Module 9
Career Blindspots & Blunders
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Oryssia J. Lennie was a Canadian civil servant and former Deputy Minister of Western Economic Diversification Canada. She is also the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta’s 2002 Award for Excellence in Public Administration. In December 2016, she was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Oryssia was Deputy Minister for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) from 1997-2009. The department promotes the development and diversification of the western Canadian economy and advances the interests of the West in national economic policy. Activities include supporting the development of new and innovative technologies, expanding entrepreneurship, and investing in community economic development, and undertaking research and advocacy initiatives.
Prior to joining WD, Oryssia worked for the Alberta government for 26 years and was Deputy Minister of Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs from 1990 to 1997. She has had extensive involvement in constitutional and aboriginal constitutional negotiations and intergovernmental negotiations on social, economic, international trade, and internal trade policy.
A graduate of the University of Alberta, Oryssia has received numerous awards for her accomplishments in public service and in the area of business and management, including the University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award (2015), the Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy (2014), the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal for Excellence in Public Service (2002) and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award (1997).
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Bert joined our IPSL roster following a 38-year career with the Government of BC where he led such diverse organizations as the Corrections Branch, Shared Services BC and Employee Relations. In his most recent assignment he led the Independent Investigations Office, the agency responsible for investigating police-involved incidents resulting in death or serious harm.
The central tenet of Bert’s leadership in organizational restructuring and employee engagement, and of his service on employer bargaining committees, is his belief that people genuinely want to get along in the workplace and desire relationships built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect.
He believes as Maya Angelou did that “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Bert’s reputation as a trusted advisor to whom teams and individuals can turn for advice is well known. In recognition of his many Public Service career achievements, Bert was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and was a Premier’s Awards Provincial Finalist in the Legacy category.
Module length: 90 min
Study time: 3 hr
Accelerator Short Course: Not available
Master Mentors share their thoughts on the behaviours and circumstances that can interfere with a technically competent public servant’s ability to achieve peak performance and promotability.
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Rick Goldring operates Goldring Financial Leadership Inc. and has been providing financial and retirement income planning advice to clients since 1979. From 2010-2018, Rick served as mayor of Burlington and between 2014-2018 served on both the Board and Executive of AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario).
While mayor, Rick served on the boards of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation, Burlington Hydro and the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Currently, Rick serves on the Burlington Museums Foundation Board, the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation Gift Planning Services Committee and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore.