In December 2012 a violent ice storm struck the city of Toronto, downing trees and power lines and causing widespread blackouts. Chris Upfold, deputy CEO and chief customer officer for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), had a decision to make: send one of his primary maintenance crews to Scarborough to clear the Rapid Transit line, or keep the crew downtown to protect the core against further disruption?
“In a leadership role, not making a decision is a decision,” Upfold said. “You gather everybody’s opinion, and you attempt to forge a consensus, but ultimately that decision needs to be made.” In the end, he kept the maintenance crew downtown.
Upfold shared his lessons in leadership with more than 30 U of T Engineering students participating in the Faculty-wide Summer Program: Engineer Your Future, from the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead). The group visited the TTC’s Hillcrest Complex last Thursday, where they also toured the main Transit Control Centre and the massive D. W. Harvey Workshop where hundreds of buses and streetcars are repaired each year.
This story was originally posted on U of T Engineering News. Read the entire story here!
-Tyler Irving