The document summarizes a leadership conference with several speakers. Welby Altidor discussed nurturing creativity in companies and building trust to foster creative courage. Vince Molinaro talked about leadership accountability and the behaviors of accountable leaders. Dr. Tasha Eurich covered the importance of self-awareness, particularly the seven pillars of internal self-awareness. Amanda Lang emphasized the need for an engaging culture that allows questions to foster innovation and change. Joe Biden concluded the event by stressing that leadership requires making tough decisions and owning the consequences.

1. Toronto | November 28, 2017
CONFERENCE SUMMARY

2. 2CONFERENCE SUMMARY
About The Art of Leadership3
Welby Altidor Creativity & Collaboration4
Vince Molinaro Engagement & Accountability6
Dr. Tasha Eurich Self-Awareness & Performance8
Amanda Lang Innovation & Change
12 Vice President Joe Biden Leadership
14
10
Sponsors & Partners16
Bill Williams Closing Remarks15
CONTENTS
Executive Panel

3. 3CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Welby
ALTIDOR
Vince
MOLINARO
Amanda
LANG
Many companies like to use quantifiable data to
measure the impact of its efforts on productivity.
But while the beans are still being counted,
creativity is finally finding its rightful place
alongside the bean counters. These days, scoring
leadership has fallen by the wayside, and words like
measuring employee engagement, satisfaction and
accountability have become a critical part of the
lens through which leadership is evaluated. What
makes a leader great? Upholding corporate values
and steering a course that is clear to everyone
involved? Defining and creating a great culture?
Making tough decisions and owning them?
Being able to admit to failure, while creating an
opportunity for growth and learning from it?
Leadership is all of the above and more. Working
beyond the status quo, creating change without
fear and fostering inclusivity amongst teams are
just a few of the goals that define what great
leadership is all about.
Vice President
JOE BIDEN
Dr. Tasha
EURICH

4. 4CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Creativity Benefits Business
As leaders, we have a choice to either
empower and nurture creativity within
our companies or sacrifice creativity
to maintain corporate rules. The
downside to this approach is that we
sacrifice growth. 95% of all people
never get to connect and discover their
superpowers—their creativity and the
ability to do amazing work. Sadly, they
never get a chance to practice them,
hone them, or best of all … share them.
“You don’t have to be a superhero to have
superpowers.”
Process Can Drive Amazing Outcomes
Amazing results with an amazing outcome
comes from implementing a process that
is just as amazing as the work itself. In
my leadership role, the most important
job was to create the most fertile soil
or environment possible, to allow my
coworkers and colleagues to flourish and
excel creatively. In other words, the work
needs to transcend itself. Think about
how you have impacted the process;
how you have changed or improved
something for the better, rather than just
Executive Creative Director formerly
with Cirque du Soleil and Author
Welby
ALTIDOR You don’t have to
be a superhero to
have superpowers.
CREATIVITY & COLLABORATION
focussing on achieving the outcome. Ask
yourself, when you leave an organization,
finish, or move on to the next project, what
value did you bring from your work?
Caution, Imagination at Work
In the corporate world, there is a sense of
suspicion aimed at the use of imagination.
Often times, we’re afraid to let our minds
wander, or in fact, let other’s minds wander.
Even if you are afraid of the unknown,
and afraid of trying new things, don’t be a
hindrance to others. Don’t be afraid to ruffle
feathers, most of all … don’t be afraid.
Play, Don’t Think (Too Much)
The greatest athletes bring themselves
to a point where they don’t think
while they play, it just comes naturally.
thinking itself can sometimes often be
the hindrance. Why can’t we reach that
point creatively? How do we get there?
The Path to Creative Courage starts with
building trust. Fostering trust is the first
step to fostering creativity and building
trust amongst your team. One can try to
push the boundaries of creativity because
everyone is collaborating with those they
trust. Playing with danger lets people play
outside their comfort zones while they
push their boundaries, and therefore their
limitations. You’re providing a safety net
for them with the trust you have built as
you unlock your team’s creative courage.

