30 BCBusiness August 2014
When you're very good at something and you have
to learn something new, you're vulnerable again. I
was always okay with stepping into that vulnerable
place and being surrounded by people who knew
more than I did. It doesn't mean you should always
be vulnerable, but if you want to grow, you have to
be willing to get to that stage. You are more suscep-
tible to change if you move into a new space rather
than stay in a place of comfort. I grew up in an
environment where there were military conscrip-
tions and this was at the time of the Angolan War. I
was conscripted, and because I had a certain level
of education, I was a second lieutenant put into a
combat situation and some of the people reporting
to me were mature permanent military people. All
I had was training and no real experience—and I
had to lead. So you have to be willing to learn and
that's where curiosity comes in. How do you foster
curiosity? People see change and they're more
open to it. The more they become curious about the
future, the more they want to be part of making that
change happen.
a
s the CEO of MEC, it's not surprising that David Labistour
lists backcountry skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking
and even kite boarding as some of his outdoor activities.
What you won't see listed is windsur ng—a sport Labis-
tour was so good at it in his early 20s that he won international
competitions for his native South Africa. Labistour, now 55,
won't ever windsurf again, he pledges. His reasoning? If he ever
steps on a windsur ng board again, it will take time away from
him learning something new. It's a big idea that has driven him
personally, and the idea driving his 44-year-old company now.
DaVID LaBIstoUr
CEO, MEC
M Y B I g I D e a
Being vulnerable allows
for change, and vulnerability
only comes from doing
something new.
