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Geoff Molson, 45, is president and CEO of CH Group Limited Partnership, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, Bell Centre and Evenko, and chairman of the board of Molson Coors Brewing Co.

My father taught me to never expect anything that others wouldn't be able to expect as well. In Montreal, with the name Molson, you could very easily put yourself in a position where you would expect things in life. My father's advice has served me well and has led me to work harder and achieve things, but also be humble and not be different from anyone else.

When I was a kid and played hockey, I wasn't always the nicest player on the ice. There was one game where I was particularly dirty. I also scored a couple of goals and I played well, but I was dirty. We won the game and my father was driving me home, and I was pretty happy because we won. He reminded me very quickly that it's really important to remember that even though we won the game, in the long run, my name is on the back of my shirt. They'll always remember that name, so you have to be careful how you behave. That stayed with me my whole life.

Business can learn a thing or two from hockey. It's so important that everyone on the team contributes to the success you eventually want to have. That includes the trainer, the doctor, the families, the coaching staff, the technical directors, and the players. The more we are able to bring that big family together as a team, the better we perform. Everyone has a role to play. That requires effective communication, and the definition of what is expected of people.

In high school, as a defenceman, my ability was to see the play develop and to anticipate what's going to happen. I learned a lot through playing hockey. It's a team sport and individuals are important, but teamwork is more important. That's something that you learn in the business world as well.

I never give advice to the coach [of the Montreal Canadiens]. I ask a lot of questions and engage in conversation but it's about finding a place where I'm comfortable with what they're doing. I would never question the coach or the coach's decisions. They're the experts and I need to trust them 100 per cent of the time.

You never want fans to believe that the business is making a decision that overrides the hockey team. In Quebec and in Montreal, there's nothing more important than a successful hockey team; business shouldn't get in the way of that. My job as the CEO is to give our general manager everything he needs to be successful and to not slow him down. I need to work with two mindsets. One is that I need to build a strong hockey team with the general manager, and the other is that I need to run a profitable business. The two cannot collide. Even though we're managing the business, everything starts with having a successful hockey team on the ice.

I want the players to feel comfortable asking for my perspective and my advice off the ice. I try not to interfere with the players very regularly but there are always opportunities to sit down ask about what they're up to off the ice. I let them know that I care as well about who they are and what they do outside the hockey rink. I rarely go to the dressing room; only when it's really important. One time I went in because we won the last game of the season and made the playoffs. I went in to congratulate them, but it wasn't in the form of a speech. That's not really my style. I just went in to shake each one of their hands and congratulate them for either winning a series or the team doing something great.

Managing superstars is never easy. We have superstars from different countries on the team, so you've got a mix of cultures. The best I can do is to show them two things. First, there's more to life than just hockey; family's important, communities are important. And, second, is to give them the environment that makes them feel like superstars and like they're wanted and cared about. A superstar can stray off at times and be a bit of an island. That's where the team concept comes in, but keeping them off the island is hard work sometimes.

Finding your passion is a long process. My first passion in life was to eventually work in the beer business. We are in the seventh generation of the beer business, something we are very proud of. I don't think every Molson is destined to work in the beer business but every once in a while, one emerges, and I was one.

I've always tried to have at least one mentor who would help me and give me feedback to improve. Today I have two or three people that I unofficially call up for advice when something big is in the pipeline. They are people I trust and have known for a long time.

Throughout my career, after any speech or interview, I've asked for feedback from as many people as possible. I ask how I did, and what I did wrong. Usually at first, they'll say it was great and that I did a good job, but then you have to really get down to specifics. You learn from getting feedback, and I take that very seriously. To be honest, I still do that every time.

Every morning, unless I'm travelling, I take my kids to school. That's an important moment for me, getting to drive my kids to school. I don't get to work till 8:30 or so, whereas I could very easily get to work at 6:30 and get a lot done, but that's my family time. It's hard to disconnect from work, but there's nothing better than spending time with your kids and watching them play their sports, which I do an awful lot of.

You always want to be authentic. The people I work with know who I am, and how I think. I am an open book with my people and I share what's going through my head. That's really in the spirit of making sure that the trust is there and that they understand that I care about them just as much as they care about me.

I pinch myself once in a while and think about how lucky I am to be able to lead and give back to the community. One of the things that has helped me in my career is that people, regardless of who they are, feel comfortable around me. That's my objective when I meet people: to give them the impression that I am no different from them. You need to be humble, you need to allow other leaders to lead, even though you are a Molson. We have a responsibility to support our communities. Without a strong community, we wouldn't be here. We believe that firmly, so we give back a lot. It's a responsibility that is ingrained in our culture.

As told to Karl Moore, associate professor at Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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