9 | Decision Making with Major General Christian Drouin
Written By Harrison King
Season 1: Let’s Talk About Life with Harrison King
Build a community of love respect and you will thrive
With Guest Major General Christian Drouin
powered by Sounder
Making challenging decisions isn’t easy - but it can be.
You’re not alone in life. None of us are. Often we can feel overwhelmed with the weight of life and the decisions that come along with it, but it is crucial to remember that a successful life begins with a community of support. Leaning on others in times of need, or for suggestions during the decision-making process is a necessary part of life. You can’t do it solo! On episode 9 of the Let’s Talk About Life podcast, Harrison talked with Christian Drouin, the former Major General of the Royal Canadian Air Force about the challenges of decision making, and what it takes to lead a team of people with kindness, love and mutual respect.
About Christian
Major General Christian Drouin served his country in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 33 years, receiving the highest level of Canadian military decoration as Commander to the Order of Military Merit, the Canadian Decoration, Meritorious Service Cross, and two US Legion of Merit medals. In 2016, after many years of dedicated service and leadership, he was promoted to the Chief Operating Officer or the Commander or Major General of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was responsible for leading all Canadian Air Force operations with 11 thousand staff, 300 helicopters, a $710 million operating budget, across 11 locations. He directed multiple global operations and training exercise deployments, including national security, humanitarian, disaster relief, anti-drug, and force protection efforts. He redirected organizational objectives to improve focus on protecting North America against external threats and received multiple awards for outstanding performance and contributions to both national and global security. He has also completed 10 Ironman triathlons as well as 26 marathons. He is an incredible family man, and distinguished leader, and says that life is simple: treat others the way you want to be treated, always work hard, give your best and finish what you’ve started.
Topics discussed in this episode:
10 Iron Man triathlons
Mentally overcoming obstacles
Anyone can do it
Finishing what you’ve started
The Royal Canadian Air Force
Making big decisions
Increase decision making little by little
Rely on other people for support
Types of decision making
Short term decisions
Long term decisions
First-person recount of Afghanistan helicopter crash
Staying calm in stressful situations
Focus on breath
Relying on life experience to succeed
Treating others with kindness
Never forget where you come from
Maintaining relationships
Prioritize in-depth conversations with others
Success through building community
Mutual respect
Surrounding yourself with different personalities
Importance of different perspectives and diversity
Living a well-balanced life
Links to content mentioned during the episode:
Royal Canadian Air Force: http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/index.page
Ironman Triathlon: https://www.ironman.com/
Transcript:
YYOU're able to touch people life that you don't even realize sometime just because you stop by, and you said, hi Yo are you? What are you doing? What is it that you're doing and ask questions of and just listen to them? You're now, listening to the let's talk about life, podcast brought you by don't settle with your host hearsonking. WHAT'S UP VER MONEY? Welcome back to! Let's talk about life podcast! My name is Harrison King and is very exciting day. We've got a. We got a special guest. Today's guest is probably one of the most interesting people you'll ever get to hear from. In my opinion, he's served his country in the Royal Canadian Air Force for thirty three years, he's received the highest level of Canadian military decoration as commander to the order of military merit. The Canadian Decoration Meritorious Service Cross and two US Legion of Marit metals s a lot of stuff in two thousand and sixteen after many years of dedicated service and leadership, he was promoted to the chief operating offiice officer or the commander, or the major general of the Royal Canadian air forced. He was responsible for leading all Canadian Arr Force operations with eleven thousand staff, three hundred helicopters and across eleven locations. He directed multiple global operations and training exercise deployments, including national security, humanitarian disaster relief, Fanti drug and force protection efforts. She redirected organizational objectives to improve focus on protecting North America against external threats. Yes, you heard that right. This man was one of the people in charge of protecting North America from external str threats and receive multiple awards for outstanding performance and contributions to both national and global security. You know doesn't get much more impressive than that top it all off. He's not only participated in but completed ten iron mantraafh ones. In Twenty six marathon he's a father to three sons and at the age of forty seven. He said that he finally met his soul mate because it's never too late at at the age of fifty five right now, after already leading an extremely full life, he says that he has had a great adventure in the Air Force and would do it all over again, but the military has indeed taken its toll on his personal life, he's an incredible family man, genuine person and distinguished leader, and says that life is simple, treat others the way that you want to be treated always work hard, give your best and finish what you started. Christian druin welcome, and thanks so much for being here. Oh okay, Harrison this is, and this is quite the introduction you're as you're