The Art of Leadership Toronto 2017: Conference Summary by The Art Of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY Toronto | November 28, 2017

CONTENTS

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

About The Art of Leadership

Welby Altidor Creativity & Collaboration

Vince Molinaro Engagement & Accountability

Dr. Tasha Eurich Self-Awareness & Performance

Amanda Lang Innovation & Change

Vice President Joe Biden Leadership

Executive Panel

Bill Williams Closing Remarks

Sponsors & Partners

Many companies like to use quantifiable data to measure the impact of its efforts on productivity. But while the beans are still being counted, creativity is finally finding its rightful place alongside the bean counters. These days, scoring leadership has fallen by the wayside, and words like measuring employee engagement, satisfaction and accountability have become a critical part of the lens through which leadership is evaluated. What makes a leader great? Upholding corporate values and steering a course that is clear to everyone involved? Defining and creating a great culture? Making tough decisions and owning them? Being able to admit to failure, while creating an opportunity for growth and learning from it? Leadership is all of the above and more. Working beyond the status quo, creating change without fear and fostering inclusivity amongst teams are just a few of the goals that define what great leadership is all about.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Welby ALTIDOR

Vince MOLINARO

Amanda LANG

Dr. Tasha EURICH

Vice President JOE BIDEN

Welby

ALTIDOR Executive Creative Director formerly with Cirque du Soleil and Author

You don’t have to be a superhero to have superpowers.

CREATIVITY & COLLABORATION

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Creativity Benefits Business As leaders, we have a choice to either empower and nurture creativity within our companies or sacrifice creativity to maintain corporate rules. The downside to this approach is that we sacrifice growth. 95% of all people never get to connect and discover their superpowers—their creativity and the ability to do amazing work. Sadly, they never get a chance to practice them, hone them, or best of all … share them. “You don’t have to be a superhero to have superpowers.”

focussing on achieving the outcome. Ask yourself, when you leave an organization, finish, or move on to the next project, what value did you bring from your work?

Process Can Drive Amazing Outcomes Amazing results with an amazing outcome comes from implementing a process that is just as amazing as the work itself. In my leadership role, the most important job was to create the most fertile soil or environment possible, to allow my coworkers and colleagues to flourish and excel creatively. In other words, the work needs to transcend itself. Think about how you have impacted the process; how you have changed or improved something for the better, rather than just

Play, Don’t Think (Too Much) The greatest athletes bring themselves

Caution, Imagination at Work In the corporate world, there is a sense of suspicion aimed at the use of imagination. Often times, we’re afraid to let our minds wander, or in fact, let other’s minds wander. Even if you are afraid of the unknown, and afraid of trying new things, don’t be a hindrance to others. Don’t be afraid to ruffle feathers, most of all … don’t be afraid.

to a point where they don’t think while they play, it just comes naturally. thinking itself can sometimes often be the hindrance. Why can’t we reach that point creatively? How do we get there? The Path to Creative Courage starts with building trust. Fostering trust is the first step to fostering creativity and building trust amongst your team. One can try to push the boundaries of creativity because everyone is collaborating with those they trust. Playing with danger lets people play outside their comfort zones while they push their boundaries, and therefore their limitations. You’re providing a safety net for them with the trust you have built as you unlock your team’s creative courage.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Vince

MOLINARO

No one ever said, give me a team of zombies and watch me soar.

New York Times Bestselling Author and Leadership Expert

ENGAGEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY 72% of Fortune 500 companies believe leadership accountability is a critical issue while 27% believe they have a strong leadership culture. As the leadership model changes, we need strong leaders at every single level. The words and expectations that we attribute to a leader don’t just apply to CEOs and top-level executives. Anyone in a leadership role or those seen as a leader have those expectations applied to them. Let’s face it, we have people in leadership roles who simply are not leading and they need to be accountable for it.

