Canada’s former top general told an Okotoks business audience strong, positive leadership is key to surviving hard times, whether it’s on the battlefield or in the boardroom.
Retired gen. Rick Hillier, the former chief of the defense staff of the Canadian Forces, shared lessons from a long military career and leadership through hardship.
He spoke during an Oct. 6 lunch meeting at the St. James Church hosted by the Okotoks and High River Chambers of Commerce.
Sharing stories from his own career and military history in Canada and Newfoundland (his home province), Hillier said leaders always need to retain a sense of optimism, no matter what is happening around them.
“There are hard times and those hard times are cyclical, but there’s a thing about knowing you’re going to get through those hard times and I call that perpetual optimism,” he said.
Hillier recalled one of the most difficult days he had as chief of defense staff. On July 4, 2007 his phone rang at 3 a.m. and he was informed six members of the Canadian Forces were killed in battle in Afghanistan.
When Hillier was briefed on the situation later in the morning, he said everyone in the room looked sad and despondent. He said they committed to return the soldiers’ bodies to their families and look after their wounded and their families.
Before going out to make the news public, Hillier had one message for everyone around him. He said they could grieve, but they had to leave the room composed and ready to move forward.
“We’re going to do all our grieving in the next 30 seconds because if we walk out of this room looking like we do now, in two or three hours the 2,000 people serving in national headquarters are going to end up looking exactly the same way as do,” he said.
Carrying on as though nothing was wrong was the last thing he wanted to do, Hillier said, but it was essential because everyone else in the forces looked to him for leadership.
He said leaders thrust into difficult times need to be able to settle themselves, rally their team behind them and move forward.
It’s important to inspire people to be a part of your organization, said Hillier.
Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan would often carry as much as 110 pounds of equipment and gear with them, often in stiflingly hot conditions. Hillier said inspiration, strong leadership and preparation were essential to keep them moving forward.
“If you don’t inspire people and set them up for success, if they aren’t trained to do it, they don’t develop that strength and the fitness, they simply can’t do it,” he said.
According to Hillier, leaders should grow and mature, but should also never forget who they are.
“Remain your true self,” he said.
And, it’s important not to let ego get out of control. A little bit of ego is fine, said Hillier, because it makes a person want to be competitive, but too much leads to arrogance.
“Arrogance really discourages people,” he said. “It pisses people off. If you’re a leader who wants to inspire people, you don’t want to piss them off.”
Andrew Gustafson, Okotoks Chamber of Commerce president, said Hillier’s message is timely for businesses during the recent economic downturn.
He said businesses in Alberta are facing difficult times, but they can persevere. Gustafson took to heart Hillier’s advice to put things in perspective.
“Businesses in Alberta are feeling some tough times and it’s easy in those situations to become a little bit down and a little pessimistic,” said Gustafson. “The message we would take from him is to just maintain a degree of perspective and understand that if you look at the future there’s actually some bright points.”
Though Hillier’s background may be in the military, Gustafson said his experience as a leader is important for business owners.
“Leadership principles are leadership principles, whether you’re on the front lines in Afghanistan or in a small business,” he said. “The scale and complexities are different, but the basic leadership principles can remain the same and be applied in both situations.