going through to my life like this. It's I can see the video going around with the. What I can say is that you made me feel really old. No just experience you've accomplished a lot. That's for sure this is. This is so exciting to have Hor. I hope I didn't. I didn't miss any of the important things you want to talk about, but I don't want. I don't want. I'm sure someone of you know what you've accomplished, don't always like to be. You know seen as just your job right, because you've done so many other things. One of the things a first off comes to mind. S is ten Iron Mans. Is that correct? Ten Iron Mats, yeah iteniromens and I starta tryasf on was a boat. Hey was like twenty seven and so yeah yeah it's going to be about. I think yeah. It was going to be thirty years soon, and so I started with shorter distances. I started with the maratots yeah. I always wanted to run a maraton and I started with marathons, and then it was taking it stall. A lot of running ocausiin takes a soul, O your limbs and stuff, and that and I I was invited to do a team Triatha like a small distance, triathon short distance stars on, and I got the bug. I said this is cool, because now it brings the tree three dimensions, an its more than Matnyea. You got, you know a got the full dimension of of way, training, tplus nutrition and think it so putting it in there you know was was quite the I found it like. It was a quite the challenge and yeah completed tenir men. I stopped counting the number of Toalon over all the Fr mam distance, but still to this day like right now, unfortunately, this year everything was pretty pretty much game to a halt because of covid right and but next year I'm lined up for five, two of full distance, Armen and threefrmen, starting in April next year, fingers cross that's right. s come back a a little bit more to normal yeah. How do you? How do you push through something like that? Like you know, lots of people don't even just like running, let alone doing three. You know three big exercise things and then, and then you know the iron man is so much more than just a Triathlin of how do you you know mentally overcome some of that stuff like pushing yourself when you're. Just like you know, I've had enough. We first of all. Is anyone can do it? O for Sur yeah, it's mine over matter and it's and then you go through the training. So my philosophy is that if you, if you go through the proper training before once, you hit the you're lucky enough to make it to the startline, because there's so much involved before you know that all it's you have to juggle everyday life right to get in your your training and things like that. And then you know injuries hillnesses, whatever happens in your and day today, life and then so, if you make it o the start line healthy and with minimum training required that you feel confident, righ that you've done what's required and then it's just the execution. You need to have a plan and a plan d because you can have a flat Tye, a puncture or whatever I omthing can happen and then, but it's just atthat point that becomes just the will of keeping going one step. It sounds. You know a Bityou'l hear that a lot it's one step after the other, but in the marathon that wer that point, as was right, do you think? Any of of that? You know you saying just you have to have the will and just decide you're going to do it nd. Think any of that comes from your your experience in the military yeah. I think it's. I think it goes. It's fom a lot further than that, it's itce the way I was brought up. Okay, as you said initially, you said you know the basic values that my parents incalcated in us and my brother, and I is that you know you always finish what you start and you treat people the way you want to be treated and that's it s, theyre, very basic values, and but if you youmight you mind yourself of Bak, you know throughout your whole life and your career, then for me was like a the first thing is wanted to do. Amaraton for me was like that was the big deal so once I did that then was okay. So, what's next right and and obviously in order to be- I guess to answer your question about the link to the military is, that is the discipline, the discipline to be able to Tey and eout accomplish that training getting up in the morning at Fouror, thirty. Whatever time you need to do to get up to get that done, because if you don't get the training done in the morning in the kind of job that I did, it's not going to happen during the day. Even if you have a Slok time, at's non, she say: Hey, I got an hour there and something happened always anesur you. You know I never I ate at my desk, my whole life, my whole career and so and I'm still doing it at home now. So I maximize my time at the office so that I can do something else right with fan, whatever wow I'd like to talk assuming you you're interested in discussing a little bit about decision making, because that's obviously something that you had to do a lot of and- and I am assuming somethings because I don't know the full story, but you know being essentially one of the heads of the Air Force right in Canada for quite a few years, obviously had a a lot of decisions to makeing a lot of people you're in charge of. We don't have to talk about the specifics of that, but dealing with making big decisions like that like. How is that you know what what's that like and how do you? You know, go about addressing things like that, so so, first of all, just eput the record straight. I wasn't in charge of the Ro Anadia Canadian Air Force as a whole e. That was my boss. I was the second, yes, you want, and where was there e two Ar divisions in Canada, one that is focused on the training of all the aircrews pilots and all the training and the other Ara Division? One Canadian Air Division is the ONEAR was in commando for three years until the en of my career from two thousand and