1. Hold others accountable to high standards 2. Set expectations clearly 3. Tackle tough issues and make difficult decisions 4. Effectively communicate the strategy 5. Express optimism about the company and its future and display clarity about external trends

“No one ever said, give me a team of zombies and watch me soar”

Leadership is an obligation Step up. There is a lot that is going to be expected of you. Many leaders are not clear

The Leadership Contract Leadership is a decision Make the decision to take on leadership correctly, don’t simply agree to it. Define yourself through your leadership role. If you don’t, you won’t succeed.

on what their obligations are. Are you leading through self-interest or through obligation? How are you leaving your organization in better shape than you found it? Leadership is hard work If you want to be liked, rethink being a leader. Being able to make tough decisions and getting tough with yourself is part of the struggle. Truly accountable leaders have a sense of toughness that is based on a genuine sense of caring. Leadership is a community – CONNECT Leadership doesn’t exist in silos, it is horizontal. Sometimes a culture is so toxic and competitive, the competition inside is greater than outside. If you don’t like it, create it. A company’s culture is more powerful than its’ leader.

5 Behaviours of Accountable Leaders Is there a correlation between leadership accountability and company performance? When you take on a leadership role, you’ve signed up for something very important, something that is not always apparent to leaders—behaviours. There are five behaviours of accountable leaders:

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Dr. Tasha

EURICH New York Times Bestselling Author, Organizational Psychologist and Researcher

Leaders who are more selfaware and curious become more self-accepting in the process.

SELF-AWARENESS & PERFORMANCE Myth or Fact? Studies show that the most incompetent people are the most confident about their performance, and yet 95% of people would tell you that they are self-aware. How you see yourself and how others see you can be different. How many people are ACTUALLY self-aware? Try 10-15%. Most leaders do not start off being selfaware – they just believe they are. Those who are more self-aware and curious become more self-accepting in the process. Seeing who you are, clearly and compassionately, allows you to gently stop making that assumption. Self-aware leaders don’t assume they are leaders. They ask what, not why. They learn the brutal truth as they build self-aware teams.

independently but which type do you need to focus on the most, and which the least? • We understand our values and principles. • We understand what we’re passionate about. • We know what we want to accomplish and experience both at work and life . • We understand where we fit, the environment that makes us happy and engaged. • We understand our patterns of our personality. • We understand our reactions—knowing our momentary reactions, strengths & weaknesses. • We understand our impact on others The What and the Why Thinking isn’t knowing. In fact, studies show

the more we think about ourselves the less we actually know ourselves. To deal with a tough boss, for example, replace the ‘Why’ questions with ‘What’ questions. Instead of asking WHY are we like oil and water, ask WHAT can I do to work better with my boss? Learn the Brutal Truth To develop external self-awareness, you must make it a daily commitment to receive feedback—not just positive, but critical. 83% of high-performing leaders receive critical feedback. Ensure those who give you critical feedback have your best interests at heart. Do not defend or explain, but listen and ask questions to understand that the feedback you receive is not an indictment about you.

“Leaders who are more self-aware and curious become more self-accepting in the process.” The 7 Pillars of Internal Self-Awareness There are two kinds of self-awareness: Internal, whereby you see yourself clearly and External, whereby you know how others see you. Both types work

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Amanda

Change isn’t a group activity. People can do it at the same time, but they tend to change at their own time and pace.

LANG

Anchor, Bloomberg TV Canada and Bestselling Author

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION LEADS TO REAL CHANGE Our Collective Toddler Everyone is capable of innovation. Toddlers asked the question, “why?” so much that it became a trait that defines a stage of human development. Style of thinking is the last faction of diversity because thinking is what defines us. People discriminate against others, based on their thinking style. Let’s face it, there are no right questions.

place, it’s not a static thing, it needs to be constantly enabled. Well-intentioned corporations often have a set of best practices; challenging and questioning them can ruffle feathers. But change doesn’t always have to be bad, it can be good. To bring about change and innovation, pay attention to everything you do personally and professionally, and engage to let your brain formulate the way to change.

Engagement Leads to Innovation To get to a culture of innovation, you have to create an environment that lets you ask the questions Why? and Why not? These two questions bring out the status quo bias in humans. You like what you know so why change or try something different if you’ve done it the same way for so long?

Leading for Discovery Our linear nature compartmentalizes infor-

mation and thoughts, so how do we innovate? Leaders need to be the ones who let people be curious, and let some questions be left unanswered. Corporate systems stop people from being curious, asking questions, and being innovative. Collaborate with people you don’t know, or who don’t necessarily think the same to foster innovation. Identify bottlenecks and find a way to push ideas through. If ideas died there once, they will die there again. Ask questions about processes. Instead of reacting emotionally, ask why? and what could be done differently?

