E12: Leading with Character: A conversation with John Ossowski, President of the Canada Border Services Agency

Summary: In this episode Mary and I welcome John Ossowski, President of Canada Border Services Agency. Over the last five years John has led the introduction of Leader Character into all facets of the CBSA organization. As he says, “We use it for everything!”. The accessible, practical and universal language of Leader Character makes it perfect for applications such as selection, recruiting, rewards and recognition and performance management. In particular, Leader Character has been central to a cultural transformation occurring within CBSA, including playing a key role in their EDI initiative. John discusses what first captured his imagination about Leader Character, how it is used at CBSA, how it has changed and strengthened his leadership, and the obstacles faced and overcome. When we asked John for his one piece of advice for leaders he said, “Just dive in!”. Likewise, we hope you will dive into this episode and get as much from it as we did. (~43 minutes)