Today, we launch our Reader's Views section, in which we publish contributions from members of the Atlantic Canadian investor and entprepreneur community. We're starting with Brent Newsome, CEO of NewPace of Bedford, N.S., writing on the need for collaborative political discourse. Got a view? Let us know and we may publish it.
By Brent Newsome
On two mornings recently, I listened to the Minister of Finance and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce spar over their views of Nova Scotia’s economic dilemma on the province’s most popular morning drive time radio show. Each party dissected the others “facts” and neither was willing to concede the other may have a point. Each morning, as I eat my breakfast, I’ve opened the local newspaper and seen a lot of ink spilled on Nova Scotia newsprint to decry the province’s economic woes.
I learned a long time ago, as a Scout and then as a Sea Cadet, that the only way to accomplish anything meaningful was together as a team. In fact we heard a constant refrain of Together Everyone Achieves More. I was reminded recently by a friend that as a young twenty-something I constantly encouraged others under my leadership to “Think Big” and work together as a TEAM. With those two mantras in mind, I and my team of cadets accomplished a lot of things that no one thought possible. One recent weekend, I had the opportunity to teach these basic philosophies to a new generation of young people. I encouraged them to model this behaviour for the youth who they would be leading, and as I did so, reflected on where we stand as a province and what the future held for our youth.
Frankly, I’m fed up with watching this continuingly insane bickering between special interest groups on all sides in this province. Advocating for cutting red tape, tinkering with tax rates that every company uses accountants and lawyers to avoid and debating first contract labour legislation for new union locals when not one single major new employer is setting up shop is simply tinkering at the margins. None of these debates will get the province to where it needs to go fast enough. In my opinion, what is worse, is that we’re modeling behaviour that our youth will follow as they become adults. It’s time for everyone to get together, find a big vision for this province, and then marshal everyone’s resources to work as a team to accomplish a vision.
As an entrepreneur, and a business leader of an emerging company this is what I have to do every day. I must bring all the intellectual, factual, physical, and monetary resources at my disposal together to create and then implement the vision for our company. I have to arbitrate disputes and make strategic decisions brought to me by my staff. I often have to cut through our own internal red tape. Along the way I have also learned that if I don’t listen, and encourage my team to share their views and ideas, I cannot succeed. No one person can be an expert at everything. If I base my decisions on my personal opinions rather than on factual empirical evidence I am bound to make big mistakes. When I make decisions, I also recognize not everyone gets their way and people feel like they’ve “lost”. By ensuring decisions are fact based, taken transparently and with a strategic goal in mind, I believe eventually everyone buys in.
The companies and organizations where I enjoyed working the most fostered a sense of teamwork, and a corporate philosophy that we were out to change the world. They had leaders who brought everyone together to accomplish a vision. I wonder, Do Nova Scotians feel this way about this province and their leaders? Do we have a broad-based agreement on a vision for where this province should be in 20 years? Does the majority of the population buy into it? Are we creating an environment where everyone regardless of role is be willing to commit to some form of shared sacrifice to achieve that vision? Do we have political, business and labour leaders who are willing to make the hard decisions and justify them to their constituents and even suffer the consequences for doing the right thing?
I think if we took all the energy that is being expended to fling mud at each other and to pick apart each other’s narrow arguments and put that effort into a mature discussion and building process that recognizes that the only way to move forward is through hard work, and shared sacrifice, Together Everyone Would Achieve More.
What do you think?
