Although Mac Van Wielingen says he spent the bulk of his career in a “greed is good” culture, it only strengthened his allegiance to long-standing values such as trust, competence, character and commitment.
Van Wielingen, Co-Chairman, Director & Founder, ARC Financial Corporation, spoke at Ivey Business School on October 1 about the qualities of good leadership for the 2010 Richard G. Ivey Speaker Series.
“Seeing the high-profile corporate corruption was a fertile learning ground,” he said. “There has been a minimal focus on the root of the problem, which is leadership.”
He said his secret to success has been a commitment to knowledge and world-class values, such as trust, competence, character and commitment, as well as creating an open organizational culture where employees feel respected, cared for and valued.
“People expect certain things of you – that you’ll create a sense of predictability and safety. It sounds like soft stuff, but this is the stuff for avoiding failure,” he said. “If you create safety for people during decision making, you get vulnerability, information sharing, innovation and risk-taking.”
Mac Van Wielingen shares leadership advice.
Speaking about his personal journey, Van Wielingen said he has never been able to compromise a sense of fulfillment in the name of results.
“I was prepared to work hard, but I had to enjoy my daily experience. I learned that if I wanted to get I huge fulfillment, I had to enjoy my relationships. Where it took me is to look seriously at the issue of values,” he said.
He encouraged students to embrace values and create a culture where trust is paramount.
“You are the future leaders and you have this opportunity. Leaders who embrace an expanded responsibility of their influence, embrace performance values on a sustained basis and embrace the responsibility of creating trust,” he said. “If you embrace a commitment to trust and are stewards of truth, you will increase the probability of sustained positive results and fulfillment.”