An Authentic Leader

 

Community Champion

Mike Chantler goes above and beyond what is expected of him to benefit his community. He is currently the general manager of the new Windsor International Aquatic and Training Center. He leads from the heart to build motivated teams. Through is pure and authentic energy, he is able to inspire others to work toward a stronger community.

“I would never ask an employee to do a job I wouldn’t do myself. I’ve spent a fair amount of time serving fries and hamburgers.”

 

 

 

 

Background

Mike Chantler was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, but he has spent most of his life in Windsor, Ontario. He attended the University of Guelph to study microbiology, and transferred to the University of Windsor. He was interested in joining the police force, so he also took courses in criminal justice and criminology. During his program, he grew an appreciation for law, so he also took some law courses. Throughout university, Mike worked full time, and at some point built a home and got married. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

Mike started working at 13 years of age as a dishwasher. Eventually he moved from being a dishwasher to working as a busboy, and then became a waiter within 4 years. Mike worked in the hotel and restaurant industries before taking a job in the healthcare industry. Then he worked for the tourism board in Windsor. During his time at the tourism board, Mike received his Business Skills certificated from the University of Windsor. Mike changed course again when he became the deputy licensing commissioner for the City of Windsor. Mike has acknowledged that, as a City of Windsor employee, an individual’s role varies every day. Mike Chantler is more well-known in Windsor for his recent role as general manager of the 2014 Ontario Summer Games.

Diving in Head First

When touring the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre, Mike Chantler told a story of how he took a leap of faith off of the high dive. Throughout his educational and professional career, Mike has truly displayed his versatility in what he does and his commitment to “diving in head first” with whatever it is that he is involved in. Whether it is managing the Ontario Summer Games, operating the International Aquatic and Training centre, or coaching his daughter’s soccer team, Mr. Chantler is 100% involved and engaged. To be able to do a complete 180 in roles and have the belief in yourself to succeed as well as the passion for what you do is truly remarkable, and that is exactly what Mike Chantler has done, and will continue to do. To rashly put all your effort into something without thinking of consequences or reward takes courage. Hitting that level of self-realization is what each and every one of us should strive for, and unequivocally depicts what being a Community Champion is about.

First Impression

After analyzing available information online, our team believed that Mike Chantler would tend toward the Control quadrant of the Competing Values Framework (CVF). We believed that he was most

comfortable assuming Coordinator and Director roles, because of his past professional background. For instance, he was the manager of 2014 Ontario Summer Games. In this role, he faced tremendous challenges. For one, he faced a very tight timeline (he only had 6 months to prepare compared to the usually allotted 1 year or more).

A ‘Coordinator’ generally maintains structure, schedules, organizes, and coordinates staff efforts. We made a fairly straightforward deduction from what he was tasked to do during the preparation of the Ontario Summer Games, that he would have been a coordinator. Mike overcame many logistical challenges during the Ontario Summer Games, so we inferred that he must be a strong, confident, independent leader. We also inferred that he would be assertive, responsible, and self-disciplined. For this reason, we argued that he would work within the ‘control’ and ‘compete’ quadrants of the CVF. By this, we assumed he would be strong in executing and influencing.

New and Improved CVP

After sitting down and speaking to Mike, we gained a better sense of how he operates and what makes him tick. He tends to surround himself with those who complement his skill-set and who he can connect with on a deeper level than simply a colleague. Many of the individuals Mike does business with are life-long friends, and regardless of the work environment he is in, he strives to create an enduring familial culture. Thus, we can infer that Mike habitually operated in the Collaboration quadrant by the CVF. Mike often leads and manages in Innovator and Producer roles. Mike has this contagious energy and upbeat personality that trickles throughout everyone he works with. His ability to inspire the people around him to adopt this energy is key to his authentic leadership. Innovators are typically adaptive, flexible, open, and humble. Mike’s ability to adapt is world class, but beyond that he is humble. Perhaps the most distinguishable characteristic he holds is his kind heart and his true caring for others. This was unintentionally revealed during our visit to the Aquatic Centre. As we were touring the facilities, we walked through a doorway and Mike stopped, looking puzzled. He realized that this door did not have an automatic handicap door opener. He noticed this minor detail that so many others missed (including us). Mike was instantly concerned and frustrated. Something that so many others overlooked was so clear to Mike; this is truly a testament to his caring personality.

