Generation NEXT
Vol. 9 Issue 3 - April 2005
A bakers dozen of young leaders share their stories of success, struggle and snakes
Researched and edited by Jeff Wickstrom and Dan Rubinstein photography by Ewan Nicholson
Mark Altwasser
No one consistently makes the right decisions.
Age 29 vice-president Western Lakota Energy Services Inc. Calgary
I try to cover a range of reading material. Newspapers, magazines, the Internet, e-mail and newsletters can provide a lot of great information but they present a challenge, because it takes time to read so much. The key is determining which provide useful information and warrant reading, and which are only worth skimming. I often read during time thats not overly productive, like when Im travelling. During my Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees, I focused primarily on strategy, marketing and general business courses. But I was regularly encouraged by my father to consider taking a major in accounting or finance. Looking back, I can see the benefits that a more in-depth level of study would have provided. Having a strong financial understanding is so important in business it is an absolutely vital part of making the proper decisions for your stakeholders. No one consistently makes the right decisions. Mistakes occur and are an important part of developing as an individual. My concern is that I do not make a mistake that causes significant damage to my organization or to my career. However, one cannot live in fear of making mistakes, because taking educated risks is an important part of managing most organizations.
Dave Benjestorf
I always wanted to chart my own path.
Age 33 lawyer, president and co-owner Thinktank Advertising and Design Inc. Edmonton
Ive always known that Ive had drive, creativity and motivation, albeit often misguided in my earlier years. I fondly recall going on family vacations as a young lad my parents and two sisters loaded up in the motorhome for points west. As soon as wed pull into a town or campsite for the day, Id quickly scurry off to see if I could find a job selling fruit at the fruit stand, cleaning boats at the boat rental shack or mowing someones lawn. I always wanted to chart my own path. In January 1995, I moved to the southern tip of Russia, where I studied at the university in the mornings and taught at a variety of schools during the day. Already a tough time for most Russians, the region faced more hardship when the Chechnya conflict erupted. So many people without homes, food and other basic necessities. So many people bewildered by the transformation of their country. So many people who lost loved ones in the conflict and lived in terror. Throughout all of this, however, so many of them offered me food from their tables, so I would leave Russia with a better impression of them. I was humbled and learned that regardless of where we come from, without the shroud of propaganda and politics, we are all innately the same. Its important to have experience in all areas and levels of a business, particularly if youre in upper management, so you know what it takes to make the business run. Your staff will respect your decisions more if they know that youve been there before and are not afraid to roll up your sleeves.
Virginia Bray
No one seems to respect simple hard work anymore.
Age 35 owner nokomis Edmonton
I think a leader should be a little irrational, actually. A leader has to be able to dream things that others may think are nutty and then be decisive about them. The challenge is to be able to convince a team of rational people to help make the ideas work. Money. I think how you earn it is more important than how much you have. No one seems to respect simple hard work anymore. I think thats a terrible thing. Theres tremendous dignity and worth in doing your best at something you believe in. It isnt always possible to be passionate about your job, either; everyone has days when its just a job. It is possible, however, to believe that hard work is perhaps even more worthwhile in the face of a questionable endeavour. You could never buy the rewards that hard, honest work brings. The system is not designed for female entrepreneurs to have young families, so maybe I should have waited to have children. But for how long? Until I wasnt in business any more? That seems incredibly unfair. There are no maternity benefits for self-employed women and that puts huge pressure on a business, co-workers and the womans family. Its so blatantly inequitable, especially when you consider how much employers contribute to EI premiums. I was new to Edmonton when I opened Nokomis. I think it was that combination of circumstances that led me to trust and depend on certain people who I knew were unwise to trust. I let myself feel cornered and dependent. That was a ridiculous and very expensive mistake. If you dont feel a genuine trust in your team its important to break things up as soon as possible. You should never second guess your gut feeling about people when they have positions of responsibility within your company.
Wanda Chalifoux
Knowing that you can accomplish your goals can encourage others to see the possibilities.
