THE CANADIAN ADVANTAGE: What the World Can Learn from Canadian Leadership

Leslie Rohonczy, IMC™, PCC, Executive Coach, Leadership Expert, Speaker, Author

Happy Canada Day, my fellow Canucks!

 It’s Canada Day, eh? If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a red shirt on today. Maybe you have a fondness for butter tarts and backyard barbecues, too. As a Canadian, you probably pitch in without being asked; thank the delivery driver; and hold the door for someone three steps behind you. And, like many Canadians, you likely carry the quiet conviction that you don’t need to chase the spotlight to make an impact.

So in tribute to Canada Day, I’d love to shine a light on what makes Canadian leadership so unique, and why our quieter, people-first style is a genuine advantage. This article isn’t just flag-waving (although I’m ferociously proud to be Canadian); it’s an invitation to take a fresh look at how we lead, why it works, and what the world could learn from our human-focused way of doing business.

THE QUIET POWER OF CANADIAN LEADERSHIP

Canadian leadership isn’t loud, brash, or headline-hungry, and that might just be its greatest strength. We’re not known for chest-thumping declarations or viral TED Talk mic drops. We’re not out there “crushing it” or reinventing the future in a flash of hype and hashtags.

We lead the way we live: thoughtfully, quietly, and preferably after a proper cup of coffee. And, under our modesty is a powerful leadership ethos that’s quietly driving some of the most stable, emotionally intelligent, and collaborative workplaces in the world. Maybe it’s time we started owning that, instead of whispering it into our double-doubles. Because we don’t have to be loud to be strong. We don’t need to mimic anyone else’s style to be influential. And we definitely don’t need to pretend to be someone we're not or put on a show to lead well.

LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE STADIUM

Leading a Canadian company right next door to the U.S. can feel a bit like living beside the stadium on game night. The music’s pounding, the crowd is fired up, and it's a media spectacle of hyped commentators and TV cameras hunting for the next highlight reel. With all this energy and attention, it’s easy to feel like we should crank up our own volume to be noticed.

But Canadian leadership has never been about fighting for the front row or showing off to the halftime cameras. We’re focused on playing the long game with purpose. It’s about earning trust, and nurturing the kind of innovation that quietly changes the game.

We make space for diverse voices and build cultures that people actually want to stay in. We don’t bulldoze, we build; we don’t bluster or dominate the conversation; we ask better questions and then really listen. That’s not a flaw or a gap; that’s wisdom, and it’s what next-generation leadership looks like.

COLLABORATION IS OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Canadians are known for being good at teamwork, and I think it's because our culture has naturally wired us to collaborate. Not just the “check a box” version of teamwork, but the real kind that makes people feel like they matter, and that their voice counts.

Canadian leaders tend to prize collaboration over competition. We like to find common ground. We’re wired to build coalitions, to include, to invite people into the process instead of barreling through it alone. Of course, we’ve been doing this for years. It’s not new to us. But it’s just not usually something we brag about.

SO WHY DON’T WE TALK ABOUT IT MORE?

Because we’re Canadian, and we don’t like to blow our own horns. We’d rather let our results speak for themselves. That’s noble, and also, occasionally, too humble for our own good. The tricky part is, if you never say what makes you great, people might assume you don’t know it yourself.

 So let’s be clear. Canadian leadership is grounded, strategic, and emotionally intelligent. It’s collaborative, adaptable, and fiercely people-first. And it’s exactly what the world needs more of right now.

If you’re a Canadian leader who’s ever felt the pressure to show up differently, to crank up your charisma or dial down your humility, you’re not alone. But you don’t need to become someone else. You need to become more authentically you.

THIS CANADA DAY, STAND TALLER

Go ahead and fly the Maple Leaf with pride. Spell 'neighbourhood' with a 'u'. And say your favourite Canadian letter with pride, 'eh?' And also, take a minute to recognise your Canadian leadership. What makes us great is not that we're the loudest in the room, but that we make the room better by asking the tough questions, modelling our Canadian values, and building the trust needed for true collaboration. That’s not performative; it’s powerful. And that’s the kind of leadership the world needs more of, now more than ever.

If you’re ready to lead with more clarity, confidence, and impact, without turning into a caricature or abandoning your actual values, reach out for a free consultation about how executive coaching can help you build your next leadership chapter. Visit www.leslierohonczy.com to get started.

LEADING LEADERS FOR THE FIRST TIME? Your Old Leadership Playbook Just Expired

Leslie Rohonczy, IMC™, PCC, Executive Coach, Leadership Expert, Speaker, Author

You’ve just been promoted, and you're now leading other leaders. Congratulations!

There’s a moment that comes for every newly minted 'leader of leaders' that’s rarely discussed and seldom taught. Your calendar is fuller, your meetings are longer, and suddenly the job of leading that once felt so natural now feels... oddly slippery.

