The Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin - Conscious Objectivity

Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leaders with Scott Allen

The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., C.C., CStJ, served as Chief Justice of Canada from 2000 to mid-December 2017. In June 2018, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest accolade. She works in ADR as a bilingual arbitrator and mediator in Canada and internationally.
During her 28 years on the Supreme Court of Canada, she helped decide a wide variety of common law and civil law disputes in both French and English. Her tenure as Chief Justice was the longest in Canadian history.
The 2,094 Supreme Court of Canada judgments in which she participated—of which she wrote 442—and her legal writings and speaking include a wide range of subjects in corporate, construction, financial services, taxation, contract, tort, IT, patent, copyright, other areas of business law, as well as arbitration and mediation.
She has received over 35 honorary degrees from universities in Canada and abroad, and numerous other honours and awards.
Ms. McLachlin is also a Justice of Singapore’s International Commercial Court and the Hong Kong Final Court of Appeal.
Quote From This Episode

• "I would actually, consciously, try to put myself into the shoes of each of the parties and imagine, through an exercise, conscious exercise, what it would be like to have suffered what they suffered or encountered what they encountered, and how I would feel if I had encountered or suffered that."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Resource: Every Single Cognitive Bias in One Infographic
• Book: Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Dalio
• Book: Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law by McLachlin
• Article: Justice Beverley McLachlin: A Remarkable Journey to the ‘Centre Chair by Erb
• Article: 'Conscious objectivity': That's how the chief justice defines the top court's role. Harper might beg to differ by Brean

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Plan for ILA's 26th Global Conference in Chicago, IL - November 7-10, 2024.

About The Boler College of Business at John Carroll University

• Boler offers four MBA programs – 1 Year Flexible, Hybrid, Online, and Professional. Each track offers flexible timelines and various class structure options (online, in-person, hybrid, asynchronous). Boler’s tech core and international study tour opportunities set these MBA programs apart. Rankings highlighted in the intro are taken from CEO Magazine.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: The Leader's Edge

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

Chapter

1. Conscious Objectivity in Leadership (00:00:00)

2. Navigating Leadership and Making Tough Decisions (00:12:57)

3. Leadership, Complexity, and Collective Action (00:25:23)