New & Improved Strengths

Mike Chantler deeply understands his own strengths and he seeks out the strengths of the people around him. He has a gift for figuring out how people can work together productively. This is one reason

for the success of the Ontario Summer Games. Another reason lies in Chantler’s stamina; he is incredibly driven and works very hard, two qualities that describe an achiever. Moreover, he is an authentic communicator. He does not hesitate to put his thoughts and his vision into words.

One of Mike Chantler’s strengths is particularly obvious in assessing his professional and academic background; that is, he is adaptable. His skills transfer from one professional practice to another. He sees tremendous value in the skills he acquired in the hospitality industry. He reads people and shapes appropriate responses to optimize conversations and outcomes. His most influential strength is his energy; it is so pure and authentic. His positive energy permeates everything that he does and says, and it transfers to the people around him. This is how he builds up his team. He encourages others to have a vision.

Fundamental State of Leadership

Mike Chantler is not normal. Actually, by Robert Quinn’s concept of the Fundamental State of Leadership, he has transcended the typical individual’s normal state of functioning. He is not self-focused or ego-driven; rather he acts for the greater good of the people around him. When Mr. Chantler was approached by the mayor of Windsor and asked to take on the Ontario Summer Games (set to occur in a mere 6 months), he did not accept with a view of adding another impressive line on his resume. He accepted the role for the greater good of the Windsor community; he saw a chance to showcase and engage his community. He accepted this position knowing that it would be extremely challenging, and that he had no prior experience with organizing events of this scale. He does not restrict himself to the proverbial ‘comfortable box’; to the contrary, Mike Chantler eagerly embraces change. He does not keep a job for more than five years. This does not signify that he is impatient or has a short attention span; quite the opposite, he sees change as an opportunity to grow. He readily experiments by taking on new and different roles and adapting to new environments. By adapting to new roles and people, Mike Chantler has been able to reach a level of self-discovery and awareness not reached by many people. This is also a testament to his ever-willingness to actively learn from the people who surround him.

Mike Chantler does not live in a reactive state; he is committed and engaged, and actively seeks opportunities. He can certainly react to problems, but he does not get lost in this state. He also looks to others to make the most of whatever project is at hand. He plays to the strengths of his team to execute tasks that he admittedly could not accomplish alone. Rather than waste time trying to coordinate

transportation for thousands of athletes and their families around the Windsor-Essex area during the Summer Games, Mike appointed someone who was intimately acquainted with Windsor’s transit system to the task.

He does not define himself by others’ expectations or assessments. He is comfortable with who he is, and leads a purposeful life, but not in the sense that he is goal-oriented and hardworking; rather he acknowledges the need to close the gaps between his actions and his values. His first thought upon considering whether to accept the Summer Games’ position was that, by accepting the position, he would have to break a promise he had made to his daughter; he had promised that he would coach her soccer team that upcoming summer. He then made it a point to never make promises that he couldn’t keep.

Authentic Leadership

To be an effective leader, an individual must invest in their strengths, surround themselves with the right people to maximize their team, and understand their followers’ needs. To be an authentic leader, an individual must profoundly understand themselves and the people around them. Mike Chantler is an authentic leader. He understands and leverages his own strengths and he actively seeks out the strengths of others to enhance projects. He plainly and willingly speaks the truth. When he speaks, it is not do make his voice heard – he speaks to get his message across. His energy is pure and authentic. After meeting with him for one hour, anyone would walk away knowing that Mike Chantler genuinely enjoys his life. He surrounds himself with good, complimentary people that share the same kind of positive attitude.

Chantler leads from his heart, with the aim of improving Windsor. He does this by leading through people. This is only possible because he leads by example. By this, he builds effective teams; furthermore, he has been able to build the Windsor community. At the end of the day, Chantler acknowledges that his job is not finished. There’s always something that needs to be done or changed for the better.

Astonishingly, Mike Chantler does not strive for perfection. He knows that problems or glitches are inevitable, so instead of reprimanding his team, he acknowledges his team’s ability to contend with these issues. This is perhaps the core of his authentic leadership; it really illustrates Mike’s appreciation for the people around him.

