Leadership one-on-oneBenoit-Antoine Bacon

BB: The most important and impactful thing a leader can do is to build and empower strong and effective teams. In a large and complex institution, you simply cannot do it yourself and your team does most of the work. That’s why it is so important to identify, promote and empower good people. It’s like an orchestra – the team members play the musical instruments and the leader is like a conductor. As the leader, you can’t grab the violin and play the solo yourself. You need to trust your team and learn to let go.

BB: My daughter has made me laugh ever since she was a baby, and at 21-years-old she still makes me laugh. I’ve also been a huge Monty Python fan since I was a teenager and saw a VHS of their show at the Hollywood Bowl. It stays with you your whole life.

BB: I remember when my daughter was 15, she asked me who my heroes were. I told her Bob Dylan and Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. She then said “What about your heroes when you were 15?”, to which I answered, “Bob Dylan and Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings!” I love Aragorn because of his character’s redemptive story arc, making right the failures of his forebears. He shows that we can heal our fathers and heal ourselves.

BB: I have long considered UBC the best and most exciting university in Canada, so there was no hesitation when I was offered the position. The sheer size, scope and talent at UBC, coupled with the stunning beauty of our two campuses, make this place unique. UBC is the gold standard but what makes it really exciting is it still has so much potential and room to grow in impact and reputation.

BB: I’ve been in leadership positions for 17 years and managed increasingly big teams and institutions. Over the years I have learned that you can’t control everything and you have to let go. You can’t control governments, geopolitical events, or even colleagues. You have to move every day from the right intention, accept that most things are actually beyond our control, and trust that things will unfold in the right way.

BB: I’ve been going to bed earlier and earlier for 20 years now and today, if I can, I am in bed by 8:30pm! By 5:00am I am rested and I can start my day with a run, workout or yoga and meditation. It centres me for the day ahead.

BB: I asked advice from a former Quebec Premier early in my career and he told me: “I used to recommend to never make the same mistake twice, but now I realize there are so many different mistakes that can be made that it’s not really useful advice.” He was right. But these days my main and most trusted source of advice is on my bedside table – the Bhagavad Gita. It is infinitely wise and is really a manual for daily living. I recommend it most highly. 

BB: In leadership roles it is so important that people be even-tempered and that whether things are going well or terribly, they will remain equanimous, patient, kind and supportive. There are two types of people – those that give you energy and those that take it away. Those that give you energy also tend to be the ones who are humble and self-effacing when things are good, and first on the front line when things are rough.

BB: UBC has been here for 100 years, and will no doubt be here for 100 more. As President, I consider us to be stewards of UBC’s past and future. All we can do is go into our days with the right intentions, and hope that our impact will be seen and appreciated in 20 years’ time. When I think of impact, I think of previous Presidents such as David Strangway and Martha Piper. They have shaped the university we see today by their decisions and actions at critical times in our history. At the moment, I am excited that we are refreshing our strategic plan and considering our vision for UBC’s future. My hope is that in 2050, people will look back and praise our foresight and actions that shaped an even stronger UBC.

BB: It would be to sing in a way that touches people and evokes a wide range of powerful emotions in everyone. I think we all have a singer or two in mind, who has the power to immediately touch us, soothe us our give us strength through their voice – I cannot think of anything more beautiful than to give the world the gift of music.

BB: Earlier in my career and even as a VP, I did not talk openly about my personal journey but that changed when I first became a President. The President is a very symbolic figure, representing the whole institution, and I felt that students, faculty and staff deserved to know who I really was. I also know many people struggle on campus and I wanted to say: you are not alone; asking for help is a strength, not a weakness; and healing is always possible. 

Every single one of us carries a burden. We can, through our words and actions, make it worse for people, or we can be compassionate and walk each other home. Compassion is another word for love. If we can release the fears we carry, by acknowledging them and taking the time to work through them, over time it creates space for compassion and love.

BB: Our current plan Shaping UBC’s Next Century is very comprehensive and we have made lots of progress, but the world has changed a lot since it was created in 2018. It is right to now bring our community together to: envision what kind of university UBC strives to be over the next 25 years; define shorter-term priorities and actions (especially with regards to our core academic and research mission); and continue to mobilize and support the achievement of existing institutional plans such as the Indigenous Strategic Plan, Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework, as well as Faculty-level plans.

I am particularly looking forward to seeing the outcomes of the conversations related to the core academic mission: teaching, learning and research. We have an incredible community, and this process will enable us to revitalize our shared vision and sense of purpose. I encourage everyone to learn more and contribute to the conversation by visiting: https://president.ubc.ca/strategic-plan-refresh.