On Wednesday morning, hundreds of high school students got that privilege to hear leadership tips from Canada’s top soldier.
The entire student body of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School in Guelph welcomed, honoured, and gave a standing ovation to Gen. Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Vance has seen a lot over his 34-year career as a soldier, some of it extremely difficult and dangerous. But with a calm, casual and easy-listening manner, the man spoke to students and staff at the school about the qualities of character that good leaders have.
Vance was this year’s recipient of the school’s National Leadership Award, a program that has placed Lourdes on the national stage for its recognition of exceptional leaders in this country. Leading politicians, athletes, educators, and entertainers have been among the award recipients.
Vance began his remarks saying he was surprised by the honour and the invitation to visit the school. Upon looking into it further, he discovered that Lourdes was “on the map” among outstanding schools in the country.
An excellent leader, he said, is one we like to be around, one who inspires us.
There is a big difference between leadership and authority, he said. Many have power and control vested in their positions, whether in the workplace or in organizations, but control and authority are not leadership.
Leadership is on another level, he said. It is an art, and it is about inspiring others, saying the right things at the right time, and in so doing motivate others to follow. And it is about smarts.
Others follow good, strong, courageous leaders who lead both by example and intelligence, he said.
“True leadership comes from doing good, from doing something righteous,” he said.
There are leaders in all walks of life, including in the life of crime, he indicated. But true leadership should lead to the betterment of one’s company, school, community, country, or world, he said.
He learned in his early 20s, while taking his first command of a platoon, that leading by example counts for a lot.
“It’s a matter of being who you want to lead,” he said. “Who you are really matters in leadership.”
A leader has to show that they not only give orders, but are willing to carry those orders out themselves.
Those in leadership positions are sometimes vulnerable, he said. Things go wrong, and when they do the leader is accountable. That should not deter anyone from being bold, trying new things to inspire others.
“You can’t be afraid of failure,” he said.
“I lost 58 soldiers under my command,” Vance added, speaking of his time commanding Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. “Every one of those losses felt like a failure. Sometimes failure happens, but you’ve got to get over it. Be strong about failure.”
Intelligence is a major component of good leadership, he said. It’s absolutely necessary for making good, strong decisions.
“Most things in leadership have to do with thinking,” he said.
In a battle situations when soldiers are “cold, wet, tired, hungry, and someone is trying to hurt you,” there is an urgent need to think through tactical problems and find the best solutions.
“If you can’t think, you can’t lead,” he said, encouraging all those who aspire to leadership roles to get properly trained and educated. Education is crucial.
Lourdes principal Timothy Yawney began the National Leadership Award ceremony by acknowledging a long list of honoured guests, many of them veterans of war. He said is was an honour to have them as part of the event, especially during Remembrance Week.
Tamara Nugent, Wellington Catholic District School Board director of education, grew up in a military family. Leadership qualities, she said, come in part from the environment in which we are raised and those around us.
She acknowledged Vance’s leadership qualities of “humility, compassion, and high expectations of others,” and made a pitch for peace.
“The greatest victory is the reward of peace,” she said.
Vance took part in a flag-raising in front of the school. The Canadian flag used was one that had previously flown in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as part of Canadian military operations there. It was given to the school as a gift.
