This lively RSA Animate, adapted from Dan Pink's talk at the Royal Society of Arts, illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace.  You can learn more about Dan Pink at www.danpink.com.

We have created The Insights Blog to provide articles, share best practices and stories from third-parties related to People Management, HR, Assessment issues, and articles on using DISC assessments effectively. We will also let you know about product updates and upcoming events.

You can also sign up for our monthly Insights Newsletter that provides a selection of our Insights Blog delivered to your inbox monthly.  Your input is appreciated. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us.

Rob Attwell
President

Dr. Nancy Mathis, founding executive director of the Wallace McCain Institute at the University of New Brunswick, has a BIG mandate - "helping entrepreneurs develop the understanding, tools and relationships needed to grow their businesses, creating new opportunities for economic and social progress across New Brunswick."

Enlarge Photo

David Smith

'You probably learn more if things don't go the way they're supposed to go, according to your design,' says Nancy Mathis of the Wallace McCain Institute.

So, what does it take to deliver on this commitment? It starts with a leader such as Mathis who understands a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. Mathis has been recognized on a national scale with awards in innovation, entrepreneurship and engineering as well as for supporting others in those fields.

The flagship program at the Wallace McCain Institute is the Entrepreneurial Leaders Program (ELP). When I had the opportunity to deliver a workshop to the most recent ELP cohort - made up of 15 amazing leaders - I was totally inspired by the open, authentic learning environment. Creating this environment requires a leader such as Mathis with a clear, compelling vision.

When I had a chance to sit down with Mathis, I started by asking her about her vision for business leadership in New Brunswick.

Q: I echo the New Brunswick Business Council's vision and that's "to make New Brunswick the best place in Canada to start and grow a company." A part of this is having the leaders as an eco system where everything is interconnected. This exists today but enriching it, I think, will be an important contributor to truly making New Brunswick the best place in Canada to start and grow a company.

What type of entrepreneurs are you attracting to your program that will help you realize this vision?

A: ELP helps entrepreneurs who have the tiger by the tail, five to10 years in the business and are thinking, "Wow. How do I get to that next level of growth? Maybe I should just consider myself lucky that I have gotten this far and coast."

We want to get them right at that intersection, that crossroads in their life, where they have made it. They are likely profitable and we want to keep the gas on and keep them accelerated and growing. Other Wallace McCain Institute programs we offer support everyone from start-ups to multi-generational family companies.

Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned from the leaders in your programs?

A: The big thing is the uniformity within the diversity. For example, there are 15 people every year in the institute's ELP that range from high school graduates to Ph.D.'s. The smallest company had four full-time-equivalent employees; the biggest had 1,000. Some are pre-revenue; some are $100,000,000. That's the diversity.

The uniformity is in the drive and the passion and it's so visible. It's in their eyes; it's boiling up from their bellies. There is this passion to grow and expand beyond what makes logical sense. There is a grab-the-brass-ring, swing-for-the-fences kind of attitude that has no connection at all from previous experience or business training.

Q: I'd like to ask you about lessons you have learned as a leader. One of the really important and interesting aspects of leadership is resilience and a leader's ability to deal with adversity. When things don't go perfectly for you, how do you respond?

A: It's not just about me, but also something that I see in the entrepreneurs around me. If something goes wrong, it's all encompassing in your world. You feel very exposed, that everybody knows.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that nobody knows. You may be headline news for one or two days, but then other things boot you out of the spotlight.

Everything that happens to us informs our future - good and bad. You probably learn more if things don't go the way they're supposed to go, according to your design. You learn more and that makes you stronger and smarter for the next thing you plan to do, as long as you keep moving forward.

Q: Who has inspired you, Nancy?

A: Frank McKenna ... He's tenacious and like I've heard him say many times, he punches above his weight. You get enthralled. You would follow that man anywhere ... It's the passion, the tenacity. You can see how you can interact with Frank's vision and be part of it.

A very different kind of leader who has inspired me is John McLaughlin, former president of the University of New Brunswick. John's messages and John's vision have been so far-reaching it's really even hard to comprehend how all of the dots connect.

All of the conversation about the future of New Brunswick, the upsurge of the "can do" attitude, 21inc, the NB Business Council and the Wallace McCain Institute all originated with John.

Q: So he planted a seed?

A: He planted seeds in fertile minds that went out and did the work ... it empowered a lot of people to do some really important things.

Dave Veale is a business and leadership coach and founder of Vision Coaching Inc. in Saint John. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. His column appears every other Thursday.

