This article is written by Julie Latremouille, Director of Public Services and Procurement Canada Managers’ Community Network

What is leadership these days?

The term seems to have evolved into something of a byword for charisma or success. Articles on leadership typically describe the accomplishments of individuals, not those of the people they have successfully led.

In my view, a true leader is someone with enough confidence and resilience to stand at the forefront of uncertainty, and enough humility to be able to admit their mistakes and limitations.

Many leaders lack all humility. They are, ironically, what many who aren't leaders fear themselves to be — imposters. They’ll make you believe they have a vision and the strategy to realise it. They’ll claim to be a collaborator and a partner in a shared goal. They’ll speak of empathy, care and compassion from the tip of their tongue. But really, what motivates them is an overwhelming egoism that cannot muster humility.

Ego-driven leaders like to talk of “getting things done”, though never what might get done to who in the process. People who worry about such things tend to take themselves out of the running for leadership. What a waste.

The American professor and author Brené Brown has written several books on leadership, including five New York Times bestsellers. Her stories are based on the idea that we are all leaders, distinguished only by different styles. The people in her books display a range of traits, from courage and trustworthiness to vulnerability. These are, at heart, stories about what happens when we dare to be ourselves, regardless of our social status or our profession.

Many leaders lack all humility. They are, ironically, what many who aren't leaders fear themselves to be — imposters.

Some years ago, the federal government was working on a Bill that would further guarantee Canadian human rights by allowing same sex partners the right to marry, and which recognise the non-biological parent as a lawful parent to children born within this family unit. I happened to be a few feet from the Prime Minister and the Justice Minister championing this Bill. I casually engaged them in a conversation, when the security guard stopped me and asked me to step away.

The Prime Minister signalled to security that it was alright, and he walked closer to me and asked me what was on my mind. Both he and the Justice Minister showed an honest interest in my experiences and the good their bill would bring to Canadians. Both were emotionally open to what I had to say. The legislation eventually passed, granting additional protections to a small segment of the Canadian population who were, until then, victimised or discriminated against.

The Right Honorable Jean Chretien received a lot of negative press over the Same Sex Marriage Bill. Both he and the Justice Minister at the time received personal threats to their safety. Online groups published hateful messages saying that these men would "burn in hell".

In spite of all of this, they did not compromise on the content of Bill. They showed no fear over losing votes from their constituencies, and Mr. Chretien did not flinch at the thought of losing the next election. I must be said this was not a popular piece legislation, yet it was held to be the right thing to do, even for a small percentage of Canadians.

Leading with courage allows us to stand our ground and carry out actions while remaining conscious of risks. That is when leading with humility comes into its own — a clarity of vision and fortitude balanced with a strong dose of humility.

Humility is about having the ability to say basic things such as “You are right” and “I don’t know.” I onced worked for an amazing person who went out on a limb to speak on my behalf about a regulatory file that was heading in the wrong direction. She believed in my analysis and that what I had identified was a major flaw that would potentially embarrass a senior executive.

Is your boss giving their job their full attention, or are they simply looking for attention?

She trusted me enough to allow me facetime with that executive. To a certain extent, she trusted me with her eyes closed. Due to lack of time, she had not been fully briefed on the situation. But in the end, the flaw was fixed, and while she probably sweated a bit, we walked in as a team and we walked out as a team.

I have met very few individuals who truly fit this mould of leadership. Very few people are true examples of humility, faith and strength under pressure. Sadly, most demonstrate the ego in action.

“Getting things done”. “Walking the talk”. Such buzz phrases to me have come to represent the willingness to execute a strategy but no accept responsibility when things go wrong. People who flaunt these so-called ‘virtues’ rarely defer to someone who knows something they do not. Honest leaders identify risks and are prepared to mitigate those risks, and when things go wrong, they talk openly about what went wrong and how they propose to fix it.

So is your boss giving their job their full attention, or are they simply looking for attention?

Modern societies that consume tawdry notions of success struggle to distinguish between the two. I was recently asked the question “What type of leader do you want to be to you children, to your colleagues and, when called upon, to your friends?”

Since then, I’ve been asking myself whether I am ready to be any sort of leader to these people.

As a leader of a network community, I am expected to solve operation issues, barriers to human interactions and strategic problems. This community also counts on me to create opportunities and achieve growth potential as a recognised voice and influencer. These expectations force me to re-evaluate my style of leadership and what I am prepared to invest to make a real difference.

I’m also a parent to four young adults, one with autism, another with a borderline personality, a third with attention deficit, and an overachiever. All four are successful in their own fields, and I have realised that I want to be an attainable example to them of the resiliency and integrity that count towards true leadership.

Since coming to realise how much of the difference the right attitude can make, I have obtained an ideal job and am accomplishing more than I could have imagined with strong collaborators. And best of all, I remain mindful at all times of the great individuals around me. They help me stay honest and trustworthy.

Together, we get things done. — Julie Latremouille

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