sixteen to nineteen and and that's the one, that's got three hundred hilicopters and Righterapn across Canada and it serves the to the service of domestic operations, as you said, and also the defense of North, the EIRGH pace over North America with Ewidindanor a the environment and also providing forces to all the expeditionary missions that we have around the world so that, in that decision, process that comes along is like the beauty of you know. It's like put this in perspective is, like you know. When I join the Air Force, I want to be a helicopper bidit. Okay. That was my thing right. I didn't join the air force to become a general officer and at Terion theear. What can IDIONAR devision commander? That was, you know, I didn't eve, know that existed just wanted to FY helicopter yeah, and then you us your then they teach you how to be an officer first and then you move into the realm of your your skill Sep, while you're in there and then te Te, show to be a pilot and part of the pilot training. You learn how to make the hard decision sometimes right. What do you do if you lose your engine? What do you do if something, if you have a electrical fire? What do I do with things like that? So thet decision making process is ingrain and you very very eart- and you know from that point on, you would have told me he Chris in he in twenty five years, you'll be in charge of the whole operational air force in Canada. I would laugh at you a right, you know and hey. What's it's like huge, it's like so big. So as you grow Anto your role and you get experience, it's like you know the frog and the hot water right HM. You heard that one yeah yeah, so you know the frogs- will get used to water being hotter and hotter and hotter until right. I didn't get the bat point. Fortunately, but you know so that's that's part of that process where you become accustomed to making bigger decisions, but the beauty is that you're not along you have a process. You have someone providing you with all the documentation and or you know the fact facts around the whatever decision you have to make and different options, and so on. So the military is extremely well discipline and putting courses of action together with you know the pros and cons, and things like that. So once a decision comes to me as a commander, there's a lot of things that I've been ironed out right and it's a lot clearer. So if you inform my decision, the ground stuff has been done already for sure o answer, but it's a progression through time work! IHT! You look at the it's like you making your own decision about somethings that could like seem small right now, but in a few years you'll be up to great things. Erison and I'll be intergin, you well. Thank you. This is interesting to think about, because the way you said that it's almost like- and I would I would assume this is the case. You know the decision making at that level when you're kind of you know more at the top than when you're starting out is essentially the same thing just you know higher stakes, obviously an different thing, but you said you've learned, you know like an engine failure, or even you know smaller than that, what whath the decision making processis and then and then you just carry that up with you, and and would you say that in a way, the decision making process is not much different, no matter how much you know is that stake, or what the? What the, what the difference is and in the you know, the outcome or what you're working with is your process is. The extreme is very similar I could define rapidly. Two types of this is decision that you have to make. You have the decision that you have to make right now right. You have no time it's based on training, it's like and death. You know, you're you having someone cut you off on the highway and you know, and you got to make a decision. You know, there's a trunk of Jack Knice in front of you. You got to make a decision. You know those. Those are the kind of decision that you're base base on R, your training- and you know, as you said, you know, you're in a helicopter, you have a terrode padure. You have to react right away. Yes, if you don't, you won't survive. So those are the first type of decision that are ingrainand you it's a like you, the human name, your fightor, flee right and then there's the other type of decision where you have more time and that's when you have time to assess some of the all the factors and things like that. Sometimes you have all the time in the world to make the right decision right, but sometimes it's also the decision Hav to be made in a timeon fashion, where you might Nevet have all the factors yold te and that the level of that I was that happens, a lot where you're in Ha Gray area right. I think nothing is absolutely black and white. It's not a decision that it's an easy one. You have to assume some risk and- and that's where the experience andthat's, where that's why you know people in Tha that Pissi that position on that level are paid the big buck as they say, because right base on the all this experiences, life experience and professional experience, they are able to make that decision without having all the Information Ian. That's that's the one. Those are the ones that are the most ifficul yeah for sure. The other thing that comes to mind, as you ere saying you know. Obviously there's lots of you know very disc, disciplined the military and but you saying I's kind of a communal thing like you're, not the only one making the decision there's been. You know steps coming up to you getting there thes people helping you out, I'm trying to relate this. I guess a little more to you know I would say everyday life for the average person right. Most of us aren't making those kind of decisions Om, but you know having a group of people Ho are supportand stuff like that is, would you say: that's definitely like a key factor: Yeah