The Journey of Advanced Leadership

On March 1^st, the Community for Advanced Leadership came together to celebrate CCAL’s initiatives, learn about CCAL projects and hear from important CCAL stakeholders at The Journey of Advanced Leadership: A Showcase and Celebration. The evening’s showcase interview featured business leaders Mac Van Wielingen and Hal Kvisle. They were asked to reflect on their respective leadership journeys. In doing so, they shared a number of valuable insights. We have compiled three of their best ideas for achieving success as a business leader.

Foster a positive work environment
Mr. Van Wielingen, in discussing the concept of advanced leadership, asserted that effective leaders “create an environment where people can be their best.” When people are comfortable and have self-confidence, they feel motivated to make significant contributions. By fostering a positive work environment, where employees feel valued and are engaged with the company’s goals, leaders can create a workplace that is both healthy for employees and conducive to success.  

Assemble a strong team and tune in
Creating a positive work environment is critical, but hiring the right people, and allowing them opportunities to advance their ideas, is equally important. Mr. Kvisle said that, “if you’ve got the right people on the bus, as Jim Collins says,” and if you listen to their ideas, “collective decision-making will result in much better outcomes.” He emphasized that leaders should recognize that companies’ best ideas are not usually generated by executive teams; the best ideas most often come from employees.

Take initiative
Mr. Van Wielingen advised young leaders to "develop an orientation within yourself to turn towards your discomfort,” because doing so leads to learning opportunities. Mr. Kvisle expanded on this idea: he encouraged young people to pursue interesting and challenging professional opportunities early in their careers – the lessons learned from those experiences, he advised, will be useful later on.

Three great ideas for success and for personal growth
The implementation of these suggestions can lead to positive outcomes for the individuals who implement them and the employees who work for their organizations; their implementation also leads to organizational success. Here at the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business, we’re interested in advocating practices that promote both personal well-being and success in business. We are grateful to Mac Van Wielingen and Hal Kvisle for sharing with us, and the entire Community for Advanced Leadership, these excellent ideas.