WEBVTT
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.320
Gary, I can't thank you enough for being with us on the CO Global Network podcast today.
00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:05.919
I know you've got a lot going on.
00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:07.919
So thank you so much for being with us.
00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:11.839
And I know you're going to share some leadership lessons with us that I'm really looking forward to.
00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:13.119
So thank you for being here.
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:14.720
Great to be here, John.
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:15.279
Yeah.
00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:20.719
I just want to let our audience know a little bit about you, Gary, before we get into the questions.
00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:26.800
I've got some questions for you I'd like to get to in a second, but I want to let everybody know that our guest today is Gary Pearson.
00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.760
He's the founder and principal of Pearson Engineering.
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:39.200
Gary is a civil engineer, University of Ottawa grad, over 25 years experience in land development and municipal infrastructure.
00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:45.200
And in 206, Gary, you must remember this day, I'm sure you do, just like it was maybe yesterday.
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:49.679
Gary opened a single office in Barrie with his name on the door.
00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:50.960
And how good is that?
00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.240
And so this year the firm is going to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
00:00:54.240 --> 00:01:06.239
More than 1,700 projects behind it, a team of over 30 engineers and technologists, offices in Barrie, the GTA, Ottawa, and Owen Sound, and covering customers throughout Ontario.
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:20.560
The company designs the groundwork that communities are built on, subdivisions, site servicing, stormwater, roads, and now structural work on buildings and bridges for developers and municipalities across the province.
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.959
Outside of the office, I just want to mention, Gary, something that you're involved with outside the office.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:32.959
You sit on the advisory committee for Georgian College, Civil Engineering Technology Program, really helping shape the engineers of the Morrowind.
00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:35.920
And your firm is also under your leadership.
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:43.439
You support everything from Berry Minor Baseball and Hockey to Habitat for Humanity, Gildas Club, and local food banks.
00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:53.120
And Gary, I also want to mention everybody that you are a member of SEAL Global Network and a and one of the founding members of Ron Baugh's CEO group.
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:54.079
So welcome.
00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:59.040
It's great to have you here and really looking forward to the next few minutes we have together.
00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:00.079
Thanks, John.
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:01.040
Glad to be here.
00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:02.079
Yeah, it's great.
00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.079
Are you ready for the first question?
00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:05.280
I'm ready.
00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:06.400
Okay.
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.840
You've led Pearson Engineering for 20 years, as I mentioned.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:15.680
What has changed most about the way you lead as the company has grown?
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:19.280
I mean, you started it up and now you're a major company.
00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:21.120
How has your leadership changed?
00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:25.360
Yeah, definitely giving staff, having confidence in the staff.
00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:36.479
So it's a growing, it's a growing process and building the blocks to be able to lean on them and actually just get the work off of my desk and onto them and then trusting them.
00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.599
And really you're trusting yourself to trust them.
00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:42.560
And I think that's one of the biggest hurdles.
00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:48.240
And I mean, I think I got through that relatively, not gonna say easily, but over time it happened.
00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:52.639
But early on, I mean, you got your fingers on everything and you can't do that as you're growing.
00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:54.080
It just doesn't work.
00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:56.080
It just doesn't work.
00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:57.280
Yeah, good for you, though.
00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:00.479
A lot of entrepreneurs have difficulty with that for sure.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.639
Now, engineering teaches you to solve complex technical problems.
00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:12.800
How have you learned to approach the people side of the business, the people problems that come with building and running a business?
00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:16.319
Yeah, it depends on the people.
00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:21.840
Like your staff, they have personal problems and we support them with through our company.
00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:23.840
I try and stay a bit hands-off.
00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:32.800
I just don't have the capacity to deal with my staff's problems, but we have structure in place that they can sit down with other people that can support them.
00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:37.039
And then we're supporting them through our health plan and all the support services.
00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:43.280
And then dealing with, I don't know if this is but the municipal and conservation regulatory, all the approvals.
00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:50.159
I mean, the problems we have with those people is just trying to manage their lack of experience and trying to get them educated.
00:03:50.159 --> 00:04:00.159
So you're sitting down with them a lot and trying to walk them through the process because we do submissions into municipalities where there's like 100 years of experience on a submission.
00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:04.719
You got a guy, a lady or a guy with three or four years experience trying to review it.
00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:09.280
So on that end, it's a different kind of a problem, but yeah, it's a people problem.
00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:10.080
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:12.080
That would be a challenge for sure.
00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:20.399
As the leader of the company, your role puts you at the intersection of clients, municipalities, project teams, tight timelines, all that stuff.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:26.000
How do you make good decisions when those priorities are competing with each other?
00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:27.600
Yeah, you have to listen.
00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:35.680
You have to listen to your staff and take your advice and also listen to the reviewers at this on the other side of the table.
00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.759
And because they're not always wrong.
00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:41.519
They come with good ideas, and you've got to incorporate that.
00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:46.879
So listening definitely and taking advice from others and being able to accept that.
