What age do you feel 18
Occupation Serial entrepreneur/bestselling author/CEO coach/advisor
Book you gift most The Metronome Effect: The Journey to Predictable Profit by Shannon Byrne Susko
Favourite drink Veuve Clicquot
Favourite place in Canada Whistler, BC
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be?
Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician. I am fascinated by her story—who she is, what she overcame, and most of all, her courage. I can draw many parallels to my life many years later as I was earning my Computer Science degree and Masters in Computer Science. I would love to understand her views now and then.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
It has not changed much over the years. I am not a huge feminist, but I believe in leveraging all the talents that you (male or female) have to the best of your ability to achieve your goals—using all that you have to achieve massive success. The more success my teams and I had, the more people were amazed that it was a woman who was the CEO of the team. I thought this surprised response was strange—of course a woman could lead and drive a team to success. Why not? I wasn’t brought up to think otherwise. And I still have the same beliefs today.
What has become more important and less important to you in the last few years?
While building my first company, we were willing to work with people whom we did not culturally align with, as we were so goal-oriented. We compromised. While building my second company, we had an unwritten “No Asshole” rule—this was our way of deciding with whom and how we would grow the company. We were no longer willing to compromise. And still today the most important thing is to only give and enjoy positive energy in all my relationships and to remove the ones that don’t create positive energy.
If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
I wrote The Metronome Effect: The Journey to Predictable Profit to impact other leaders on their journey to grow themselves, their teams, and their company. My second book, based on the 3HAG (3 Year Highly Achievable Goal), to be published in early in 2018 is a practical guide for any leader to creating a strategic system that will allow them to state their business strategy with confidence and grow their company.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be:
“Believe.”
Tamara Taggart
“People always talk about how busy they are. But living a slower life is a good goal to have.”
Birthplace Vancouver, BC
What age do you feel That depends. If you ask me after my second coffee in the morning, I feel young. If it’s at the end of the day, I feel really old!
Occupation Television news anchor
Book you gift most Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents’ Guide, edited by Susan J. Skallerup
Favourite drink Sparkling water or rosé, or sparkling water with rosé
Favourite place in Canada My house
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
When I was really young, I didn’t know what it meant, just something about burning bras. As a teenager, I never heard anyone talk about feminism but I knew I could do—or be—whatever I wanted in this world. I love being a feminist and I love raising feminists.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
In 2012 I passed out at work, right before going on air. I spent thirty-six hours in bed at home not knowing that I was bleeding internally and on the verge of dying. I was rushed to the hospital and given a life-saving blood transfusion while doctors tried to figure out why I was bleeding. Emergency surgery removed a 10-centimetre mass from my small intestine. It was a gastro-intestinal stromal tumour, otherwise known as a GIST, a rare cancer. After surgery I took an oral chemo pill for three years. It was not a pleasant experience but it saved my life.
What do you think it will take to achieve gender parity?
I feel like we get ahead and then something happens to set us back. Every woman I know has had a negative experience; whether it’s recognized or not, it’s there. My husband and I have taught our children that we are all equal, period. We lead by example. That’s how we will achieve gender parity: we all need to teach our children how to be positive leaders for their generation.
What has become more important and less important to you in the last few years?
My son, Beckett, just turned ten. I honestly can’t believe how fast that decade went. I feel like my husband and I have treasured every moment but it’s still flying by. I remind myself daily to be present and open with my family. They are my greatest loves, and they are most important. Having a major health scare and parenting a child with special needs has given me the gift of shutting out negativity. I’m able to focus on what’s in front of me, the real things.
What does being Canadian mean to you?
I feel so fortunate to live in this country. It’s such an amazing place. Seeing what happens in the rest of the world for others, how can you not want to give back and create something meaningful for someone else? Everyone should have the opportunity to live in a country like ours.
If you could put a message on a billboard, what would it be?
“Slow down! Being busy is not a badge of honour.”
Carole Taylor
“Being Canadian is a feeling of comfort, of safety, of pride. Shared value systems, a desire to make the world a better place. Not perfect, but trying—that’s Canada.”
Birthplace Toronto, ON
What age do you feel 50
Occupation Chancellor, Victoria University at University of Toronto; Chancellor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University; Governor, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade; member, Trilateral Commission; public policy consultant
Book you gift most The 100-Year Life, by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
Favourite drink La Frenz Merlot (BC)
Favourite place in Canada Downtown Vancouver
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
I was a young mother, baby Christopher just one and a half years old, when I was sent by CTV to cover the Yom Kippur War in Israel, in 1973. Before I left Canada, I was asked to sign an insurance policy. In the case of my death, the beneficiary was not my family, but CTV!