So how does a woman break into the male-dominated construction industry and end up running the number one residential construction company in New Brunswick?

Enlarge Photo

KâtÈ Braydon/Telegraph-Journal

‘Our goal is to keep our guys working full-time ... Everybody relies on their paycheques, so I want to make sure that everybody works,’ says Jennifer Darling of Darling Construction.

Jennifer Darling is a thoughtful and direct leader. She sat down with me and shared her thoughts on making tough decisions, who inspires her and the lessons she has learned in running her business.

Darling Construction is a Saint John-based company specializing in residential housing and has more than 50 employees.

Q: Jennifer how did you get into the construction business?

A: I think it was just a natural progression, really. I started real estate with my husband Scott after I graduated with my business degree. We did real estate together for four years and then I took a leave for children. And I didn't want to go back full time, so Scott's father, who owned Darling Construction at the time, offered me a part-time position, which worked out perfect for our family.

And then as the kids got older, my duties increased and I wanted to spend more time working. Bob was getting older and didn't want to have so many hats to wear, so I bought the company from him.

I think I went back part-time when my son Isaac was two and he'll be nine - seven years.

Q: In seven years, what is the biggest lesson you've learned?

A: When I first started, I would stress out and I would just really worry about deadlines and if someone wasn't there and how that affected everything else. I would take it home with me and really get worried.

I've mellowed and now I just know you really can't control everything, especially with being in construction.

Weather plays a big factor in it. You know if it rains at all, no one is showing up for work because you can't work. So you don't always get to make that schedule perfect and I really let that go.

Q: That was the big lesson for you?

A: Big lesson for me, because I'm a control person.

Q: What are some of the hardest decisions you have to make as the owner of a construction company?

A: I want to keep everybody working. We changed our company around this year. We are doing a lot of homes "in house," (which means) we did them ourselves.

Some people think that could be stressful, carrying so much inventory. But our goal is to keep our guys working full time. So I think it's managing to get everybody (putting in) a full time week. Everybody relies on their paycheques, so I want to make sure that everybody works.

Q: I'm guessing there are probably not a lot of women working in this industry. What are the advantages that you, as a woman, bring?

A: You're right, there aren't a lot of women in this field, as I learn every year, when I show up for the (industry) golf tournament. There was myself and my mother-in-law, who is also invited, and then it is men.

But I have to say I really enjoy working with a bunch of men like this. They're not high-pressure usually. Everyone is pretty relaxed and I think they are open to having a woman to deal with. I don't think that bothered them at all. They knew I was willing to listen, probably.

Q: Listening is important?

A: Very important. And I think that I was upfront that I didn't really know everything, but I was willing to listen to how employees wanted things done and then try to accommodate that, where I think sometimes if a man was in power, they don't want to admit ...

Q: Their ego gets them?

A: Right, they don't want to admit they have no idea how it's to be done. Where, I have really no problem telling them.

Q: OK, so it's about being honest with what you know and what you don't know. Being very candid with that. Something I know about you is you're also direct.

A: Yes.

Q: So if you've got a problem, you're going to talk to people about it?

A: Yes, absolutely.

Q: I think people in general like that. But I'm guessing that really works in your environment.

A: Yes it does. And again, if I made a scheduling mistake, then I'm very good at saying, "You know what, that was me." I don't think men do that all the time.

Q: Is there a person who has been a real impact on you in terms of how you approach leading a construction company?

A: Scott's dad Bob is who I worked with at the beginning.

I saw how he handled the guys and there was a little bit of just learning and not always telling them.

He was always really good at having them come in the office, having the open-door policy, which I still have as well. I think that's important. Everyone wants to know they can drop in.

Q: Do you think that approach is typical, from what you see in the industry?

A: Well I don't really know. I know what some of the subs (sub contractors) tell me about how it is to deal with somebody else and I think it is a little bit different.

But I think overall, people that do work with us are fairly happy with the way things go.

Q: One last question: What style of home do you think is the best?

A: I think that is determined by your lifestyle and the stage of life you're in.

Q: For you?

A: For me it's a two storey because I want my kids upstairs in bed while I'm downstairs.

Q: So what do you think it would be in your next stage of life?

A: I would probably think a bungalow - less to clean, less to take care of.

Dave Veale is a business and leadership coach and founder of Vision Coaching Inc. in Saint John. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. His column appears every other Thursday.

What kind of title is chief love officer? That's the burning question many have pondered after their first encounter with Chris Nadeau, CLO and co-founder of New Brunswick-based web development and social media company Evolving Solutions.

