CO NN I E FA I R
Leadership is about stepping up BY
ALLAN JENKINS
PROPERTY TAXES. THEY ARE NOT
everyone’s favourite topic, but they finance up to 80 per cent of local government and services in some British Columbia municipalities. Helping local authorities and property owners decide the value of the taxed property is the job of BC Assessment, a provincial Crown corporation. And its work is never ending. “Property taxes have been around since the Egyptians,” quips Connie Fair, MBA 1988, President and CEO of BC Assessment. “We create the base for property taxes by assessing property value,” says Fair. “The work we do is used by local governments to raise $6.5 billion in property taxes annually. We like to describe that work as helping build healthy, sustainable communities.”
“You have to have that big picture. If you don’t, you are going to be knocked off course.” As CEO, Fair balances the interests and expectations of BC Assessment stakeholders: provincial lawmakers, employees, unions, taxpayers and municipalities. That balancing act has taught her a great deal about leadership. “You have to have a vision,” says Fair. “People look to the person at the top of the organization to guide the organization to where it
Connie Fair, MBA 1988, enjoys travel with her husband, including this recent visit to Hyde Park in London, England.
needs to go. You have to have that big picture. If you don’t, you are going to be knocked off course. “You also must be able to apply different leadership styles to different situations. Change leadership is an example. People are uncomfortable with change, because we all tend to want to stay with the status quo. Now, a CEO could push through the change, and that would be one style. But a leader would consider, ‘Is this natural resistance to change? Or are there perhaps real issues here we need to address?’”
Fair, a trustee for the Sauder Business Club of Vancouver, notes that different sorts of organizations require different leadership styles. “In business, as CEO, I am responsible for what happens in the organization. So a big part of my job is managing relationships with all the different players. “But as a trustee in the Sauder Business Club of Vancouver, I try to give the leaders a place to go where they can try things out. We may make recommendations, but I am more of a coach. And that is the right model for that situation,
because these people are smart, know what they are doing, and are doing a great job.” Fair believes leaders become leaders by seizing challenges. “I never wanted to be a leader. But sometimes it is about being at the right place at the right time. It is really is about taking opportunities and stepping up to challenges—knowing that even if you are out of your comfort zone, you probably have people around you who can help you succeed. When you are willing to do that, leadership opportunities come your way.” ■ Connie Fair, MBA 1988, President and CEO, BC Assessment Trustee, Sauder Business Club of Vancouver linkedin.com/pub/connie-fair
VIEWPOINTS FALL/WINTER 2012
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