b'LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHTWhen they left Canada for Kenya,to be part of a system that bothLiving in Kenya left DeGagn with DeGagn reflects, What was inter- helps and imposes. They were therea lasting appreciation for the esting about that was that this wasntto assist the Kenyan government incollectivist values that underpin both just a new experience for my parents;establishing a teachers college, yetKenyan and Indigenous worldviews. it was a new experience for every- they were still visitors in someoneWhat you bring back from those body, and it was an entirely differentelses country. types of experiences is the collec-way of looking at the world than weWe were bringing our thoughts fromtivist notion of what it means to live had ever experienced before. Canada and our own experiencestogether, he says. Western society Living in a country far from home,to a country, and who knows if weis, to an extent, individualistic as everything felt unfamiliar. DeGagnswere in sync with what Kenyans reallyopposed to, I think, a default in the parents, both public servants, hiswanted, DeGagn reflects. So it wasKenyan context of What are we father a teacher and his mother aan interesting way of experiencinggoing to do together? How are we nurse, encouraged open discussionbeing a part of a helpful group ofgoing to prosper?whenever they encountered some- people, but at the same time havingThis leadership philosophy, rooted in thing new in Kenya. Everyone wasto be very careful not to have a lot ofhumility and collective responsibility, genuinely interested in hearing onecolonial thinking about how thingsbecame the foundation of DeGagns anothers perspectives on whatevershould be done. career. Have I succeeded if some of situation we found ourselves in,By the time he reached the Universityus have not? he asks. If I work in DeGagn says. of Toronto for his undergraduatean organization and I claim a certain His parents would often stop whenstudies, DeGagn had already livedsuccess, but that success cant be they encountered something newthrough two contrasting worlds: Aclaimed by everybody, is it really a and ask their children, Boy, this iskid in a small town living with twosuccess for the organization?reallyI dont know the answer topublic servants and seeing whatThat principle would later guide his this. What do you think? Northern life was all about, and then17 years at the Aboriginal Healing experiencing this very, very differentFoundation and his tenure as CEO of Being invited into open-endedopportunity to go to another country,Indspire, where community-centred conversations as a child, especiallywatch our parents make a differencechange and shared accountability when parents admit they dontin that society, and then try to under- defined his approach.have all the answers, normalizesstand that society as best we could. not knowing. It nurtures humility,Those experiences taught him earlySHIFTING THE NARRATIVEadaptability, and a mindset that seeshow power, place, and purpose inter- By the time DeGagn entered the uncertainty not as weakness but assect, and how even good intentionsUniversity of Toronto in the late an opportunity for learning. That kindcan perpetuate harm if theyre not1970s, the contrast between what of upbringing fosters a participatory,grounded in respect. he had learned abroad and what he reflective, and inclusive style of leadership, one grounded in curiosity and collective problem-solving rather than authority or certainty.When a parent says, What do you think? and genuinely listens, it teaches that every voice has value. Those experiences create leaders who build consensus, seek input, andA.K.A. trust others perspectives, key traits in environments that require cross- The Growth cultural understanding or innovation. While perhaps not aware of it at theSupporter time, DeGagns leadership style and skills were being cultivated from a young age. Discover 150+ programs that can help turn your dream job into your real job. A NEW PERSPECTIVEsaskpolytech.ca/explore TAKE YOUR As expatriates, the DeGagn familyNEXT BIG STEP was learning firsthand what it meant 2025indspiration17'