Age 21 business administration student, president Circle of Aboriginal Students Grande Prairie
When I graduate, I want to start a business with family and friends back home in High Level. Some friends of mine want to open a salon and spa. My family wants me to get into something oil related, like heavy equipment. I have relatives doing that now. But I want to do both. Im the oldest out of nine siblings. I hardly get to see them, but going to college right out of high school is showing them the importance of getting an education, even if I dont like that Im away from home so much. Right now Im planning a year-end celebration at the Circle of Aboriginal Students. It will be a traditional ceremony with a mini powwow, a round dance, a supper with elders. Its very important to celebrate together. The friendship centre on campus at the Grande Prairie Regional College is somewhere students can come to meet new people and get help with schoolwork. Were trying to start a mentorship program. Its really good for students who come from out of town. To be a good leader you need to have confidence in yourself so you can help others find confidence in themselves. Knowing that you can accomplish your goals can encourage others to see the possibilities and opportunities in their lives.
Heath Gabrysh
Its not about money or possessions.
Age 28 owner Creative Source Graphic Design and Silkscreening Lloydminster
I liked the idea of taking charge of my career while pursing a personal and financial success, rather than depending on a traditional management structure. Being self-employed is a continual battle between achieving success, recognizing that success, and recognizing failure and learning from it without letting it bring you down. Balancing your life outside of work is very important. I am a firm believer in the theory that the more you do, the more you can do, meaning when work is finished, its off to the gym for a workout. Balancing a hectic work schedule with an active lifestyle and a healthy diet is essential. In 20 years, I would love to continue pursuing a variety of different business interests that allow me to grow and learn. Ultimately, its not about money or possessions, but about building relationships and surrounding yourself with those you care about.
Dalynn Harris
Without experience, you have no mistakes to learn from.
Age 20 agriculture business student, former president Alberta and Canadian junior Angus associations Islay
My first presidency was when I was 14. I was the founding president of the Alberta Junior Angus Association. I was expected to lead a group of enthusiastic juniors, most of them four to seven years older than me. This was a concern for many, but because I was confident in my abilities and ambitious about the work, I gained their respect. When working with older people, if you make a mistake, own up to it, learn from it, move on and dont do it again. I have big dreams. I want to be happily married with children, hopefully living on a farm with my purebred Red Angus cattle. I also want to open and manage my own agriculture-based advertising agency. Playing basketball, I naturally took the leading role. I wasnt always the captain, but I was the one motivating everyone else and leading the team verbally on the court. I follow sports very closely. One leader I admire has come through a lot to get where he is today. Steve Nash had many things going against him when he began his NBA career. Hes white, Canadian, short, and not really muscular. A leader needs both confidence and experience. Without confidence, many wont take you seriously; without experience, you have no mistakes to learn from.
Shaheel Hooda
Everything I learned about business, I learned from my father.
Age 33 owner codebaby corp. Edmonton
I live, eat, sleep, breathe this company. Its no secret that Im truly passionate (perhaps neurotic) about the company we are trying to build here. Often Ill wake up in the middle of the night with an idea or Ill come up with something while taking a shower. Needless to say, my team receives some strange messages from me at some of the oddest times. I dont think I do anything specific to prepare for work, but my advice is to sleep a lot and shower often! My first day of class at Harvard made me realize that everything I learned about business, I learned from my father. Although he didnt use the same terminology, he innately understood every concept taught there. After building CodeBaby up into a multi-million-dollar, world-wide success, I want to find the next startup and do it all over again. I hear its easier the second time around. People should shut up about how difficult their lives are. We are very lucky to live in a country like Canada with all of the opportunities it has to offer. There are billions around the world that are worse off than any of us. My ideal dinner guest would be my paternal grandfather. He passed on before I really got a chance to know him or learn from him. Now that I have a son, I see the relationship he has with my father and realize what I missed out on. He was quite the businessman too, so I think Id learn a lot from him. Wed likely have a variety of East-Indian vegetarian dishes topped off with some of his favourite sweets. Im sure hed like that. I watch cartoons (lets call them animated movies) with my three-year-old son, Zeeshan. Since I run a software company that specializes in creating animated 3D characters for companies, I can get away with calling this research!
Theresa Howland
I created a superhero named Wind Woman. I was definitely remembered.
