With more than $5 billion in annual contracts, EllisDon is one of Canada’s largest construction companies and, with operations around the world, a global innovator. In this keynote presentation we heard from EllisDon’s CEO, Geoff Smith, how this 70 year-old firm is positioning itself for the 21st century.
Smith highlights EllisDon’s approach to business as fast, fluid, and flexible and that was helped lead them to their success.
Smith then takes a more magnified approach to his own personal professional development and shares three important lessons that have been instilled within him since the start of his path towards business leadership positions and how to be successful in them. The first lesson, Smith said, is to hire good people and get out of their way because criticizing and being overbearing is never helpful.
The second lesson Smith covers stems from a famous John Lennon quote that goes, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” – Smith goes on to explain that this quote is important because as the leader of any business, large or small, you can get so wrapped up in the planning phases for what you think will happen…