Local Leader Spotlight – John Sawyer
By Patricia Kopec
At Intrigue, we believe in empowering leaders and strengthening communities — that’s why we have decided to spotlight a ‘Local Leader’ each month!
Our Local Leaders are individuals who have shown both professional leadership and leadership within the community.
We are proud to live and work in communities with many amazing people who exemplify these qualities!
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John Sawyer is the President of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the community.
Watch the ‘IM in a Car’ segment below to see John being interviewed by Intrigue co-founder Rob Murray — it’s all about leadership, team empowerment, and small business.
What have you been up to over the years? There’s an unbelievable wall in your office with unbelievable leaders from decades. What was the journey like?
It was like my whole life lead to it. I worked in the media business, which is a great entry into the chamber business and the number of things I’ve had to do through my life involved things that are fundamental to the Chamber. I dealt with a lot of government relations work over the years, which is a key pillar for the Chamber. I had to make presentations, which made public speaking important. So all those skills brought me here.
What media were you in?
I worked for the Patterson Group for 15 years. Before that I worked for MediaCom and was the VP and General Manager of the News Group.
What got you into the Chamber?
A friend called one day and asked what I was doing. They were looking for a new CEO at the Chamber and he said I would be perfect for the role. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be fun to do. I went through the interview process, and I went home and, based on what they gave me, I made a business plan. I said that it was very simplistic, but here is how I would approach the role, and I dropped it off at all of their homes. They called me the following Monday and said,”We’d like to talk to you.”
My background with Chambers actually started many years ago. When working for a mentor of mine, he told me, the first thing you do when you move to a new community is join the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club — and within a year you’ll know everybody that you need to know.
Fast forward to 2017. What are you working on these days?
Right now is a very busy time for us as we are getting ready for our Chairs’ Dinner, which is the highlight of our year. We introduce the new Chair of the Board and thank the out-going Chair, as well as introduce the new Board to the community. It’s always a really nice event. This year we’re hosting David Dodge, a former Governor for the Bank of Canada.
We’re also working on a celebration for Small Business Week in partnership with the Small Business Development Bank. Every year we do a trade show geared to small businesses and this year we’re having Jim Gray, a marketing and leadership speaker, do a Lunch n’ Learn.
When it comes to leadership, what are some of the things you keep in mind when trying to get a group to move in a certain direction?
Oakville really is a community of leaders. It’s a very special community. You’re always surrounded by leaders and it keeps you on your toes.
My personal philosophy as a leader is to build the team. Get the right people, at the right times, doing the right things. The challenge at the Chamber is that being just like every other non-for-profit, every nickel counts. We do have a really good bonusing program, so if we have a good year the staff share in that. If we don’t have a good year, the staff know that they won’t get their bonus— and they all know that.
So what we’ve had to do is create an environment that will make us an employer of choice. We give people an opportunity that they can’t get anywhere else in terms of the people they will meet and the things they will get to do with us. I tell them to give us two or three really good years, show us what you can do, and we will help you get to where you want to go. That’s what we do, and it works. We have really bright people who love what they do.
What I look for when hiring someone is a person that is smart, that has a really good work ethic, and wants an opportunity. If a person has those three qualities, they will be able to achieve anything. We can teach them all the other stuff, but we can’t teach them work ethic, or passion, or about opportunities.
How do you balance getting things done and having a constant sense of lightheartedness?
It’s all about perspective. There are many facets to anybody, but what I’m thinking is what do I want to get done, and what’s the most effective way to achieve it? Sometimes I have to be a real hardass, but usually people respond to the warm, fuzzy side, and that’s how we get things done. It depends who you talk to and what the circumstances are, what John you’re going to get.
When we’re out networking and asking people why they like being part of the Chamber of Commerce, people don’t always understand the role of the Chamber with government and business.
That is the absolute truth. Most people, when they think of Chambers, think of networking and how we connect people. It’s not until people get involved that they come to understand this advocacy thing that we do. It’s so important. Someone needs to speak on behalf of the business community. So many initiatives have come from the Chambers, and I hate to think what government regulations and taxes would be if we hadn’t been there speaking up for the business community. Although it’s not our highest profile, it’s by far the most important thing that we do.
Can you give us some context about the minimum wage hike coming January 2018?
The worst thing you can do to business is create uncertainty. The government announced a 30% wage increase, and I need to be perfectly clear: we want everyone to do well. We want a healthy economy where everyone does well. The issue that we’re hearing from a lot of our members is that the way the government is intending to implement this fundamental change to our economy is too much, too fast. Other communities that are trying this experiment of moving to a $15 minimum wage have chosen a window of four or five years — whereas we will be required to do it in 15 months. I think we need to look at those other communities, see how it’s going, and look at how they’re implementing it.
Where can people go to learn more about this bill?
You can go to our website, there is also the Keep Ontario Working Coalition, which we are a part of. We have commissioned an independent study to look at the consequences of this change. Our concern is that the fallout of this is going to result in harm to the very groups that the government is trying to help.
Is there any opportunity that this is going to get slowed down?
Well that’s what we’re asking for. The government has clearly and repeatedly said no, we’re moving forward with this change. We’re hoping that we can work with them and get it slowed down. We’re meeting with our MPP Kevin Flinn, and also the Labour Minister so we can have a conversation about it and get them to listen to some of our members’ stories.
If there was something you could go back and tell John Sawyer 20 years ago that you wish you knew then but you know now, what would it be?
To be less afraid. As a young man I was always concerned about upsetting people, or doing the wrong thing and embarrassing myself. Now, I don’t care as much. What I’ve learned over the years is that it doesn’t matter what you do, someone is going to be upset. You have to respect that, but you have to move on from it as well.
