BCBusiness

GINA CHONG / BUTTER STUDIOS NOVEMBER 2017 BCBUSINESS 49 same job, or she would not have been hired. "I would assume that for a woman to appear as capable as a man in tech, it is most probable that she is the better can- didate given all the biases against women in tech," Hess explains, pointing out that Charlotte Whitton, mayor of Ottawa from 1951 56 and the €rst female mayor of a major Canadian city, said: "What- ever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good." Her leadership style was also shaped by her experi- ences, especially at Creo, but is not related to gender. It stems from what she has observed to be more successful in a high-tech environment with smart, well-educated and highly skilled people. When Hess started in leadership posi- tions, her style was more directive and "command and control." Now she describes herself as an extroverted, demanding collaborator. With age and experience, Hess found that people are most motivated and con- nected when they can shape the organization and con- tribute to its vision "because a little bit of them is in it." There many good ways to do things, and it doesn't always have to be her way, she says. By allowing employees to drive the decision-making process, she has discovered that things she had thought wouldn't work actually did, and very well. Hess tells her sta‰ that she didn't hire them to tell her what she knows but what they know and think. "Oth- erwise I don't really need you, because I already think that," she says, "so I want you to speak out. I have a good overview of a lot of things, but I don't know speci€cally about your area, so you tell me what you recommend." Working with many col- leagues over more than 30 years in various countries has taught Hess that everyone is similar. "It doesn't change with where you are or what gender you are or what race you are or what religion you are," she asserts. "People just want to be appreciated for the e‰ort that they've put in and what they brought to the table. I think that's about as simple as it gets. That would be my key thing, is to appreci- ate people." —F.S. Copperleaf Technologies is one of the fastest-growing software companies in Canada. How do you lead in an industry that is growing and changing? You have to be very agile. You need to respond quickly. You need to have people accept change. Something's always breaking, so when you're growing really fast, I focus on making sure we have the right culture in the company to be able to say we accept change. What's the best way to motivate people and inspire loyalty? The people in the company have to shape the culture. If they don't contribute, then it's not their culture; it's something you gave them. People want to shape things, and then they become loyal, and they become much more into the company and have that loyalty to the company. I n business, the person leading at any given point isn't necessarily the one with the title and the corner o•ce, says Mike Bonner, senior vice- president at BMO Financial Group, who heads the bank's B.C. and Yukon division. "Leadership has nothing to do with the business card; it has nothing to do with your position," Bonner contends. "I don't think you have to look very far to €nd examples of leadership. I think you see leadership, good and bad, at every level of an organization." If anyone can recognize the hallmarks of a strong leader, it's Bonner, who has worked jobs ranging from meat cutter to newspaper salesman to bank teller. He's also gained exposure to a variety of businesses through his 27 years in the €nancial sector. "Leadership is about situations," says Bonner, who oversees some 2,000 sta‰. "It could be a robbery, it could be something unfortunate that happens with a customer, it could be an opportunity—but there will be a situation today, and there is every day," he warns, citing last summer's wild€res. "The needs of the team and the business will determine what type of lead- ership comes out." Bonner describes his own leadership style as a hybrid, likening his approach to that of a mechanic with di‰erent tools for di‰erent situations. He regularly reevaluates how he leads; one recent inŸuence is the book Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by former Apple Inc. and Google Inc. executive Kim Scott, which preaches a balance between Passion Project BMO vice- president Mike Bonner nurtures a new generation of leaders with a mix of drive and empathy

• Cover