00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.480
Yeah, collaboration, eh?
00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:49.759
Collaboration's huge.
00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:51.600
And that that'd be very important.
00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:58.480
After 25 years in the industry, Gary, what leadership lesson has taken you the longest to learn?
00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.639
Is there one that kind of bounces off the page?
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.639
This took me a little longer than any of the other leadership lessons over the years.
00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:06.079
Anything come to mind?
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:12.639
I think as I get older, patience is one that, you know, and I've always been patient.
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:15.920
I don't fly off the handle, don't get angry with people.
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:23.199
Whether it's your people or somebody else's people, you got to know how to vent without getting angry and just being patient.
00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:32.399
And if something's really going haywire, is just take a knee, wait a day, come back to it the next day and see how it feels then.
00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:38.319
And if it's really challenging, get other people involved that can support in that decision making.
00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:44.399
But a lot of decisions are made by me, and you gotta make a decision and stick to it.
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:45.439
Yeah, 100%.
00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.759
I like that phrase, take a knee, eh?
00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:49.360
Sometimes you gotta take a knee.
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.560
I'll truth that I'll truth that.
00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.560
Now your company recently celebrated, as I mentioned earlier, 20 years.
00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:02.879
What do you think has allowed the company to stay relevant and keep growing over two decades?
00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.480
For sure, staff is huge.
00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.600
We have good and great staff.
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:14.560
We don't keep kind of laggards or whatever you want to call them, and there's nothing wrong.
00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:20.720
It's a challenge because we feel that we're higher performing than most other companies.
00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:26.399
We may not be better than all, but we're as good as all of them, and we're very high performing.
00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:30.639
So getting the right staff in the door and then holding them.
00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:33.120
And if they're not right, letting them go.
00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:37.199
We're pushing 40 staff now, and every single one of them are really awesome.
00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:40.480
And even the new staff picking that new person.
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:44.959
And so that's part of the reason I've been on Georgian College on the board for a while.
00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:51.680
It gives us access and gives us that piece of knowledge before we even sit down with them that is so helpful.
00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:52.959
Well, that's terrific.
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.680
And you do have a very successful co-op program, don't you, Gary, that you use with the students?
00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:00.480
That's the board I sit on, is the co-op advisory board.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.639
Yeah, yeah, good for you.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.560
I got one last question for you, Gary.
00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:05.199
Okay.
00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:05.680
Okay.
00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:15.360
As your company grows, how do you decide what still needs your attention and what you need to trust your team with?
00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.720
Yeah, I mean, these projects, there's just dozens of them at any time.
00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:33.040
So it's touching them at the beginning, understanding what the scope is of the project, putting the right sources, the right team together, and then just touch pointing it along the way.
00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:36.720
And I always tell my clients, nobody has my cell phone.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:40.240
You can't call myself, call into the office, call my email.
00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.920
I say if there's something going on, call me, I'll deal with it.
00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:50.160
Otherwise, we've got a great team, and you gotta, again, it goes back to that previous question, just trust them.
00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.240
But you're able to get a lot more work done.
00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:58.720
And it's that building and holding that that layer of middle management and then their support staff.
00:07:58.720 --> 00:07:59.839
It's a big part of it.
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.360
That would be a huge part of it.
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:01.920
Absolutely.
00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:02.800
Well, good for you.
00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:05.120
Good for you for building that team, right?
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.319
I mean, that's crucial.
00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.360
Absolutely crucial.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:10.240
Gary, I can't thank you enough for being with us today.
00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.560
I've really enjoyed, you know, our time together.
00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:18.879
We've got some good leadership nuggets from you in in like 10 minutes, which is just wonderful.
00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:20.000
So thank you very much, Gary.
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.079
Love to do this again down the road with you.
00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:23.279
Welcome, John.
00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:24.160
It's been great.
00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:24.720
Yeah.
00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:25.600
Thanks a lot.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.320
Gary, I can't thank you enough for being with us on the CO Global Network podcast today.
00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:05.919
I know you've got a lot going on.
00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:07.919
So thank you so much for being with us.
00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:11.839
And I know you're going to share some leadership lessons with us that I'm really looking forward to.
00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:13.119
So thank you for being here.
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:14.720
Great to be here, John.
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:15.279
Yeah.
00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:20.719
I just want to let our audience know a little bit about you, Gary, before we get into the questions.
00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:26.800
I've got some questions for you I'd like to get to in a second, but I want to let everybody know that our guest today is Gary Pearson.
00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.760
He's the founder and principal of Pearson Engineering.
00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:39.200
Gary is a civil engineer, University of Ottawa grad, over 25 years experience in land development and municipal infrastructure.
00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:45.200
And in 206, Gary, you must remember this day, I'm sure you do, just like it was maybe yesterday.
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:49.679
Gary opened a single office in Barrie with his name on the door.
00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:50.960
And how good is that?