Wel, it's very similar Li. It's just at a different level. It's and it's! I would say it's very, very much comparable. I mean before before you make a life important life decision. What a you! What ar you going to do? You're going to talk to you, your assurance, your friends, you're, going to get different type of opinions and stuff like that you're going away and wear them in and make your own decisionim. So there's what what's been the most one of the one of the hardest. I guess things of what you've been through. All of you know if you're not a lot right in your life, you know really challenging situations or things that you've had to deal with, and and how do you find you've been able to overcome these these obstacles because you know you've been through some, some things for sure. So what you know? What is your kind of, I guess, coping mechanism or what have you? What have you used to get get yourself to you know over those obstacles. So that's a very good question. There's a lot of things that have happened in my life in my career, as you said, I can't relate if you want to relate to something that is in the action like something military action, for instance back in two thousandand, two thousand and ten in August. If I remember well, is the sixth of August two thousand and ten I was in Afghanistan as the wing and eders. I was in charge of the Air Force, Canadian Air Force deployed there, and for was there for about ten months, and that day I was the escort. So I was, I was still flying as a helicopter fidit and I was we have. We have a Shilok helicopter, the one with the big candem roller that s flying the the mission like just transport mission with the goods on board and people, and we were, and then we put two Griffin helicopters, ell, four telv with with guns and and o Protecti right as Escor, and so I was one of the two. So I wasnin Chare of the Riffen weapons team that we called it and so the two of them in protection of that Shinok. And while the shit up, we were in transit to one of the forard operating bass to deliver something. Then the should have got shut down right in front of like about about two hundred feet: Ish, where it was. It was a lucky shot: Tho eighten, forty, seven, that insurgent had just just a lucky shop and hit the the rer ox tank and exploded, and there was few in the main, the main tank and then the whole helcopter was Indolfi and flames within seconds and the guys were able to land the helicopter straight ahead of the HIEL and we did lose in life but eos the helicopter. There was ter twenty one people on board. They were able to exipt without with only minor injuries and- and the question is no- I wasn't able to acatch the Bakguy because they were they were hiding in in tunnels. So O we couldn't find anything so anyway. Now you can't imagine now I'm in charge of the whole thing for the air wing in Aganistan, and this happens right in front of me- There's nothing we can do about it. The guys really reacted property. But at that point you got to do your traning kicks in right, and one of the thing I didn't tell you is that during my part of training, one of my instructor always told me- you know when something happens. You have an emergency just hit your clock, there's always a a clok just normal timeo and hit it to be set it, and it's just going to give you one second, to sort of take a breath and think and say: okay, what next Andan, so you lower the the heart rate? You you know you take it calm and you go through the process s and you do what you need to do. But then, after that, you have to deal with the aftermat right. So we love the helicopter there. You know we had six of them. We lost one within about when Dhey ill show you the video. I have it on video, because we had a we had cameras, onbout, the helicopter, an Ealsoi had a UAV that was coming up and withom twenty minutes. It was Allko soon. All this then I had, I went back to the once. Everybody was safe and stuff went back to the camp and I had to deal with the aftermap with back home. You know providing the proper information for the my minister and everybody else, and so on. So it's all of this. You know. I it's all based on and it's I think that day was like fifty five degrees outside and and you put all the environment together, dusty and so on. So that's that that's one one of the event that I had that was worth training kicks in and all your experience and you just you know, go through with and manage it for the for someone not used to it. It could become a big thing, but for us it was just going through the going through the process and relying on you training, there's other other events that are more eventful in your life. Like going, you know, I've been gone a lot to my military life and, as you said, it had a an impact on my my personal yeah. So went through Wen tou a divorce, and when you went through this well, then you know it's like anybody else who goes through some sort of an event like that. So an know. How do you go through life, with keeping focus on what you need to do as well were managing your family, the transition and things like that and doing it to the vest of your abilities? And that's again, it's there's, no one Formetau for that, and I don't wish that on anyone. But that's that's another example of being able to use. You know stack con Lok at the options to what's right and then move on. Yeah he's, like you said, there's no, you know one one strategy for for any kind of you know experience or in I mean I just I guess anything in general, but for that kind of thing you know for yourself what was what was it was it most of that you know kind of training, kind of kicking in and you'R, even in your personal life, to get you know to get through things and and and O deal with. All of this it was that was going on. You have a be able to find, I guess, a good support system or because, obviously