Enlarge Photo

Kâté Braydon/Telegraph-Journal

‘One of our core values is to lead without titles,’ says Chris Nadeau, Chief Love Officer and co-founder of Evolving Solutions. ‘I wanted no titles for people in our company because I felt everyone was just as important and titles got in the way. But I talked about it with others and they thought I needed some sort of title, so I said, ‘Well, I’ll be the Chief Love Officer then.’ ”

Chris and his brother Adrian have grown the company from a professional service firm offering web development services to a successful web product company. As an entrepreneur I've been watching and learning from this nine-year-old firm and my sense is that Evolving Solutions has really come into its own.

Q My first question was about Evolving Solution's tagline "Keeping it simple-" how did it come about?

A What we realized is that we were making things too complicated. When we started our business we were like, "Oh, we don't want to be the website guys." But then we realized everyone needs a website. So we said lets build a really killer product that focuses on a really solid website for businesses or organizations and really keep it simple.

We structured the products so that we get people on board that use the product. They get trained, but then there's the recurring revenue model behind it, so we don't have to stress out as business owners trying to find that next project, that next client.

Q How did you get to this place where you said: We have to shift this, we've got to change this? What was the process of making the decision around that?

A We were banging our heads against the wall and then a light went on. Everybody needs a website, but a lot of people are very fearful of the sticker price at the start. They see this big website, and they want it, but then they realize how much it costs and they back off.

So we thought, "Why don't we go with a product so that we can actually put multiple people on top of the same product and have their own little area."

We can lower the cost because our cost of development is a lot less now, and the initial investment for our customers is a lot less than what it was.

So that probably took us about six years in the business to really figure that out.

Q As a business owner, what are some of the hardest decisions you've had to make?

A For me, it was dealing with employees.

We've had some great people help us along the way to get to where we are now. They have since moved on to either other jobs with other companies, or we've had to make changes in our environment.

Those are the toughest decisions, I think as an employer.

Q You guys seem to like having fun and you enjoy what you do. You came out of a corporate culture and you are, in my mind, a pure entrepreneur. You guys just went for it! On your website, you call yourself the Chief Love Officer, which is about having fun. Tell me a little more about that.

A When we decided to start the business, we didn't want to be 50 looking back saying - What if we had of started our business? What would have happened?"

So we had this passion to go out and do it on our own and our motto at the time was "If you risk nothing, you risk everything."

So we said let's jump in, see what happens. The worst that can happen is you could lose your house or whatever. It's really not that big a thing. As we evolved we had fun with it, (and I became) the Chief Love Officer.

One of our core values is to lead without titles, which comes from (author and consultant) Robin Sharma. I wanted no titles for people in our company because I felt everyone was just as important and titles got in the way. But I talked about it with others and they thought I needed some sort of title, so I said, "Well, I'll be the Chief Love Officer then."

Another company value is to be nice, because a lot of business is cut throat or at least we saw it that way. So we thought, you know, we're just nice guys, we're going to operate as nice guys. We think there should be a lot more love in business, so I'm the Chief Love Officer, and I try to spread the love.

Q A lot of people want to jump in and be entrepreneurs. What advice would you give to someone who's about to take the leap?

A We're all different. If you're in a job and you actually love it and you like the employer, then I really don't see why you would want to leave.

But if there is that inkling of feeling that you're not enjoying every day and there is something that you know you can do, that you're very passionate about, I think you've got to go for it.

I think you've got to look at it and say, "What is the worst thing that can happen to me if I go for this? Alright, if it doesn't work, I've got to go get another job."

Q So it's about making a decision, being okay with the worst possible outcome, and then going for it?

A Follow your passion.

Q You have a sports background, a business background, you've been in the corporate sector, you've done a lot of things, and you've met a lot of people. Is there one person who you can think of that has really inspired you and had a real impact on who you are as a person and as a leader?

A I would have to say as far as the business side, it would have to be my brother, Adrian.

Q In the interviews that I'm doing, I'm expecting people to talk about Warren Buffett or whomever, and most people are pointing to family members, which is really interesting.

A I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done with the business and I don't think he would have been able to do what he's done with our business.

I think having our two skill sets, our two personalities, being able to lean on each other, have really made us who we are, and it's worked really well, and seeing what he does inspires me to be a better leader, a better person for our company.

Dave Veale is a business and leadership coach and founder of Vision Coaching Inc. in Saint John. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. His column appears every other Thursday.