LeapComp - Sales Performance Management Blog

The Eastern Ontario Economic Showcase on September 24th had several outstanding speakers including Donald Trump, Terry Matthews (our own Ottawa technology billionaire enthusiast, and Brett Wilson, another successful Canadian entrepreneur.

I went to the event, not because I expected them to ‘teach’ me to become rich and more successful; I went because I wanted to see them in person, and Trump in particular. So here are some of my first impressions. Donald tries to pretend he’s a jerk on TV, but he actually seems to be a nice and funny guy (I’d like to say that I won’t tell your secret Mr. Trump, but too late!). This was my second time seeing Terry and he was as energetic and enthusiastic as before. Finally I was a bit surprised that Brett seems to be as ‘nice’ as people say he is!

The message from Terry Matthews and Donald was similar. Success requires persistence, the ability to handle pressure, some luck, more sweat, some risk taking, etc. That’s what I expected to hear.

However, Brett took me by surprise by sharing his touching story, and many things he said really resonated with me. His early success came from the investment banking advisory firm he co-founded, Wilson Mackie & Co. He then co-founded FirstEnergy Capital Corp, a Canadian brokerage firm that provides investment-banking services to Canada’s oil and gas sectors. He is now involved with many startup companies, the CBC Dragons’ Den TV series, writing a book, but he is especially involved with a large number of nonprofit initiatives.

Success comes from hard work, and the problem is that there are only so many hours in a day. To achieve his tremendous success, Brett often put work before many other things – a mistake he only realized later in life. Work came before spending time with his family, resulting in a divorce. He neglected his kids. He suffered from depression, developed a an alcohol dependency, and gained a lot of weight. He also blames stress for contributing to his prostate cancer which he survived and which was a big wake up call.

Now that his life is in order after seeking professional help and realigning his priorities - spending more time with his kids and girlfriend, losing the weight, and living a healthier life style - Brett is in a good position to say that it’s important to get the priorities straight: focusing on physical and mental health and to be there for family and friends. This is a key to success, and it’s by being successful that it is possible to have the greatest impact in the community and in the world.

I finally found a new role model.