WWF-Canada CEO and former Toronto mayor David Miller shares his leadership journey with U of T Engineering students (Photo courtesy Fang Su).
When asked how he braves relentless conflict and criticism, it’s not surprising that a man who’s been mayor of Toronto, a litigation lawyer and CEO of World Wildlife Fund-Canada would extol the virtues of strength.
But during a recent visit to U of T campus, David Miller showed students a moment of vulnerability seldom seen by his political opponents:
“My mom died of cancer. She brought me up on her own. She was incredibly brave and never complained. I drew from her amazing strength when she was sick. Whatever your experience in life, you will have inner reserves of strength.”
Miller spoke intimately about how his mother’s influence helped him endure fierce opposition during his political career and stay rooted to his values. Although his visit to campus involved over 80 students, staff and faculty, the disclosure felt more like a heart-to-heart with an old friend.
Hosted by the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead), Miller visited U of T campus to share his unusual leadership journey with students, and to urge them to have a greater voice in the non-profit and political worlds. Now as CEO of WWF-Canada, he called on them to be creative in their approach to problem solving, especially when tackling problems concerning environmental and urban sustainability.
For National Engineering Month, he also had specific advice to U of T’s many engineering students: “So many of our environmental challenges are actually about waste. Engineers are great at finding innovative solutions to reduce waste. The profession has a huge amount to offer the world.”
But engineer or not, the former mayor told the audience that good listening skills and the ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision are essential to success. These are skills that ILead teaches students through its coaching, leadership courses and certificate programs.
“We engineers have the skills to make things happen, but we really need to develop our perseverance and focus during our educational journey,” shared first-year student Bella Zhang (MIE 1T7), who was deeply inspired by Miller’s talk. “But have we questioned what our core values are in our lives and where we should contribute our intelligence?”
Find out more about how U of T Engineering is celebrating National Engineering Month.