Shortly after interviewing a number of young Israeli soldiers who were firing howitzers, we went up ahead to get a long-distance shot. During that brief time, their position was identified and the boys were killed. It was just chance that we all weren’t killed.
As we drove away from the front, under Israeli escort, classical music was playing in the armoured car as the most spectacular sunset blazed across the desert. I have never been able to put these achingly beautiful images together with the brutal death of teenaged boys fighting for their country. The only clarity I have out of this experience was the importance of setting your priorities as if this were the last day of your life. Family and friends. Period.
What has been a defining moment in your personal or professional life?
I finally went into politics after spending years as a television journalist asking why more people, more decent ordinary people, weren’t willing to make the sacrifices necessary to run. One day I looked in the mirror: How could I ask others to do something I wasn’t willing to attempt?
A journalist, at best, can analyze and point out problems and solutions, but at the end of the day, it is our politicians who have the power to make change. I wanted to make a difference, and so I ran for Vancouver City Council and later spent time as finance minister in the BC government overseeing the design and introduction of the first comprehensive, completely revenue-neutral carbon tax. (Best job ever.)
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Courage.”
Kathleen Taylor
“We need to harness the power of diversity so that all Canadians are included in the opportunities that lie ahead.”<
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Birthplace Born in Toronto, raised in Oshawa, ON
What age do you feel Sixty years—young, yet experienced!
Occupation Chair of the Board, Royal Bank of Canada and SickKids Foundation; Director of Air Canada, the Adecco Group, and the Canada Pension Plan investment board; Consultant/advisor on strategy and leadership, and mentor to many!
Book you gift most The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
Favourite drink The Jack G&T—it’s my dad’s gin and tonic recipe and has become the classic cocktail at the cottage
Favourite place in Canada Home
You are the first woman in Canadian history to lead the board of a major chartered bank, and have held many other significant positions, including President & CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. What have you learned about leadership, influence, and power from your experiences?
Relationships matter. Impressive titles don’t create great leaders. It is all about hard work, an unwavering pursuit of superior collective performance, and a relentless investment in people and working relationships. The best leaders stay on top of all the really, really big things—and the really, really small things. They are courageous and values-driven in the face of adversity, thoughtful and decisive in the face of uncertainty, and completely authentic in how they show up. Leading by example with minds and hearts, and always inspiring colleagues to be the best they can be.
What is the boldest business decision you have had to make?
The decision to pursue the top job at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts—at a time when the global industry was heavily male dominated—while also raising a young family and building a happy marriage. On this journey, it was important for me to recognize that there is no perfect balance, only the daily pursuit of conscious, thoughtful choices to achieve the kind of work-life integration that was best for me and my family.
If you had the gift of a year off, in a paused world, what would you work on?
I would devote my time to a major project to advance the health and welfare of children everywhere. Since they are literally our future, it is critical that we ensure that the promise of a successful start in life extends to every child.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
Thinking about the progress of women during my lifetime, I am reminded of my misplaced youthful confidence that all the heavy lifting for women in business had been done. Back then I said that my contribution to feminism would be marked by my achievements, never realizing the magnitude of the social, cultural, and economic barriers that stood in the way. Today, as a mentor to many young women (and men), I hear the same youthful sentiments expressed, so I try to help them see a more realistic view of the uneven playing field that still exists in business, and to help them with the quest to change it.
If you could have dinner with any woman, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Queen Elizabeth II, because she is a multi-generational iconic female leader who has survived and thrived through decades of rapid social and economic change, often in the face of adversity. She sets the bar high for resilient confidence... and she reminds me of my mother!
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Dare.”
Vianne Timmons
“Success is confidence and humility at the same time.”
Birthplace Kitimat, BC, but I grew up in Labrador
What age do you feel? 32
Occupation President, University of Regina
Book you gift most Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Favourite drink Red wine
Favourite place in Canada The North
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
In 2012, two young women from Nigeria attending the University of Regina went to work at Walmart. One of them resigned because she realized that she didn’t have the proper papers or work permits. The other young woman did not. They were only at Walmart for a short time when the border control arrested and deported them. The two women were in sanctuary and spent 400 days in the basement of a Regina church. I was horrified. I felt that the punishment did not reflect the crime, and I did know what they did was wrong. Some of my staff felt that I needed to be quiet, but I couldn’t. So I went public in defence of the young women. It took courage to challenge the federal government, but also to go against the well-intended advice of people who felt going public against the federal government would hurt the university. What happened didn’t reflect my Canada. My Canada was humane and what happened was not.
