Open & Honest Communication Shared Both Internally and With Customers

Not every CEO moonwalks in the hallways, cracks bad jokes — “I’m really excited for the next autopsy club meeting…It’s open Mike night!” — and then slaps on a hardhat to help out with a repair without being asked. Then again, Mike Glennon is not every CEO.

“I think it’s difficult for a lot of executives to be open and honest about themselves as authentic individuals,” says the mining and energy veteran who leads Canmag Industries, the only dedicated magnetite plant in North America. “But that kind of honesty means a lot more to your people and your customers than any data or spreadsheet does.”

Mike’s authentic approach to leadership started to take shape in the 1990s while he and Jeff Stibbard flanged up to work at the Ekati Diamond Mine, the first such project in Canada.

“Neither of us ever achieved anything great without having trustworthy relationships with the people on our teams,” Mike says.

“You don’t inspire people to do their best, and work their hardest, by keeping them at arm’s length. Of course, there are lines and limits, but being your authentic self builds trust. I want my team to feel comfortable walking into my office and telling me whatever is on their mind, even if it’s that I’m being a bit of a hard…!”

This reputation for honesty and openness has served Mike well over the course of his three decades in the mining and energy sectors. As a senior executive for a major Canadian oil producer, he was responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive business plan for a $3-billion upstream facility. In 2006, Mike was named one of the 12 most influential executives in the Alberta oil industry by the National Post newspaper.

A dozen years and several dynamic executive roles later, Mike says he was drawn to JDS by Jeff’s ambition to build a billion-dollar company. “Anything I can do to help move us towards that big goal, whether it be running Canmag, cross-selling, reselling, building teams or mentoring people, I’ll do it.  And do it well. At this stage in my career, it’s so satisfying to pass on what I’ve learned and experienced, and watch our people rise to the challenge. Jeff has established a culture of trust that our employees and customers benefit most from it,” he says.

(Canmag Stockpile, Northern B.C.)