Lessons Learned

A true community champion goes above and beyond what is expected of them to benefit those around them. Mike is the first to admit the necessity of being surrounded by good people in order to be a successful leader, and that a sense of community needs to be created in any type of team in order for it to be successful. Mike jokingly described his leadership: “I’m a tyrant, I rule with an iron fist”; but he truly understands that success is a team effort, and his role is to inspire and lead by example. “I would never ask an employee to do a job I wouldn’t do myself, I’ve spent a fair amount of time serving fries and hamburgers as well”; here Mike refers to his role as general manager at the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Center. Mike is truly an inspirational leader; he immerses himself entirely in to any role given to him, and sacrifices his personal gains for the sake of the team around him. With that being said, he also exemplifies the importance of a work-life balance; he is as heavily involved with his family activities as he is with his work. Anyone would get the impression that his friends and family are the driving force behind his success. To round off this tribute to Mike Chantler’s authentic and champion leadership, we’ll end with a quote by Gary David Goldberg: “It takes a lot of people to make a winning team. Everybody’s contribution is important.”

 

 

Personality has power to uplift, power to depress, power to curse,and power to bless – Paul Harris

The task of reflecting on my own personality is an extremely challenging one. You know it exists, and you know it guides your everyday actions, but you very rarely look to analyze the inner workings of your personality. However, to quote Albert Einstein “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” and to me this speaks volumes toward to need to analyze and understand ones personality on a deeper level, because to be able to gain success i.e. playing better than anyone else, you must first fully understand yourself and how to leverage your personality traits i.e. learning the rules. To allow myself to do so, interpersonal dynamics has introduced me to various tools that can be used to gain a deeper understanding of my personality, and for this reflection I have chosen the following: The Myers-Briggs test and the big five.

The Myers-Briggs test

Rather ironically, after quoting Albert Einstein I actually share the same Myers-Briggs type with him, and that is INTP. Another irony that was struck home was that as an MBA student there are little-to-no well known CEO’s or business leaders with this Myer-Briggs makeup, and it seems to be a personality type exclusively for leaders in thinking and their own field such as Einstein and Immanuel Kant amongst others. The majority of the results came as no surprise to me, in that before taking the test I would have identified myself as introverted, intuitive, thinking & perceiving, the only surprise was the degree of each aspect. For the purpose of reflection, I looked to breakdown each category separately for analysis.

Extraversion Vs. Introversion

I scored relatively highly towards introversion with a rating of 10. As stated earlier this came as no surprise to me once I actually looked to understand want introversion/extraversion actually mean. The major misconception of these opposing types is that extraverts are the loudest people in the room, the life of the party and the ones likely to succeed in areas involving leadership, whereas the introverts are seen to be the quiet ones in the corner who have little social skills. However the concept of introversion and extraversion is in fact based around energy and motivation, and speaking for myself I can attest to it, and can observe serious positives that can be leveraged through the traits of introversion to better myself as a leader. First and foremost being an introvert means that my energy comes from within, this means that I am not dependent on others to build my own motivation and drive, it also means I can sit back and reflect over a situation and see the big picture a lot more naturally (I refuse to describe and attribute as better or worse as they are all simply different), the misconceptions of an introvert are further disproved as I looked deeper in to my score, and part of it shows that I have strong scores towards Gregariousness and Enthusiasm which pertain to my lively and energetic nature and my affinity to a group dynamic. This whole notion was possibly best displayed in my many years of soccer captaincy where energy and gregariousness are vital attributes to succeed, however my uniqueness as a leader came from my ability to stand back and reflect on the current situation effectively on my own, before leveraging my ability to self motivate due to introversion and then externalise that to the rest of my teammates.