Age 28 manager of green energy marketing at VisionQuest Windelectric, director Canadian Wind Energy Association Calgary
For a long time I thought success meant being in the top of my class, in the top of my peer group, and was defined by achieving the next promotion and by climbing the ladder. There is much more to it than that. Success in my career is now defined by something more altruistic: changing the way we think about electricity and providing a solution to our growing energy needs that makes sense for business and for the environment. The low point of my career was at my first job after university. I was working over 80 hours a week creating new marketing campaigns and promotions. I put all my energy into a job that I did not find personally rewarding and lost focus on everything else in my life. I love attending keynote speeches and look for ah-ha moments. Recently, I heard a captivating speaker push the audience on creating a strong presence and identity to be a dynamic personality that people will remember. I incorporated this into my speech to the same audience later that day. Rather than introducing myself with the standard credentials and background, I created a personality, a superhero named Wind Woman. I was definitely remembered.
Ryan Johnson
I prepare a plan before any meeting.
Age 31 president Iunctus Geomatics Corp. Lethbridge
Our company has gone through enormous change in last few years, so change has been a never-ending part of my life. The one consistent part of my leadership is building consensus and buy-in from everyone involved in a project (which in a small company generally means everyone) so that everyone knows why a specific project is important to the company and ultimately why its important to achieve this goal. If I werent able to work in the geomatics industry, I would likely be involved in the biomedical industry. I find it very interesting how technical advances in genetics are outpacing the moral and legal issues they are creating. I dont have the technical background to work directly in the field but would find it interesting to deal with the legal and social aspects associated with industry. Over the past few years the demands of work have basically encompassed most of my life and relationships. I look forward to creating some aspects of my life that do not include work. This is something I need to do for myself, but it will also allow me to refresh for work.
Stephanie Pollock
If you dig deeper, you get to the root of the problem.
Age 27 community relations and investment advisor Enbridge Inc. Calgary
I love building relationships not in the networking sense, but in the genuine sense of getting to know someones story. I try and challenge status quo by asking the questions that no one wants to ask. Its about getting down to those root causes. We often think we know what something (or someone) is about. Weve already created a story about them most often, without accurate information. We think, Oh, shes just trying to make things difficult. Or, He refuses to use any of my ideas. Ive learned that if you dig a little deeper, you can often get to the root of the problem, which usually isnt what you thought it was about. There have been times over the years when Ive felt very pigeonholed. Ive wanted to say; You are not using me to my potential. Im young, but I can do much more than this. I think that some people carry a really narrow view of what a leader looks like they must be a manager, must be a certain age, must have a certain title, must have a certain number of years experience. To me, leadership is about qualities and attributes that are not tied to anything specific like age, race or gender. I always think of that quotation, The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Every time I catch myself falling into that trap, I remember that I always have a choice. Im only starting to understand what relaxing means. I havent really stopped for the past seven years and its caught up with me a few times. So, Im making more of an effort to find things to help me stay centred, energized and focused. Ive been practicing a form of mediation called Raja Yoga and it really helps me get perspective. They talk a lot about detachment and this has helped me take a deep breath during stressful situations and see things how they really are. Last year, a co-worker died while hiking in Scotland. This guy was so full of life, passion and purpose he woke up every morning and made a conscious decision to be happy. Over 1,000 people showed up to his funeral to honour him. It was absolutely incredible and very inspiring, despite how sad that day was. Success for me means being fully awake in life, having a lot of great people in my life, finding time for fun and doing work that challenges me to be my best. Id invite Eleanor Roosevelt to dinner. She was such a powerful female force during her time and I really respect her. I dont think we hear enough about strong female leaders last years Greatest Canadian competition was a sad example of that. Eleanor Roosevelt was so effective because she continued to push the boundaries of what was possible for women, and she did it respectfully and by gaining peoples trust.
Kyle Shewfelt
I cant remember my life before gymnastics.