“Change isn’t a group activity. People can do it at the same time, but they tend to change at their own time and pace.” Change Not for Change’s Sake We talk a lot about disruption and the need to change. Once change takes

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

Vice President

JOE BIDEN 47th Vice President of the United States

Leadership is making the decisions and owning them.

LEADERSHIP Leadership Creates Culture Leadership is about sharing the success and sharing the losses with everyone. It’s about holding yourself accountable; to be open to ridicule, praise, and personal attack in the pursuit to uphold and create a great culture. Smart Leaders Hire Smart People Even though most people have a fear of being outshone, surround yourself with people who are smarter than yourself. Do not attribute education to good judgment because even the most incredibly educated people don’t always know how to make the right decisions. Do not underestimate the ability of the human mind to rationalize because character is not a consequence of several different acts, it’s a product of consistency and people upholding their word.

in the case of Osama Bin Laden to ensure that psychological and physical terrorist networks were brought down. “Leadership is making the decisions and owning them.” Lead By Your Decisions Leaders need to make the tough decisions. That means taking all the facts and understanding all the perspectives. It also means taking the blame for the consequences of your actions, understanding the risks, and sharing the praise when it’s due.

What Leadership Really Means The people who change the culture are the people who take risks and make themselves vulnerable to criticism, in hopes of changing the culture, shifting the norm, and setting an example for the rest of the world. Leadership means that you understand that what you are doing is a call of duty; what you do is bigger than just yourself or for your own monetary gain. Ask yourself what value do you have that you are willing to lose in order to succeed and stay true to what you say you are about? How can you be the leader that you want to be and say you are?

Be Accountable A leader needs to take extreme accountability on consequential decisions. For example, Barack Obama was willing to put his career on the line

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EXECUTIVE PANEL

PAUL BRANNEN Chief Operating Officer & EVP, Mobile and Enterprise Solutions, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc Great leaders are defined by their response to tough times rather than success by making gut decisions and being able to respond swiftly to correct bad decisions. Innovation comes from bringing together creative individuals from different fields to construct creative solutions to normal problems. Rather than filling a hiring quota, look for the right talent to build your team.

HOLGER KORMANN President, ADP Canada Engagement is a very telling statistic about the quality of your leadership culture. Constantly seeking feedback from your team is the best way to learn about how your employees are engaged. It is very easy to find talent, but the selection process is extremely difficult. Great leaders understand that learning how to hire the right talent is an ongoing process.

ANDRE VALIQUETTE Vice President, Central-East Sales Commercial, Dell EMC Canada Adaptability is the most important trait to a leader. Aligning the right people with the right teams to collaborate, ensures the product you give your customers is the best. Success begets success. Putting your employees in a position to create success for themselves naturally empowers them to find success when put in a difficult situation.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

CLOSING REMARKS You don’t have to be a superhero to have super powers Every person on the planet has the potential for genius. What is your super power? How do we do amazing work amazingly? Because in leadership good intentions aren’t enough. Working for a great leader is an AMAZING experience. It’s infectious! Will you succumb to a toxic environment or be the BEST you can be? Because leadership is a decision and YOU have to make it. No one ever said, “Surround me with zombies and watch me soar!” Self-awareness equals understanding who you are and how we’re seen. The cult of ‘SELF’ is trying to recruit EVERYONE! We are becoming more self-absorbed and less self aware. People who are more internally self-aware understand the impact they have on others. So ask yourself “What not Why” questions. The thirst to do things better is an innate human quality. An old idea meets a new idea and something changes. That’s innovation. To get a culture of innovation you need to create a culture that allows for “Why?” and “Why not?” Passion, creativity and initiative are gifts you cannot buy. They come from engagement. How we think is who we are. Leadership is about being personal. It’s about being engaged. Give credit and recognition. It engenders loyalty. Surround yourself with smart people. It’s the smart thing to do. Don’t confuse academic credentials with good judgment. Ordinary people have the capacity to do extraordinary things. Character is built on thousands of acts of consistency and integrity. #ItsOnUs Dial up your leadership courage! #TheArtOf Leadership

Bill Williams Partner, VP Learning, The Art Of

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

To know and not to do is really not to know. To learn and not to do something with the learning is really not to have learned. Bill Williams