Sensing Vs. Intuition

Being placed under the intuition side was of no surprise to me either, and even the severity of the score at 20 was no surprise, especially after the various tools used previously such as Competing values framework which has firmly placed me as a creative type, and that is the basis for an intuitive nature, in that it involves being original, conceptual and abstract. I think this attribute, when extreme, can often be perceived as the individual being eccentric, if you again you look at Einstein, he was very much original and forward thinking, but many would also use words such as “odd” to describe the man. I am of the belief that this one attribute is one that I should most look to leverage in building my leadership over time, as I believe many key leaders today are differentiated through innovation, and innovation is bred through this sense of originality and inventiveness. However the need for self-awareness is key when developing, because after digging deeper in to these facets I noticed I scored on the extreme ends of the continuum in certain aspects such as imaginative, and the problem that could arise through this is a lack of efficiency and staying grounded in my work, and I need to be aware that sometimes I need to alter towards these in my work for the benefit of both myself and any team I will operate within.

Thinking Vs. Feeling

This score came as more of a surprise to me, although my score was only an arbitrary 5 toward thinking, I was sure I was likely to be more of a feeler, due to the previous experiences I have had working with the orphanage in Kenya for many years, and my involvement in a team sport environment where the need to be empathetic of others needs is of paramount importance. However when looking deeper in to why I am categorized here the rationale becomes more clear, and again it is bred through my creative nature in that I look to find processes to a solution and that I tend to question generally held beliefs or theories to come to some sort of original thesis around them which is something I have always looked to do throughout my time in academia. With this being said this attribute tied with my high intuition attribute can be leveraged in to becoming a unique thinking leader, and learning to create buy-in to my novel ideas or processes will be vital to my success in doing so, also it must be wary of other peoples objectives and feelings when doing so and appreciating the need of the people around me and supporting them to also be creative forces.

Judging Vs. Perceiving

To only score a 5 towards perceiving was a big shock to me, as I have always considered myself a highly spontaneous type of individual who thrives on time constraints, and no matter how hard I try will never be able to live by a strict schedule. I often use the example of when I have to write any essay or suchlike for university, no matter if you give me 2 days or 2 months to do the same essay, I will still be in the library until 4am the morning before it is due finishing it off, and to add to that I even believe the quality of my work is far enhanced by being that way. This side of me was made clear when scoring on the extreme end of the pressure-prompted facet. There are obvious considerations and flaws that need to be acknowledged and kept in mind when trying to leverage this attribute, as although the business world itself is full of time pressures and being able to thrive under it is a distinguishing attribute to have, I do also need to be aware of my efficiency and to be aware of any long term goals that need to be reached rather than living from time constraint to time constraint.

The big five

The big five is considered by many in the field to contain the 5 foundation dimensions that shape all other personality factors, so of course when I am looking to fully “learn the rules of the game” looking at the very foundation of my personality was of great allure.

Openness to experience

This was my highest scoring attribute, and is of no surprise to me whatsoever, because I have always enjoyed novel experiences and ideas, as explained by my creativity and also the many different cultures i’ve immersed myself in throughout my life with travelling and also living in Kenya, Hong Kong & Canada. With the global and ever changing nature of business today, I think this openness will serve me well as a leader and allow me to remain mobile.

Conscientiousness

This facet describes the phenomena of organization and self-discipline, which as a general rule comes as a part of the package for a creative type, and unsurprisingly I scored low on it, which is still ironic to me considering my obsessive compulsive tendencies for order. With this short coming it means that time management and general organizational structure of tasks does not come naturally, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be built on through self-awareness of this flaw.

Extraversion

Obviously this was a-given that I would receive a low score, and the pro’s and con’s of this and how I can leverage it were discussed earlier.

Agreeableness

“I say what I think, I won’t change that for anyone else” is a phrase that has often been proudly uttered from my mouth, and therefore it explains why my level of agreeableness is low, I tend not to change my personality to suit others, although many may argue that having chameleon type attributes is vital for dealing with numerous people that you will encounter through being a leader, I believe that being authentic to yourself and letting others see that shine through is far more powerful.

Neuroticism

I have often been described by friends and colleagues as laissez-faire and it was one personality trait I was 100% self-aware of before going deeper in to my understanding, over the years I have encountered many highly stressful situations, including working in the orphanage, working in sales, personal stress such as my parents divorce and just general university stress and people have always commended me on my ability to not let it phase me, and as discussed earlier in terms of the fast paced world we live in today I take great pride in my ability to take things in my stride, however I need to be careful to not cross the line between calm and lazy.

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