Elyse Allan, CEO of GE CanadaFernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
As far back as I can remember, I was the leader of the gang, the group, the organization," says Elyse Allan, president and chief executive officer of General Electric Canada Inc. "I like the complexity of making decisions."
Describing herself as "someone who loves the challenge of fixing something when it's broken," she finds today's tough economic times an inspiration for creative thinking and problem solving. She seeks quiet time on car and airplane rides, getting a lot done in those few minutes of solitude.
Ms. Allan grew up "in middle class America" just outside of New York City and went to a large, socially diverse public school before attending Dartmouth College for biology and environmental studies and the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth for her MBA. She attributes her strong work ethic to her hard-working parents, who taught her that you have to earn everything in life. Her first job was waiting tables on weekends, and she enjoyed it very much. Her parents also made every dinner a debate in which she, her brother and sister were encouraged to think critically about a topic and take opposing sides, just for the sake of argument.
She began her career at GE in 1984 in corporate marketing in Bridgeport, Conn., before moving to Canada to become the manager of GE Canada's customer service program. After a senior marketing role at Ontario Hydro and subsequently seven years as president and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade, she returned to GE Canada in 2004 to take up her current position.
At a recent "take your kids to work day," when Ms. Allan was asked what it was like to be a CEO, she defined good leadership as taking the responsibility for making decisions and being accountable for the results of those decisions, whether they were made alone or as part of a group.
"There can be multiple ways of getting to a decision," says Ms. Allan. "Is it urgent? How big is it? How many people are involved? Your process to get there might be very different depending on the criteria. Sometimes you don't have the luxury of consulting the people you want to consult. Other times you want to reach out and be as inclusive as you possibly can."
Women make terrific leaders, she says, in part because they listen and in part because they don't rush to a decision.
"Women are consensus-building and very inclusive, yet they're not afraid of making a decision," says Ms. Allan, who believes women play more leadership roles than we know.
The difference, she says, is that women don't necessarily seek recognition.
"As I look out across the Canadian executive field, I'm amazed that many don't have CEO after their names," says Ms. Allan. "But I think it's not something they necessarily seek in order to have balance in their lives. That doesn't diminish the fact that, in many cases, they are tremendous leaders."
Communicating with staff isn't her strong point, she says, but she tries to motivate and excite each one in a way that engages them individually. Some want an opportunity, some want a challenge, while other want to have fun. "I say to them: Here's where we're going, here's what we need to do," says the energetic Ms. Allan. "Have you got it? Let's go."
A night owl, she loves her "mornings at one in the morning," where she can get a tremendous amount of writing done. Accordingly, she starts her workday later than others and uses tools to stay organized, flagging items on the computer for follow up, and scheduling her day. While she says she could be fitter, she tries to exercise when travelling - 10,000 steps on her pedometer, for instance - by skipping receptions and hitting the gym. She also loves to walk her dogs and cycle, ski or hike on weekends.
"I schedule everything - even on the family side - to make sure I'm not missing anything with the school or social dates, so we're big list people," she says. "I'm big on calendars because if it's not written down, I may forget it."
Active in the community and passionate about creating strong cities and a culture of excellence, Ms. Allan sits on many boards outside of GE, most of them non-profit and policy oriented, such as hospitals or the Royal Ontario Museum.
She sees this as a learning opportunity as well as a chance to contribute to Canada, her adopted home country (she, her husband and family live in Toronto).
"The challenges that come to these organizations, as we think through solving them or pursuing opportunities, bring me ideas, techniques and processes that I can bring back to GE," she says. "They help keep me fresh as a leader and keep me challenged. We have lots of exposure at GE to what's going on globally. I'm fortunate to be part of the leadership team there. I have the ability to bring that learning and those perspectives to the table in Canada."
She also believes in the importance of business being at the public policy table and would like to see more leaders step out and engage in the community and with government. She's a director of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the C.D. Howe Institute and the Public Policy Forum and was appointed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to the federal Finance Advisory Committee in 2009.
"When I was at the Toronto Board of Trade, I realized that business often feels that they don't want to cross paths with government," says Ms. Allan. "That's unfortunate, because the best public policy will come when citizenry, be they corporate or the consumer, is actually engaged. Public policy is the policy that drives our lives, our fortunes and that of our children.
"We live in a society that invites us to participate. I think we have a responsibility to respond and be a participant, have our voice heard and to contribute. I think that business, society and public policy would be richer for the dialogue than if we try to do it in isolation."