Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 04

14 / Canadian Government Executive // July/August 2018 – the goals will come.” Thankfully, I also had good teachers, coaches and men- tors that said, “It’s not just your ability, but also what you put into the sport that makes you a better athlete – this means training and making sure that you are always prepared.” I have always heeded this advice whether it is in sports, educa- tion or work. As I developed as a hockey player, I was privileged to have people like my junior coach, Ken Head, who gave me a chance to be the best that I could be. During a game, he would say on the power play, “Dragon line, go ahead!” We weren’t given any spe- cific plays or instructions; we were just given the opportunity to play hockey and, subsequently, my line scored a lot of goals and we had a lot of fun together. Howev- er, it wasn’t until I went to Cornell where I was really introduced to ‘systems’ and the importance of specific plays, position- ing on the ice and role players. Unfortu- nately, I learned that sometimes ‘systems’ are a way of very effectively beating some hockey teams, but sometimes ‘systems’ can be beaten. For example, one year at Cornell, our team went to the NCAA tour- from government, and in particu- lar the influence of elders in your community, have shaped your leadership style? Well, it’s a good question, George. If I look at my experiences as a youth leav- ing the North to go play junior hockey at a young age, there were a lot of barriers or perceived barriers. Growing up in a community of only 2, 200 people, there weren’t a lot of people that were doing that type of journey because we did not play at the highest levels or did not have the same competitive leagues as those in the South. For example, I remember playing bantam hockey in Fort Smith one year when we only had eight players on our team. That said, there were some great hockey players before me, in terms of playing down in the South and being successful doing that. I think I was fortu- nate to have an opportunity to have great coaches and mentors that encouraged and provided me with chances to suc- ceed. My junior hockey coach would al- ways say, “Joe, put yourself in the spot on the ice to be able to realize those chances cultures. I gained a strong appreciation of the value of colleagues with whom you could grab a coffee, share ideas, discuss issues, have a few laughs or vent over frustrations at work. My mentors were able to provide seasoned guidance and reassurance. I believe as public service executives, we are all lifelong learners, so having the ability to continue to learn from others and others’ experiences has always been a very strong component of my leadership skills and competencies I strive to acquire. After a few years at DND, I started hav- ing this real desire to return to my roots – working in the science field and ad- dressing Northern issues. I became aware of a competition for the deputy minister of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the GNWT. After discussions with my family, we decided that I would interview for the job. I inter- viewed and was successful in the compe- tition. I remember having an educational poster done up while I was at Cornell, and in that poster, my goal was to one day return to the North and be in natural re- sources management. It has been about a year and a half now that I’ve been back in the Northwest Territories. I am thrilled to be back in the North and very much en- joy my role in the territorial service and my department’s part in how we create healthy ecosystems and sustainable live- lihoods – not only now, but in the future. Q: That’s terrific. What a fasci- nating background. I mean you have got to be unique amongst government executives across the country having “tied up the skates” with Mario Lemieux and having worked with some of the best leaders in the Government of Canada, and now back home plying your craft as an execu- tive in the Northwest Territories. You’ve talked a lot about people that were big influences on you, whether it was teachers or gov- ernment executives early in your career. I want to talk a little bit about how that influenced your leadership style and how those people from the sports world, INTERVIEW Photo: Canadian Tourism Commission