5. 5CONFERENCE SUMMARY

6. 6CONFERENCE SUMMARY
72% of Fortune 500 companies believe
leadership accountability is a critical
issue while 27% believe they have
a strong leadership culture. As the
leadership model changes, we need
strong leaders at every single level.
The words and expectations that we
attribute to a leader don’t just apply to
CEOs and top-level executives. Anyone
in a leadership role or those seen
as a leader have those expectations
applied to them. Let’s face it, we have
people in leadership roles who simply
are not leading and they need to be
accountable for it.
“No one ever said, give me a team of
zombies and watch me soar”
5 Behaviours of Accountable Leaders
Is there a correlation between leader-
ship accountability and company perfor-
mance? When you take on a leadership
role, you’ve signed up for something
very important, something that is not al-
ways apparent to leaders—behaviours.
There are five behaviours of accountable
leaders:
New York Times Bestselling
Author and Leadership Expert
Vince
MOLINARO No one ever said, give me
a team of zombies and
watch me soar.
ENGAGEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
1. Holdothersaccountabletohighstandards
2. Set expectations clearly
3. Tackle tough issues and make difficult
decisions
4. Effectively communicate the strategy
5. Express optimism about the company
and its future and display clarity about
external trends
The Leadership Contract
Leadership is a decision
Make the decision to take on leadership
correctly, don’t simply agree to it. Define
yourself through your leadership role. If
you don’t, you won’t succeed.
Leadership is an obligation
Step up. There is a lot that is going to be
expected of you. Many leaders are not clear
onwhattheirobligationsare.Areyouleading
through self-interest or through obligation?
How are you leaving your organization in
better shape than you found it?
Leadership is hard work
If you want to be liked, rethink being
a leader. Being able to make tough
decisions and getting tough with yourself
is part of the struggle. Truly accountable
leaders have a sense of toughness that is
based on a genuine sense of caring.
Leadership is a community – CONNECT
Leadership doesn’t exist in silos, it is
horizontal. Sometimes a culture is so toxic
and competitive, the competition inside
is greater than outside. If you don’t like
it, create it. A company’s culture is more
powerful than its’ leader.

7. 7CONFERENCE SUMMARY

8. 8CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Myth or Fact?
Studies show that the most incompetent
people are the most confident about
their performance, and yet 95% of people
would tell you that they are self-aware.
How you see yourself and how others see
you can be different. How many people
are ACTUALLY self-aware? Try 10-15%.
Most leaders do not start off being self-
aware – they just believe they are. Those
who are more self-aware and curious be-
come more self-accepting in the process.
Seeing who you are, clearly and compas-
sionately, allows you to gently stop mak-
ing that assumption. Self-aware leaders
don’t assume they are leaders. They ask
what, not why. They learn the brutal truth
as they build self-aware teams.
“Leaders who are more self-aware and cu-
rious become more self-accepting in the
process.”
The 7 Pillars of Internal Self-Awareness
There are two kinds of self-awareness:
Internal, whereby you see yourself
clearly and External, whereby you know
how others see you. Both types work
New York Times Bestselling Author,
Organizational Psychologist and Researcher
Dr. Tasha
EURICH Leaders who are more self-
aware and curious become more
self-accepting in the process.
SELF-AWARENESS & PERFORMANCE
independently but which type do you need
to focus on the most, and which the least?
We understand our values and principles.
We understand what we’re passionate about.
We know what we want to accomplish
and experience both at work and life .
We understand where we fit, the environ-
ment that makes us happy and engaged.
We understand our patterns of our per-
sonality.
We understand our reactions—knowing
our momentary reactions, strengths &
weaknesses.
We understand our impact on others
The What and the Why
Thinking isn’t knowing. In fact, studies show
the more we think about ourselves the less
we actually know ourselves. To deal with a
tough boss, for example, replace the ‘Why’
questions with ‘What’ questions. Instead of
asking WHY are we like oil and water, ask
WHAT can I do to work better with my boss?
Learn the Brutal Truth
To develop external self-awareness, you
must make it a daily commitment to
receive feedback—not just positive, but
critical. 83% of high-performing leaders
receive critical feedback. Ensure those
who give you critical feedback have your
best interests at heart. Do not defend or
explain, but listen and ask questions to
understand that the feedback you receive
is not an indictment about you.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

9. 9CONFERENCE SUMMARY

10. 10CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Our Collective Toddler
Everyone is capable of innovation. Tod-
dlers asked the question, “why?” so
much that it became a trait that defines
a stage of human development. Style
of thinking is the last faction of diver-
sity because thinking is what defines
us. People discriminate against others,
based on their thinking style. Let’s face
it, there are no right questions.
Engagement Leads to Innovation
To get to a culture of innovation, you
have to create an environment that lets
you ask the questions Why? and Why
not? These two questions bring out
the status quo bias in humans. You like
what you know so why change or try
something different if you’ve done it
the same way for so long?
“Change isn’t a group activity. People can
do it at the same time, but they tend to
change at their own time and pace.”
Change Not for Change’s Sake
We talk a lot about disruption and the
need to change. Once change takes
Anchor, Bloomberg TV Canada
and Bestselling Author
place, it’s not a static thing, it needs to
be constantly enabled. Well-intentioned
corporations often have a set of best
practices; challenging and questioning them
can ruffle feathers. But change doesn’t
always have to be bad, it can be good. To
bring about change and innovation, pay
attention to everything you do personally
and professionally, and engage to let your
brain formulate the way to change.
Leading for Discovery
Our linear nature compartmentalizes infor-
Amanda
LANG
Change isn’t a group activity.
People can do it at the same
time, but they tend to change
at their own time and pace.
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION LEADS TO REAL CHANGE
mation and thoughts, so how do we inno-
vate? Leaders need to be the ones who let
people be curious, and let some questions
beleftunanswered.Corporatesystemsstop
peoplefrombeingcurious,askingquestions,
and being innovative. Collaborate with peo-
ple you don’t know, or who don’t necessarily
think the same to foster innovation. Identi-
fy bottlenecks and find a way to push ideas
through. If ideas died there once, they will
die there again. Ask questions about pro-
cesses. Instead of reacting emotionally, ask
why? and what could be done differently?

