In a world where complexity is the norm, Canada’s future may depend on something deceptively obvious: leaders whose character can be counted on. That idea shaped discussions at the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership’s Character Leadership Conference, where leaders from across sectors explored what it takes to lead with integrity, courage, humility, and sound judgment. The event also marked the Institute’s 15th anniversary of advancing leadership grounded in character.
Executive Director and Ivey Professor Dusya Vera, PhD ’02, opened the event – fittingly called “The Leadership Imperative: Character for Thriving Organizations and Nations” – by reminding attendees that character isn’t a soft skill or an optional add-on, but a foundation of leadership.
“Character-driven leadership isn’t just morally right; it works. It builds trust. It drives performance. It creates organizations and nations worth belonging to,” she said. “A strong Canada requires strong character. In our leaders. In our institutions. In how we show up for each other, every single day.”
Leading an iconic Canadian company through change
In the opening keynote, Greg Hicks, HBA ’95, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, shared how character anchors leadership when the pace of change becomes overwhelming.
Hicks stepped into the CEO role in March of 2020, just as the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic – timing that revealed the pressure points of leadership.
“Leadership is a journey. It requires self-reflection, self-awareness, and a growth mindset… Nothing reveals who you are as a leader like having your back against the ropes,” he said.
When answers were scarce, transparency was essential.
“I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew employees deserved the answers I did have, and they deserved those transparently,” he said.
Hicks added that character shifts leaders from the “to-do of leadership to the to-be,” helping them show up with humility and clarity in uncertain moments.
“We won’t be able to take on the fires of tomorrow if all we do is fix the fires of today,” he said.
Reflecting on his own growth, Hicks said his early character assessment emphasized ambition, empathy, and accountability, while his later one showed deeper balance.
“Instead of holding the weight of employees’ responsibilities for them, I trust that they’ll be able to carry themselves… My empathy now includes temperance. My ambition evolved into transcendence,” he said. “Leadership is a gift allotted to all of us. It’s our responsibility to wield it with character.”
The Character Playbook: Shaping the future of sport
A session with Corey Crossan, Research and Teaching Fellow at the Oxford Character Project, and Dixon Ward, Vice President, Okanagan Hockey Group, explored how character shapes performance in sport.
“Character is a skill… habits come from consistency of thought and decision-making. That stems from character,” Ward said.
He said hockey has long focused on courage and drive, but leaders now understand those qualities rely on humility, accountability, and humanity – and athletes watch what coaches model.
“Coaches set the tone in everything they do,” he said.
Crossan said character needs “daily reps,” much like physical training, and regular reflection prevents “character atrophy” and strengthens environments where athletes can thrive.
Bridging worlds and building nations: Teachings from Indigenous leadership
A fireside chat with Tabatha Bull, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and JP Gladu, Principal at Mokwateh and former CCAB President and CEO, moderated by Dusya Vera, explored how Indigenous leadership can guide Canada forward.
“We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. You should be listening more than you’re speaking,” Bull said.
She added that strong leadership requires “circular” organizations that bring people together and said she sees hope in Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) youth reclaiming language, learning true history, and reconnecting with regalia.
Gladu said leaders need to understand “what fills their cup” and stay connected to the communities they serve.
“Canada needs to reflect on Indigenous nations as the competitive edge in this country… you’re not developing anything of significance without us,” he said.
Character in the Canadian Armed Forces
Leaders from the Canadian Armed Forces shared how character development is being embedded through the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Character Application and Transformation Course (CATC), which strengthens judgment, ethical decision-making, and leadership under pressure.
Moderated by Professor Mary Crossan, MBA ’85, PhD ’91, the panel featured Major-General (Retired) Craig Aitchison, Lieutenant-Colonel Jeff Coleman, Senior Staff Officer Bill Cummings, and Lieutenant-Colonel Phil Desmarais.
“Five minutes in the morning focusing on your [leader] character can transform your entire day,” Crossan said
Cummings said culture change depends on who leaders are.
“Culture won’t change without character. We need leaders who can be trusted in the highest levels of stress,” he said.
The panel agreed that character gives the military a “sustained operational advantage,” reinforcing that leadership is its true bottom line.
Honouring champions of Leader Character
The day included the Leader Character Awards, recognizing individuals known not only for what they achieve, but for how they lead.
A posthumous award celebrated Greg Millen, the respected broadcaster and former NHL goaltender who championed character development in hockey.
“The number one tool in the toolbox has to be character… humanity and actually caring about each other,” he said in an older videotaped message shown at the event.
A second award went to Andriy Rozhdestvensky, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership at Ukrainian Catholic University, who continues teaching leadership to students and the Ukrainian Armed Forces during an active war.
“He could have left. But he stayed… He joined the volunteer forces. He lives with purpose, courage, and conviction,” said Ivey Professor Gerard Seijts in a videotaped message.
Leadership lessons from journalism
A fireside chat with Lisa LaFlamme, OC, OOnt., led by Ihnatowycz Institute Director Kimberley Young Milani, drew the themes together through the lens of a journalist who has spent her career reporting from crises.
“Crisis is a spotlight. It totally reveals people. I feel like we are seeing it every single day,” LaFlamme said.
She said transparency builds trust and that strong relationships – not titles or platforms – carry leaders through difficult moments.
LaFlamme also spoke about publicly losing her role as a national news anchor and said perspective helped her through it. Years of frontline reporting, she said, reminded her she had witnessed “troops who had their legs blown off” and “millions of people lose their jobs,” which grounded her during that setback.
She said leaders should “try to make the comeback better than the setback,” and that sincerity matters more than perfection. Character, she added, often reveals itself quietly.
“When I cover the worst of humanity, I see the best of humanity beside it,” she said.
LaFlamme added that perspective can steady leaders in turbulent times, even when “it’s difficult to know how to navigate what’s unfolding now.”
Looking ahead
As the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership marks 15 years of championing character leadership, Dusya Vera reminded the conference participants: “For 15 years, we've been researching, teaching, and advocating for a different kind of leadership: a leadership that is character-driven, that is guided by a firm and virtuous grounding in who a leader is and who a leader becomes.” Today, the Institute’s message is clearer than ever: in a country navigating complexity, the leaders who will shape what comes next are the ones whose character can be counted on.
View more photos from the event below
Dusya Vera gives opening remarks
Greg Hicks delivers the keynote address
Dixon Ward and Corey Crossan
Greg Millen's daughters accepting the Leader Character Award from Mary Crossan
L-r: Ivey EMBA participant Usevalad (Seva) Lisouski, Ivey professors Oana Branzei and Dusya Vera, Tabatha Bull, and JP Gladu
Tabatha Bull and JP Gladu
Mary Crossan leading the military panel
Dusya Vera and Andriy Rozhdestvensky
Kimberley Young Milani and Lisa Laflamme
Dusya Vera, Lisa Laflamme, and Kimberley Young Milani
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