leaders and as Christians. No one should have to go through this alone. LeaderImpact group is a great place to connect with your peers, learn from their experiences and share your own story of faith in the marketplace.

I’m certain we will ride out this storm and see growth in our business again. I’m also certain we won’t go back to being fat cats – and hopefully we can help other businesses and leaders learn from our mistakes and experience growth and successes of their own.

Gerry O'Mahoney - COO - TD Waterhouse

“My efforts to shield them ‘from mistakes’ backfired on me and on them and it became a very nasty situation. So, my learning was to address the issues head on and be more transparent than I’d ever been.” Says Gerry O’Mahoney.

Leaders are drivers and always lured towards more challenging goals…so by definition have more opportunity to make mistakes. Misjudging people, not dealing with a problem in a timely manner, confusing success with significance, are just a few of the traps leaders fall into.

In a tough economic climate can leaders afford to make mistakes? Does fear of failure paralyze us from making the right decision? Is there an upside to making mistakes?

The fact is, mistakes are inevitable and every leader needs to face the challenge of leading through situations where you “wish you could have that back again.”

Mark Bachman - Co-Founder - Better the World

"You never run out of things to do so you need to be able to take a longer-term approach. It’s not a series of sprints, it really is a marathon and you need to make sure you’ve got that balance."

Leaders carry the weight of a never-ending list: tasks to be done, calls to be made, contacts to be followed up with. The daily pressure of our professional lives can be so demanding that other aspects of our lives that we value are diminished to a distant second place. At times, all of us question if there is a way to “do life better.” So, how do you re-order your reality to ensure that you live a life with no regrets?

"You’ve got to be able to go in, be strategic, work intelligently but be able to turn it off and still have a life."

Clive Lobo - President, Spark Internet Marketing

“We have made it a policy that we will only work with companies that share a similar value system to ours.”

Values and morals are critical to long-term success. “We were once offered an amazing amount of money by a gambling organization to do their marketing. We turned it down quickly because we knew who we were and who we wanted to work with.”

Too many people and businesses today have failed to do the hard work of figuring who they are. In the long run it makes life a lot easier!

Rod Smith - Former CEO - Blacks Photo

Rod Smith, former CEO of Blacks Photo was at the wheel as the company transitioned to the digital reality we all face today. There were many lessons learned during that time and timing was key to their success. “being too early or too late in the transition held equal amounts of risk” states Smith. “thankfully we hit it just about right, while we were ahead of most of our competitors and even vendors, we were well positioned for the very rapid consumer adoption of digital technology”.

Carissa Reiniger - Founder and President - Silver Lining Ltd.

One of my greatest shocks in my young career was when I realized I don’t know everything. As much as I joke about this, I was shocked by this realization. The strongest leaders acknowledge this and build a complimentary team around them. True confidence comes from the ability to admit what you’re great at and what you’re not good at.

Braden Douglas - Principal - Relevention Marketing Inc.

"For me the biggest lesson is to have a long term mentality, to be here for the long haul and make decisions based on that. I don't want to just be a one hit wonder."

Building a business that lasts means doing everything you can to make the client happy. It means correcting mistakes when they are made and over delivering, rather than taking the easy way out to save a few dollars in the short term.

"I want to have a long standing business. This mindset has proved to be very successful for me so far."

Bill Adsit - President & CEO, Tahltan Nation Development Corp.

"Everybody has a story to tell, and everybody can add something to your life."

Listening is an important skill that everyone can improve on. Many times, being too quick to speak and not taking the time to listen can lead to miscommunication, mistakes, and frustration. Showing respect by listening to others' opinions and stories not only results in a reciprocal courtesy, but can also help you learn something new.

"The most important character strength a leader can have is respecting anyone that you come in contact with. Everybody deserves respect."

Paul Neustaedter - President & Owner, Steinbach Dodge Chrysler Ltd.

Good decision making is the backbone of a successful business. But when faced with so many different decisions to be made every day, how do you know which is the right one to make? Sometimes, it's about taking chances and relying on instinct to make a quick decision.

"If I am going to have an accuracy of 80% on making decisions, I just want to make more decisions than the next person…at the end of the day, even though I've made some wrong decisions, I'll be further ahead because of that."

Lorne & Ingrid Plett - President, IDC Communications

Being a good leader is not about giving orders from behind a desk and demanding compliance. It is about being willing to lead by example, taking the time to explain and demonstrate what needs to be done, and showing that you care not only about the business, but also about the people. It is this philosophy that has brought success to the partnership Lorne and Ingrid have not only in business, but in life.

"A true leader is somebody that will never ask anybody else to do something he wouldn't do himself."

Lyall Samaroden - Consultant, Bench Solutions

In this month's feature video, Lyall talks about being a spiritual or faith based person, but not a religious one. He sees his quest to discovering spirituality as exploring and respecting the different faiths, asking the big questions and seeing what answers each one has to offer. He says of the difference between him and those who subscribe to a particular faith, 'A religious person finds one (faith) that is reflective of their reality that they can attach themselves to and believe with all of their being.'

Do you agree with Lyall's view of spirituality and religion?

Talk about the video on our blog.

Lyall Samaroden - Consultant, Bench Solutions

The notion of ROI is a familiar one especially in the business realm, so it doesn't seem like a stretch to apply that basic principle to other parts of life. When it comes to faith and spirituality, many often approach it with that mentality - what's in it for me? How will I benefit? What will I gain from committing my time and energy to God or some other faith?

In our continuing conversation with Lyall, he shares some thoughts on these questions. "Once you create that desire within someone then they're going to have that pull to want to follow or want to engage. Until you can reach that desire quotient, it's really a futile effort."

What's in it for you? What do you gain from your faith or spiritual beliefs?

Talk about this video on our blog.