these are challenging things to go through alone. So how were you able to? You know get through that if you're, if you're willing to share yeah well, I think that it would obviously the miniature matary training brings something that thegum becomes ingrain in yourself once you've been you've been part of it for long enough, but I have to say that in some of Thosse Life Efvents, I think that you rely a lot on your. You rely a lot on your your life experience. Your past experience a and what's been agreeing into you by your parents, your parents, your brother, you know your friends the way you've been living, your life until them a and then that's and then, as you said, you know you rely on your on a people you can count on, and then you realize also that you know good friends that always said that you know really good fands. You can count on one hand. So that's when you can see those real friends coming out and helping out and and then you have to you know. That's I guess that's that's the best answer I can give you. I can I'm pretty sure that you know you can rely knowing your family, a d, You can rely on a good on a good family supporter for life. Life experiences like this, and I was fortunate enough to have that as well. Yeah Yeah Mention Your family ar your parents specifically several times here and and it's interesting to me because you know, I think, a lot of people when you think of somebody who's. You know been successful in the ways that you have think you know don't always directly related back to put to that. You know, and it sounds like like you do you realy, you know you credit lots of what you achieved and what you've experienced in life to where you started and and even before you know we started this. You you sent something was just saying that you're your parents ingrade and things and you at t such a you know young age and that's just what you've, what you've known? How is that? How is that impacted your life? What you summarize it well, because you you look at, I think one of the thing that I always kept in mine throughout my life is you guyst, stay round it right and and the best way to Stak round. It is to take annected with your family and your basic values and never never forget that, and, as I said, you know it's, my basic value is like you know: Trat other people like you want to be treated. So if you know sometimes you'll be you're sitting there and you're in your big office as the commander and and someone comes in and you know, you've been really busy, you're tired and they come in with some sort of a problem, a that could seem very benign and you know you're tempted to Jus. And then it's like you take a dee Breaton, you gonnow. You want to treat other people the way you want to be treated, and so you stop sit down, listen and properly listen, and then you know go with what you need to do an and it's I guess what I'm saying is that you never want to come. You never want to forget where you come from, I come from humble beginnings and you know th our country, Canada, is, is great country, allows anyone living any any Canadian cicism to be able to explore their potential and, if like, if you look at the big institutions that we have I'm talking here about the military and the Air Force, perceive that's my experience. But if you know, as you can see, I have a thick accent. You know I didn't speak English before I joined the minitary very little a d. They thought me out of speak English and so on and then and then from there. You know I kept having opportunities, so I went from a kid from a rural background and to what I did through opportunities that our great country allowed me to do by my potential right. So you have to keep that in mind throughout your life, because it's not because you're there now that you're, you know who does that make you if you're not respectful to the people in the process that allow you to get ter yeah. That's really I mean that's really interesting. I think that's something that a lot of people can can start to overlook, especially if you know you start to become successful. You know with with whatever it is, and you get to focus on. You know what's going on right then, but for sure you know what Youvewhat you've created and how well loved you are. I also you know know it comes from that for sure, because you want to motivate people and when you you don't treat others you know like you would want to be treated even like you're saying you were, you know at the rank th you were and then somebody else at comes in and it seems like a problem. That's not so important or whatever to you, but for them it might be. You know something that they've been really thinking about and that's been. You know, that's a really interesting, interesting point and especially coming from, like I said, someone who you know has had the role that you have. You obviously carryg that through everything you do, I gotta tell you. I still have, after being a retired out for a year and a half and working out of the out of Texas. I still get plenty of commucations by facebook or or emails and whatnot from people, sometimes that I don't remember and they come up and they say: Hey, sir, you remember we did that ther and ow. You took the time to stop and say hi or talk to me and think and I'm going wow. You know it's it's a lot of fun and I share that with Nicole and and we're going on. Oh, you know you're able to touch people life that you don't even realize sometime. Just because you stop by, and you said Hiyo are you, what are you doing? What is it that you're doing and ask questions of and just listen to them and and n riches? Your Life as well? So much that's what I dis the most yeah. I would. I would agree for sure it's it's interesting. You just said: Listen! Listen to them because, obviously, or somebody who has a lot to share and but but sometimes I would assume what can be most. You