Leading Through Generosity

Try this: open a Google search on your computer and type in “leader character.” What comes to the top of the list? Ivey. That’s because the School has developed a unique understanding of leadership that is gaining international recognition. And much of the credit belongs to two very generous donors, who stepped forward to support this ground-breaking work when it started.

The story begins with the financial crisis of 2008. As the dust was settling, a group of Ivey professors—Gerard Seijts, Jeffrey Gandz, Mary Crossan, Stephen Sapp and Mark Vandenbosch—published a provocative paper posing some critical questions about the role of leadership in the lead up to and during the crisis. The paper grew into a research project involving business leaders across Canada and around the world, and eventually resulted in the publication of a book, Leadership on Trial: A Manifesto for Leadership Development, in 2010. The book zeroed in on character, alongside competencies and commitment to the role of leadership, as a key differentiator in the financial crisis, and a critical component in business leadership.

One of the most engaged participants in those discussions was Ian Ihnatowycz, MBA ’82, CEO of First Generation Capital Inc., and former CEO of Acuity Investment Management Inc. “I’ve always tried to look for growth opportunities for my businesses, but I did so in a way that did not sway my moral compass,” he says. “For some time I have been concerned about the many examples of failures in leadership in which companies have collapsed, communities were affected, and leaders even ended up in jail. The near financial collapse of 2008 underlined that concern.”

Impressed by the direction of research at Ivey, Ihnatowycz made a gift of $3.5 million to endow a Chair in Leadership and the operation of a new Centre, named the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership. Matching funds from Western University brought the total endowment to $5 million.

Within weeks, Bill Troost, MBA ’75, President and Founder of Peel Plastics Limited, stepped forward. He shared Ihnatowycz’s concerns. “In my business, we view all our stakeholders—suppliers, customers, employees—as partners,” he says. “I believe that if you’re not fair to any one of those groups, you won’t have a sustainable, long-term business. Troost contributed $1 million to the new Institute, adding another $1 million a year later.

Seijts, who is now the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Chair in Leadership, says the impact of these gifts can’t be over-stated. “Very little of what we’ve done over the past four years would have been possible without the help of donors like Ian and Bill. Their support was absolutely critical to making good things happen at the School.”

And many, many good things have happened. New courses, cases and conferences have been developed. Among them are the innovative Leadership Under Fire: Developing Character, an experiential course modeled on the Basic Officer Training Course of the Canadian Forces (go.ivey.ca/leadership-under-fire), and a course in Transformational Leadership that has attracted much attention.

Support of accomplished young academics is provided by the Troost Professorship in Leadership and the donor-funded Ivey Professorship in Leadership, and three outstanding researchers have joined the Institute as post-doctoral fellows. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council made a large grant to support ongoing research on leader character.

Seijts has published a new book, Good Leaders Learn: Lessons from Lifetimes of Leadership. An assessment tool for leader character has been developed and is currently being validated, and articles have appeared in leading academic and practitioner journals. The Institute is now sharing its work on leader character with the Institute of Corporate Directors through a series of workshops across Canada. And the list goes on.

Seijts summarizes the achievements simply. “Leadership on Trial contained bold statements about what we consider good leadership and we formulated several calls to action. We are executing against those calls.”

Recently, a stellar Leadership Council has been established to advise and direct the Institute. The Council is chaired by Barbara Stymiest, HBA ’78, corporate director. “We’re helping Gerard formulate where he’s taking the Institute, trying to be supportive, and at the same time providing a challenge function,” she says. The Council has been enormously helpful, Seijts says, in making themselves available for events and presentations, establishing connections and creating opportunities. “Sometimes doors are closed and we don’t know how to get through them,” he says. “Council members are very influential people who can help us deliver on our initiatives.”

So what lies ahead for the Institute? Troost believes it can make a real difference to the way business is conducted. “You’re never going to reach everyone,” he says, “but the Institute does make the odds better.” Ihnatowycz agrees, adding that the Institute’s work also has the potential to change the face of business education. “Human qualities involving aspects of character such as integrity, humility, courage and compassion are extremely important when you’re a leader. They’re not necessarily part of the analytical skills you learn at business school, but they should be.”

Ihnatowycz adds that the Institute will add new luster to Ivey’s 90-year legacy of leadership education. “Ivey has always been in the vanguard of Canadian business schools. The Institute is making a splash already, and has the potential to become known as the gold standard for leadership research and education.”