11. 11CONFERENCE SUMMARY

12. 12CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Leadership Creates Culture
Leadership is about sharing the success
and sharing the losses with everyone. It’s
about holding yourself accountable; to
be open to ridicule, praise, and personal
attack in the pursuit to uphold and create
a great culture.
Smart Leaders Hire Smart People
Even though most people have a fear
of being outshone, surround yourself
with people who are smarter than
yourself. Do not attribute education
to good judgment because even the
most incredibly educated people don’t
always know how to make the right
decisions. Do not underestimate the
ability of the human mind to rationalize
because character is not a consequence
of several different acts, it’s a product of
consistency and people upholding their
word.
Be Accountable
A leader needs to take extreme
accountability on consequential
decisions. For example, Barack Obama
was willing to put his career on the line
47th Vice President of the United States
in the case of Osama Bin Laden to ensure
that psychological and physical terrorist
networks were brought down.
“Leadership is making the decisions and
owning them.”
Lead By Your Decisions
Leaders need to make the tough decisions.
That means taking all the facts and under-
standing all the perspectives. It also means
taking the blame for the consequences of
your actions, understanding the risks, and
sharing the praise when it’s due.
Vice President
JOE BIDEN Leadership is making the
decisions and owning them.
LEADERSHIP
What Leadership Really Means
The people who change the culture are the
people who take risks and make themselves
vulnerable to criticism, in hopes of changing
the culture, shifting the norm, and setting
an example for the rest of the world.
Leadership means that you understand that
whatyouaredoingisacallofduty;whatyou
do is bigger than just yourself or for your
own monetary gain. Ask yourself what value
do you have that you are willing to lose
in order to succeed and stay true to what
you say you are about? How can you be the
leader that you want to be and say you are?

13. 13CONFERENCE SUMMARY

14. 14CONFERENCE SUMMARY
PAUL BRANNEN Chief Operating Officer & EVP,
Mobile and Enterprise Solutions, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc
Great leaders are defined by their response to tough times rather than success by making gut decisions
and being able to respond swiftly to correct bad decisions. Innovation comes from bringing together
creative individuals from different fields to construct creative solutions to normal problems. Rather than
filling a hiring quota, look for the right talent to build your team.
HOLGER KORMANN President,
ADP Canada
Engagement is a very telling statistic about the quality of your leadership culture. Constantly seeking
feedback from your team is the best way to learn about how your employees are engaged. It is very
easy to find talent, but the selection process is extremely difficult. Great leaders understand that
learning how to hire the right talent is an ongoing process.
ANDRE VALIQUETTE Vice President,
Central-East Sales Commercial, Dell EMC Canada
Adaptability is the most important trait to a leader. Aligning the right people with the right teams to
collaborate, ensures the product you give your customers is the best. Success begets success. Putting your
employees in a position to create success for themselves naturally empowers them to find success when
put in a difficult situation.
EXECUTIVE PANEL

15. 15CONFERENCE SUMMARY
To know and not to do is
really not to know. To learn
and not to do something
with the learning is really
not to have learned.
You don’t have to be a superhero to have super powers
Every person on the planet has the potential for genius.
What is your super power?
How do we do amazing work amazingly?
Because in leadership good intentions aren’t enough.
Working for a great leader is an AMAZING experience. It’s infectious!
Will you succumb to a toxic environment or be the BEST you can be?
Because leadership is a decision and YOU have to make it.
No one ever said, “Surround me with zombies and watch me soar!”
Self-awareness equals understanding who you are and how we’re seen.
The cult of ‘SELF’ is trying to recruit EVERYONE! We are becoming more self-absorbed and less self aware.
People who are more internally self-aware understand the impact they have on others.
So ask yourself “What not Why” questions.
The thirst to do things better is an innate human quality.
An old idea meets a new idea and something changes. That’s innovation.
To get a culture of innovation you need to create a culture that allows for “Why?” and “Why not?”
Passion, creativity and initiative are gifts you cannot buy. They come from engagement.
How we think is who we are.
Leadership is about being personal. It’s about being engaged.
Give credit and recognition. It engenders loyalty.
Surround yourself with smart people. It’s the smart thing to do.
Don’t confuse academic credentials with good judgment.
Ordinary people have the capacity to do extraordinary things.
Character is built on thousands of acts of consistency and integrity.
#ItsOnUs
Dial up your leadership courage!
#TheArtOf Leadership
Bill Williams
Partner, VP Learning, The Art Of
CLOSING REMARKS
Bill Williams

16. 16CONFERENCE SUMMARY
SPONSORS
PARTNERS