know impactful to some people is just having you just listen. A lot of, I think, a lot of at least our society. How it's kind of based is once you kind of start to let's say classwise or whatever you know you start move your way up, more money, whatever it is and and- and you start to forget about you- know those things- those personal connections, because really, I guess in the Grand Scheme of things you know, we're all just people and it doesn't really matter what you're up to or anything and and maintaining those connections is, is probably one of the most important things it is so just to get you an example. Is that being I'll? Give you an example? That is a palatable also at the same time, give you a taste of what my life was a as a commanding officer, for instance. So I was commanding officer forty seven special obsaviations quadon in Apetawal Ontario. So that's back in two thousand and six to do two thousand and eight, and then you go from having your own family of Owmany, whatever two three people at home to three hundred right and that's the way. I that's the way I saw that yeah, it's like now. Okay, I'm in charge of these three hundred people and their families, and I got to make sure that it is an honor and a privilege. But at the same time you have all this responsibility. So I could go. Let's say I woeld go flying and we tell my inasis that I would go flying at least two to three times a week as to maintain my currencens wrong, but also to be able to fly with all the the gals and a d guys working for me. So I can understand ther, you know where we sit, readiness level if you mone than Pi like that, then be able also for them to see the old man and fly with him, and so so so I could so the example I want to give you is that to go from my office, to where I would sign my book to find the book of the AIRCLAF and go flying physically would take me walking. Probably you know three minutes Gi you, but for me to leave my office and go to the flight planning room and do everything like this instead of taking three minutes would take me most of the time thirty to forty five minutes wow, because I would go around and stop to talk to people. Initially, people were not used to that right. They and then so then, but then we take the time to stop and say: Hey, how are you and then they said well, Olser, I'm, okay and nono. Really you know what are you doing what's going on then, and then, as you doing, this people realize that you actually mean yeah they'll and that you'll listen to them. So then they start. They start talking to you, meaning that they're talking to you about their issues right so now, Wu take me. So I would take my tell my a you know. When I go fly. You Got Ta book at least an hour to an hour and a half before my fine, because the time I make it there, you know I'll talk to people and it's going to take you moe time, and then people start talking to you so by when you walk by them. Instead they actually talk to you. They the they stopp you a ser. What about this and so on, so you got to take the time. So that's that's something that I really loved it, but it takes your day that could be an eight hour day to because when you go back to your office at four five in the afternoon after flying, you still have to do your work right. So you're not out of there before you know, seen thirty eight nine o'clock, whatever ans the impact on the family right. So you need to be your Su to balance that yeah. Would you say that you know, because you went out of your way to do that kind of thing. You didn't just walk your three minutes. You know to go flying you took the time. Was The you know the work that you were doing more, more successful and and better because of that, because of the kind of community that you were able to Sy Arasum. This is the success to a lot of a lot of my career, ISIT's, Baye N, just that the human relationship, where you know I would- and I did that as the wink Omander as well. So now I went from three hundred to I can't remember fifteen hundred people and but I took the time to write a birthday CARV, all of them o. So you know Nnot ectronically handwritten and, as I get to know people I could write something personal in there. You know and say hig an the cold. You know for me and think that for something Har, your kid do whatever you know and then so it takes time. But there's- and I can give you an example. You know you also take care of Tyou people in the sense that we had. You know the the business that was in you have no times and high time. So right sometimes you know when you have fource fires or you have floods in Canada and you have to work tent four seven and the people are out the door and fixing helicopters in the e of the night and things like that and then, but sometimes you know, we have in the middle of the summer where it's verly calm and there's not a lot going on. So then I would let go my people? U Let them take some time off and things like that Lik. But so when it was time, though, to go out there yeah, I didn't have to ask: They were just they were there. They would move mountains without having to ask them because they knew that I was going to take care of them after that and yea some time back with their families, and things like that. So that's that's. I guess a good example of you. kN W human thesos maagement treat people well, you want to be treated for sure like it's not an especially especially being a leader, right and and whatever kind of leader. It is. If you see yourself as being different than than everybody else, then you're not going to accomplish what you wanted right, that it's quite quite a phenomenal thing to hear and- and it sounds like you attribute most of what you've what you've gone through, what you've done to not yourself necessarily but everybody else, arounds you absolutely I'm not very good academically. You know I got a bachelor, an