 You’re still a great leader. But something has shifted. You’ve moved from leading individual contributors to leading other leaders, and that changes everything. It messes with your rhythm, rewrites your role, and forces you to lead in ways that might feel unfamiliar, at least at first.

 Most organizations (even the progressive ones) still treat this promotion like an upward hop, rather than a leadership leap. They assume that the skills that got you here (coaching, prioritizing, and delivering results) will automatically translate to success at the next level.

 But if you're now managing people who manage people, let me be blunt: what got you the promotion is not what will make you successful in the new role.

THE JOB YOU HAD IS GONE.

Let’s name the real challenge: the stuff that made you feel competent, effective, and trusted, like knowing the details, solving problems, jumping in to fix things, can now get in the way.

 You can’t be the fixer anymore. That’s no longer your job. Now, your focus is to grow exceptional leaders who can drive results through their people, while creating the kind of culture others want to be part of.

 Let that land.

 Your value isn’t in knowing everything. It’s in building strong people leaders who can both deliver results and foster inspired, healthy, high-performing teams of their own. That requires a specific mindset shift, some new skills and self-awareness, and healthy doses of humility and self-restraint.

FIVE THINGS THAT MATTER MORE NOW

Based on years of research, coaching leaders and their teams, and delivering in-the-trenches leadership development training, here are five critical shifts for leading other leaders well:

 1. Coaching Matters More

This isn’t about performance feedback. It’s about capacity-building. You’re no longer coaching for technical skill or task execution; you’re coaching leaders to lead. That means helping them think strategically, build trust, hold others accountable, and develop their teams. It’s a different kind of conversation. And it’s the most powerful tool you have.

 2. Thinking Matters More

You’re no longer paid for how much you do; you’re paid for what you think about. This means carving out space for strategic reflection: What’s coming around the corner? What’s not being said? Where are we leaking energy? And yes, that means letting go of firefighting to make room for longer-range, proactive thinking.

 3. Your Example Matters More

If you’re still checking your team’s work, showing up to meetings you should have delegated, or reacting emotionally in a crisis, your managers are learning the wrong things. People don’t just listen to what you say, they watch what you model. What are you unconsciously teaching?

 4. Conversation Matters More

At this level, there are fewer updates and deeper dialogue. Your one-on-ones are coaching conversations, not status reports. Your team meetings build cross-functional trust, and break down silos. Ask more powerful questions; talk less. Create the space where both ideas and people can grow.

 5. Influence Matters More

At this level, your impact isn’t just vertical. It’s lateral and diagonal. How you show up with peers, the way you manage relationships across the organization, and how you model accountability will ripple outward. The power of your new position doesn’t come from proximity to the work; it comes from the strength of your insight and influence.

 COMMON PITFALLS (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)

From my coaching work and years of delivering leadership development training, here are the five traps newly promoted leaders of leaders fall into most often, and what to do instead:

• Doing Instead of Delegating: Ask yourself daily, “Should I be doing this, or coaching someone else to own it?”

• Managing Individual Contributors Instead of Managers: Step back. Let your managers manage. You’re building capability, not substituting for it.

• Under-Leveraging Your First Team: Treat your leadership team (your peer group) like a team, not a collection of silos. They are your 'first team' now, not your direct reports, and you can leverage the hell out of each other to help you all lead more effectively (see my article on the power of PEER COACHING CIRCLES here).

• Staying Too Operational: In this new role, you're flying at a higher altitude now, which allows you to see further ahead, and take in a wider horizon line. So look up! Think system. Zoom out before you zoom in.

• Hiring Mini-Me’s: Resist the urge to hire people who think and act like you. Diversity of style, thought, and experience makes your team stronger.

A QUICK CHECK-IN FOR NEW LEADERS OF LEADERS

• Are you coaching leadership skills or correcting deliverables? If so, what's driving your need to stay in the weeds? What might help you raise your altitude?

• Do you spend more time on strategy or task triage? How is your natural preference helping or hindering the people leaders reporting to you?

• How are you creating a true leadership team, and not just a collection of people who report to you?

• What behaviours will you intentionally model, to let your managers know what great leadership looks like?

• How might you be helpful, without getting involved in the working level weeds?

 THE SELF-MANAGEMENT SHIFT

At the 'leading leaders' level, the biggest development gap isn’t skill; it’s self-management. It's learning to tolerate the discomfort of not knowing, not jumping in, and not being the hero. And it’s also the shift from delivering value to creating value. From knowing the answer to asking the better question.

That’s not just a promotion. That’s a transformation.

 If you're stepping into the new world of leading leaders, here's your invitation to recalibrate. If you're ready to grow your confidence, build your strategy muscles, and develop the leaders below you, reach out for a free consultation conversation. Let’s make sure you’re ready for one of the biggest mindset shifts you'll ever make in your leadership journey.