Tell us about work you’ve done on increased inclusion of Indigenous youth at the university.
Good leaders recognize that social justice has to be part of our responsibility. Every organization in Canada needs to embrace the Truth and Reconciliation Act and the ninety-four “calls to action.” Our situation with Indigenous people is the biggest public policy failure that Canada has ever had. It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us—not just our Indigenous brothers and sisters, but every leader and person in this country—to try to understand the Truth and Reconcilia-tion Report and work toward implementing it. It’s important in this book for Canada 150 that this is identified. The 150 history is not the history of Canada.
What message would you put on a billboard, and where?
“Surround Yourself with Positive People,” on the busiest road possible and in every school in the country.
What will it take to achieve gender parity?
We have to rebuild the consciousness around issues facing women. We need to name them, we have to talk about them, we have to challenge them.
If you were to write another book, what would its title be?
Letters to Kelly: Surpassing Your Potential. I have a daughter who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and who is an amazing woman. She has a university degree and a college diploma. We’ve had to bring her home because she’s had a ton of challenges, but every prediction about her potential was wrong. She is an example of how you can do amazing things even when people think you can’t.
What has become more important and less important to you in the past few years?
I remember going to my job interview for president; I put my hair in a bun, I wore pearls, and I wore a two-piece dark suit. The next interview, I let my hair down and wore pearls. At the next interview, I wore big earrings and I dressed like myself. I will still wear suits for some occasions, but I realized that I don’t have to fit a mould. I can be authentic and be successful.
How has your view of feminism and your perception of gender within academia changed over your lifetime?
Let me begin with gender issues in academia. The statistics for full professors, Canada Research Chairs, university presidents—they’re the same stats as for the corporate world. Universities should be a place where equity thrives. That’s not happening. This is a great challenge for us female leaders, and male leaders, in academia. Has my view of feminism changed? Absolutely. In the 1990s, I believed we had made it. I believed that the issues of women in leadership had been overcome and we were doing so well. My generation has been complacent for the last two decades. Suddenly, we’ve woken up and thought, “Oh my God, we haven’t moved the yardstick much.” I do not want my daughters to be sitting at a table talking about the challenges facing women’s opportunities.
What gives you courage?
People’s resilience.
If you were to get a tattoo of one word, what would it be?
“Hope.”
Erin Treloar
“Being Canadian means freedom, acceptance, safety, and enough wilderness for us to lose and then find ourselves in.”
Birthplace Vancouver, BC
What age do you feel 30 for life!
Occupation Founder and health and wellness coach at Raw Beauty Talks
Book you gift most Strong Is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker
Favourite place in Canada Thormanby Island on the Suns
hine Coast, BC
What message would you put on a billboard, and where?
“Listen to your body. It has all the answers.” I would write it on the mirror of every single bathroom and on every scale.
How has your view of feminism changed over your lifetime?
When I was young, I thought feminism was the opposite of feminine. Now I believe it is standing in the strength of our femininity and fighting for its worth in the world. It is not man verus woman; it’s a united call for equality.
What is the best investment you’ve made?
Hiring different coaches for different stages of my life. I’ve worked with a life coach and a business coach, and both have been incredibly instrumental in helping me reach my goals.
If you had the gift of a year off, in a paused world, what problem would you try to solve?
I would tackle the growing issue of low self-esteem. I would find a way to ensure that every person has the ability to see their innate power and the tools to harness it. Everyone struggles with insecurities now and then, no matter what they look like. Appearance actually has very little to do with how people feel about themselves. It seems, however, that the greatest vaccine against low self-esteem is having a sense of purpose beyond one’s physical appearance.
Tell us about a time when you had to summon all of your courage.
There have been so many times when I’ve had to dig deep and step through my fear to move from point A to point B. Launching Raw, speaking in front of my first large audience, hosting events with partners who seemed out of my league—sometimes it feels like I have to be courageous every single day. I don’t stop, though, because I know great things lie on the other side of the discomfort. Courage is a catalyst for growth—whenever you tap into it, you’re becoming a bigger version of yourself, no matter what the outcome is.
Canada 150 Women_Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries Page 25