Inside The Edge
About
The Executive Chair
The one question you always want to ask a successful person in a senior leadership role is “How did you get there?” In developing your own career, you learn more from hearing what worked – and didn’t work – from senior leaders and hearing their wisdom than from any other source.
We are embarking on a series of interviews with leaders who exemplify success for us. In their words are insights that can give you direction for moving your own career forward.
To read a summary, written by Michael DeVenney, of the past 12 interviews this year - click here.
| Stephen Lund - The Opportunity of Confidence |
Insights from Stephen… Michael (MD): What did you do to move to a leadership role? Stephen(SL): I put myself in the way of opportunities using my relationships and connections – and hadconfidence in my abilities to be successful and make it work. Everything I have done in my career has been aresult of having confidence in myself and in what I bring to the table. A story gives the best background. My firstreal move to leadership happened in the early ‘90s when I was living in Toronto. It was during the recession,and I was working in sales in a tough industry. Sitting in my home office with my feet up reading the paper, Inoticed an ad for a manager position in a company situated in Bermuda. The telephone number was right thereso I picked up the phone and called. I actually got the CEO of the company and expressed my interest in theposition. His response was that there were already twenty people on the short-list and most had twenty years ofexperience – and I had none. I still said, “I think I’m the guy. I’ll fly down if you give me 15 minutes. I’ll proveto you that I’m the right guy for the job.” The CEO was surprised. “You’ll fly down? Okay.” Then I calledeveryone I knew who knew anyone in Bermuda and started setting up more meetings so I could make the mostof my trip. As I started making calls the momentum got stronger. By the second day I was hearing commentslike, “I was expecting your call”! The CEO that I initially contacted didn’t hire me but he referred me to anothercompany. I got in for a breakfast meeting and ended up getting hired. You have to put yourself in the wayof opportunities, work with your relationships and connections, and have confidence.
MD: What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of? SL: Confidence! When I meet with our co-op students, my advice to them is always “don’t be intimidated orafraid to express your opinions – show confidence”. The single most important thing you can have is confidencein yourself. When you present well, offer your opinions in a constructive way, and know where you can addvalue – people notice.
MD: What about doing less of? SL: Spend less time on planning what to do and more time actually doing it. You don’t need to wait until it’sperfect. Take some risks and accept that you will fail sometimes – just accept it – and keep moving forward.
MD: What experience helped you the most in your career and why?SL: When I got the position in Bermuda, it gave me the confidence to “leap-frog” into running a company withfull responsibility – something I had never done before. I relied on people who could help me and found greatmentors who could give me direction.MD: What was the greatest challenge in moving your career forward? SL: Getting stuck in a rut – and not knowing it. It happens to everyone, and happened to me a lot early on. Youare working 70 hours a week for a bank on Bay Street not thinking you could do anything differently. Early inyour career, you may not know the sun rises after it falls. You may not know there is something better or thatyou have options out there. You can’t let yourself get stuck. Never get too comfortable! I have no patience forcomplacency – I am just not built for that. You have to keep pushing yourself.
MD: What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership? SL: I think my strength as a leader is not being afraid to do what I think is right, taking chances and creating aculture that supports that. When I set my mind to do something that I believe in, I will stick to it and see itthrough.
MD: What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role? SL: People always say it is lonely at the top, and there may be some truth to that. But it doesn’t have to be thatway. It may sound like a cliché, but you are only as good as your team. Your team reflects as much of who youare as you yourself. As a leader, you can and should surround yourself with great people.
MD: What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role? SL: You are exposed to so many more things. I enjoy it. It is really rewarding to work with great people whereyou can continue to grow yourself by working with them. People can be the biggest challenge at times but theyare also the greatest reward of leadership.
MD: What is the next achievement you want in your leadership career? SL: I am in a role that I enjoy because I know I am making a difference. Our organization gives back to NovaScotians every day. I want to keep on working with great people toward the same cause and provide significantopportunities for our next generation of leaders.MD: What is your greatest learning as a leader?SL: Have confidence in yourself and take the initiative to seize opportunities. |