Age 22 Olympic gold medallist, public speaker Calgary
In Athens I was successful because I hit the best routine of my life at the time that it mattered most. If I had not won a gold medal but delivered the same performance I would still consider myself successful because I couldnt have had a better performance. The low point of my career was in 2001 when I chose not to go to the World Championships. I really questioned my love for the sport at this point and that was hard to deal with. I look back on this time as a learning experience and I am glad that I went through it because it made my desire to be the best even stronger. When you are able to push through the hard times it really makes you appreciate your success. I get up in the morning, eat breakfast, read the paper and have a coffee. Then I go to training. After the first training I come home, e-mail, make phone calls, have a nap, eat lunch, shower and head back to the gym for my second session. After training I come home, eat dinner, and then I do some more work or watch TV. I am a pretty boring person outside of the gym, but I like to concentrate most of my energy on training. I like my routine and it allows me to focus on the things that are important to me. I think the one thing that is vital is the time right before I go to sleep when I lay in bed and just talk for a bit with my girlfriend, Melissa, about the way our days went. It keeps us very close and connected. We are both busy people and we dont get to see each other too often in the day, so that time at night when we can just relax and reflect is really comforting. I cant remember my life before gymnastics. I have no idea what I would be doing if I wasnt doing this. My biggest fears are missing out on a great opportunity and having someone close to me die. I am also really freaked out by snakes.
Holly Simon
Id like to set a good example by saving my sanity.
Age 24 director TRUCK art gallery Calgary
A leader should be a good communicator, look people in the eye when theyre speaking, make people comfortable, and be assertive. A leader must never panic when things get tough because people are depending on them to give them confidence and direction. I felt really young when I started running the gallery at 22, fresh out of art college, but I dont really feel so green anymore. Most people have been very good to me, treating me with a lot of respect and encouragement. I have occasionally felt that my peers or former classmates harbour a little resentment because I managed to find a job in my field and also in a leadership position. Mostly, I think those people are too hard on themselves. I have seen that most graduating art students need to give themselves time to figure out their plans for work, art and life. Most people are very supportive. Some of them sort of look at me with a glint of motherly love in their eyes as if to say, Ahhh. Shes just like I was at her age. Ive accepted that I cant gain experience any faster than the years can pass and thats that. The visual arts are quite challenging, especially in an ultra-conservative and economy-focused province such as Alberta. It takes a strong stomach to persevere and learn the ropes (how to apply for grants and self-promotion, for example) without alienating yourself from the hand that feeds you. Artists really have to be creative about how to generate income. Theres a delicate balance between surviving within a rigid system and finding ways to educate and promote the importance of what you do. The most important thing is to not stay in a situation that makes you miserable.
Tyler Wry
Im not really great at anything, but Im OK at everything.
Age 27 PhD student in strategic management and organization, social entrepreneurship instructor U of A Edmonton
To me, leadership is being able to see what needs to be done, then going out and doing it without being constrained by fear, risk, or the resources at hand. Moreover, what needs to be done should be aligned with improving the lot of humanity, not just the leader. When I was 20, a friend and I started a student Internet portal website. There were some people who advised us against it, but we did it anyway. We were going to get rich, and fast! We gathered up all of our savings and managed to convince friends and family to invest a pretty sizable sum of money more than Id trust two inexperienced 20 year olds with and started the company. It didnt take long to find out that we couldnt sustain ourselves on our meager advertising revenue, and that the vencaps werent going to come beating down the door to invest. We lost every dime. It was a hard lesson, but it forced me to reconsider what was important in life. This started me down the road to social entrepreneurship and using my energies to try to benefit more people than just myself. If I wasnt doing research on social entrepreneurship, Id probably be a serial social entrepreneur trying to launch project after project after project. I have four or five ideas for social ventures Id like to pursue in addition to the ones Im working on right now. Of course, the income potential in serial social entrepreneurship isnt all that hot. Really, it keeps the miserable aspects of normal entrepreneurship (risk, thankless work, financial hardship and so on) and combines them with the potential to make no money if the venture is successful. Seeing as Ive already lost my shirt trying normal entrepreneurship, I think (actually know) my wife would divorce me if I decided on this as my life course. Really, Im happy to be going down the academic road. The pay sucks while youre in school, but once you graduate you get to do the research you want, you get a paycheck, and you get to keep your wife! What I like most about myself is that my Protestant apologism makes me feel incredibly awkward about discussing what I like most about myself. Okay, I realize thats a cop out, so here it goes.... What I like most about myself is that Im slightly above average in enough ways that people think Im well above average. Im not really great at anything, but Im OK at everything. Im also a really nice guy. Honest. What do I dislike about myself? Well, I could stand to be a couple of inches taller. I throw way too many interceptions in flag football. I also dislike the complete lack of nuance in my willpower. Im either completely ascetic or totally gluttonous with nothing in between.
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