a master's degree, but I can't say: I'm I'm really strong in school. I've never been ve done it by share work, get through it. But to me that my success are, you know ninety percent related to the to the people around me. That enabled me to to accomplish when I was able to accomplish it's, it's truly e. that's that's I mean you know. Yes, I had to run out of fly helicopters and five planes and then have acopters to make my wady at the wings become an officer, but after that it all begane people management and doing things together, which I and they wanted to. You know I guess they they felt comfortable as me as the leader and ad kept opening other doors right. I guess if this one thing that I would say based on this, that that people ould should take away from what you're saying is that you know you need to make sure you have a a strong group of people around you. You know important people, like you said, Yo, your friends, you should be able to close friends, count on on one hand and and and just maintain those relationships make that the priority and everything else will come. There's something else. You want to add to this Ecaus that you don't want to be. You want to surround yourself with different type of people on personality. You don't want to associate yourself with only people that you get along with right, because then you have. You know this phenomenon of the yes men around. You are yes, women and you know everybody agreeing to the same solution right. You know. I always I love te having more experienced people with me. For instance, when I went to Afghanistan, I asked my first boss when I was the line hiler at h in Kenbeck city, my first boss, I asked when I went, he was a reservist at the time, almost retired. I went to him to his house and asked his wife and said I was love to have him come as my chief O staff, because now I know that I have this guy in also was six or five on and having him. You know as a someone who could put his hand on my shoulder and say hey what are you doing right and, and did you think about this? What Y Yoknow, because I'm a hotbarded, French Canadian so sometimes I get you know, excited and having someone to you know, wrap his arm around me and say: Hey come here, not not mubulated by the rank or the position so, and and also diversity around you right. First, I love having all kinds of people and and the beauty about ou or military alterr. A lot of people don't know this so or listen to much of the some of the whatever video whatnot. But there's a the Canan mililitary in the air force, particularly particularly the Air Force, is a representation of our of our society in Camten, and you know, you'll walkin and in there, in a squadrom and trantand Ontario and you'll see the diversity is, is Imansi. It's everything, you'll see every type of relision. You know women, Frech, English, whatever language and so on, and it's everybody's working hand in hand and and if, if you as a eader, if you don't surround yourself with all this different type of experience and and knowledge, you're faming, you're faling yourself, not only yourself but but the organization and the institution. So that's that's. That was also, I think I wanted the secret in my career, yeah, the the diversity of people and opinions right. I rit you yeah, because yeah especially you know doing what you're doing you need to have all sides, and it can't be just you you being excited about things like you said y for sure. Is there? Is there anything any last kind of things you want to want to share with the with t e people that are checking this out? Well, we well we've got you here anything else that comes to mind that you know based on what you've been through anything you advice or anything. Well. Well, you know, my advice is that you know I'm not too sure what who your audience is. But what I can say is that you know, if I could, I would re, would go through my career in the same fashion. I I love the experience that I had everywhere. I went to all the missions. Ide done things, I've done in my life and so on. What I would do better is Hav more of a balance approach and I think that the the younger generations right now, I think I have a better approach to Ghiss, although when you get to this higher level of responsibilities, it takes a lot out of you and your time, but so the way has been able to cope about. It is what you said. You know as initialis about the ironmen about the triatron, and things like that is that I was always able to you got Ta stayshit. You got to take care of yourself, you got to eat property and then you got to sleep property, and- and so, if you do everything and do well balance, although when you look at being a triathlete, it's a bit of an extreme right, but for me it keeps me discipline and making sure that I take care of my body. Take care of myself, yeah and and also but yeah. I tuest this life balance. Life word balance is something that is extremely difficult for high performers for sure, but but something to make a priority right. True as much as much as you can for sure well, thank you so much for this conversation and I'm sure everybody listening is glad that we got it because you're an an incredible person, I'm so glad that you're all to share things with me, ve very simple, very simple person, but Harrison. Thank you so much for the opportunty. It really re enjoyin this, and I wish you all the luck. You'R very, very talent, tod. Keep it up thanks! So much Christian. I really appreciate this wil Chapton you're interested in more content like this go check, Ou our website as don't settle, official JOTCA wor dedicated to providing resources, information and content tesine to assist you on your journey of personal growth and most of all help. You live life to the fullest thanks so much for tuning. In what chat we CAN ETIME
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