Ivey Leadership Day brought alumni and members of Ivey’s Advisory Board to the School to meet with HBA students and share their experiences.
Mini-case sessions
In a special mini-case session designed for HBA1, Ivey faculty members led classes through a fictional character’s crucible leadership moment. Students were asked to put themselves in the position of various executives facing tough career decisions involving topics such as ethics, job relocation, gender and cultural barriers, and weak senior management.
To the surprise of the students, after the discussion the case protagonist was revealed to have been based on an Ivey alumnus who was sitting in the room. The alumni, many of who are members of Ivey’s Advisory Board, introduced themselves to the classes and explained how they resolved the problem described in the case and where they are now because of this difficult leadership challenge.
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A lifetime of learning
It was an hour spent with three senior leaders who shared their lessons in leadership with HBA students. And it was an hour that will certainly have a deep impact on the direction of each student’s career.
Jeffrey Orr, HBA ’81, President and Chief Executive Officer, Power Financial Corporation; Tim Hockey, EMBA ’97, Group Head, Canadian Banking, Auto Finance, and Wealth Management – TD Bank Group, and President and CEO - TD Canada Trust; and, Sara Allan, MBA ’95, Deputy Director, U.S. Program, Education – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shared their thoughts in a wide-ranging discussion on how good leaders learn throughout their lives. The session was moderated by Professor Gerard Seijts, Executive Director, Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership and author of Good Leaders Learn: Lessons from Lifetimes of Leadership.
Here are just a few of the key moments in the hour-long event:
Sara Allan:
On a successful career:
As you move forward in your career, “Your priority shifts from how I can succeed to how I can make this group of people around me succeed.”
On working hard:
“Working longer doesn’t mean you get to a better answer. You have to get to that idea of the 80/20 rule: Where will I get the best value vs being perfect at everything?”
Jeffrey Orr:
On leadership:
“It’s all about people. If you try and do something yourself, it won’t work. It took me longer to learn this lesson than it should have.”
“Be yourself. Give back more to your team than you expect to get back.”
On mentoring:
“What is motivating to me is to watch people, to whom you have trusted to take on a responsibility, succeed.”
Tim Hockey:
On authenticity:
In work or in your personal life: “Your best self is your true self, wherever you are.”
On leadership:
“Care about people. Care even more about making them successful.”
HBA2 Case Competition
HBA2 students participated in a day-long case competition, presenting before Ivey alumni, including Ivey Advisory Board members. The winners will go on to international case competitions later this year:
1st Place - Team 1: Melissa Maduri, Zoe Woods, Fred Jackson, James Boudreau
2nd Place - Team 12: David Askin, Chris Cundari, Skylar MacGowan, Giancarlo D'Andrade
3rd Place – Team 11: Ahsan Syed, Asad Hussain, Robby O'Brien, Jacky Yao
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