00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.240
And so this year the firm is going to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
00:00:54.240 --> 00:01:06.239
More than 1,700 projects behind it, a team of over 30 engineers and technologists, offices in Barrie, the GTA, Ottawa, and Owen Sound, and covering customers throughout Ontario.
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:20.560
The company designs the groundwork that communities are built on, subdivisions, site servicing, stormwater, roads, and now structural work on buildings and bridges for developers and municipalities across the province.
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.959
Outside of the office, I just want to mention, Gary, something that you're involved with outside the office.
00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:32.959
You sit on the advisory committee for Georgian College, Civil Engineering Technology Program, really helping shape the engineers of the Morrowind.
00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:35.920
And your firm is also under your leadership.
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:43.439
You support everything from Berry Minor Baseball and Hockey to Habitat for Humanity, Gildas Club, and local food banks.
00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:53.120
And Gary, I also want to mention everybody that you are a member of SEAL Global Network and a and one of the founding members of Ron Baugh's CEO group.
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:54.079
So welcome.
00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:59.040
It's great to have you here and really looking forward to the next few minutes we have together.
00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:00.079
Thanks, John.
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:01.040
Glad to be here.
00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:02.079
Yeah, it's great.
00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.079
Are you ready for the first question?
00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:05.280
I'm ready.
00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:06.400
Okay.
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.840
You've led Pearson Engineering for 20 years, as I mentioned.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:15.680
What has changed most about the way you lead as the company has grown?
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:19.280
I mean, you started it up and now you're a major company.
00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:21.120
How has your leadership changed?
00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:25.360
Yeah, definitely giving staff, having confidence in the staff.
00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:36.479
So it's a growing, it's a growing process and building the blocks to be able to lean on them and actually just get the work off of my desk and onto them and then trusting them.
00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.599
And really you're trusting yourself to trust them.
00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:42.560
And I think that's one of the biggest hurdles.
00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:48.240
And I mean, I think I got through that relatively, not gonna say easily, but over time it happened.
00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:52.639
But early on, I mean, you got your fingers on everything and you can't do that as you're growing.
00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:54.080
It just doesn't work.
00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:56.080
It just doesn't work.
00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:57.280
Yeah, good for you, though.
00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:00.479
A lot of entrepreneurs have difficulty with that for sure.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.639
Now, engineering teaches you to solve complex technical problems.
00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:12.800
How have you learned to approach the people side of the business, the people problems that come with building and running a business?
00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:16.319
Yeah, it depends on the people.
00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:21.840
Like your staff, they have personal problems and we support them with through our company.
00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:23.840
I try and stay a bit hands-off.
00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:32.800
I just don't have the capacity to deal with my staff's problems, but we have structure in place that they can sit down with other people that can support them.
00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:37.039
And then we're supporting them through our health plan and all the support services.
00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:43.280
And then dealing with, I don't know if this is but the municipal and conservation regulatory, all the approvals.
00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:50.159
I mean, the problems we have with those people is just trying to manage their lack of experience and trying to get them educated.
00:03:50.159 --> 00:04:00.159
So you're sitting down with them a lot and trying to walk them through the process because we do submissions into municipalities where there's like 100 years of experience on a submission.
00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:04.719
You got a guy, a lady or a guy with three or four years experience trying to review it.
00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:09.280
So on that end, it's a different kind of a problem, but yeah, it's a people problem.
00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:10.080
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:12.080
That would be a challenge for sure.
00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:20.399
As the leader of the company, your role puts you at the intersection of clients, municipalities, project teams, tight timelines, all that stuff.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:26.000
How do you make good decisions when those priorities are competing with each other?
00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:27.600
Yeah, you have to listen.
00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:35.680
You have to listen to your staff and take your advice and also listen to the reviewers at this on the other side of the table.
00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.759
And because they're not always wrong.
00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:41.519
They come with good ideas, and you've got to incorporate that.
00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:46.879
So listening definitely and taking advice from others and being able to accept that.
00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.480
Yeah, collaboration, eh?
00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:49.759
Collaboration's huge.
00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:51.600
And that that'd be very important.
00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:58.480
After 25 years in the industry, Gary, what leadership lesson has taken you the longest to learn?
00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.639
Is there one that kind of bounces off the page?
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.639
This took me a little longer than any of the other leadership lessons over the years.
00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:06.079
Anything come to mind?
00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:12.639
I think as I get older, patience is one that, you know, and I've always been patient.
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:15.920
I don't fly off the handle, don't get angry with people.
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:23.199
Whether it's your people or somebody else's people, you got to know how to vent without getting angry and just being patient.
00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:32.399
And if something's really going haywire, is just take a knee, wait a day, come back to it the next day and see how it feels then.
00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:38.319
And if it's really challenging, get other people involved that can support in that decision making.
00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:44.399
But a lot of decisions are made by me, and you gotta make a decision and stick to it.
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:45.439
Yeah, 100%.
00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.759
I like that phrase, take a knee, eh?
00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:49.360
Sometimes you gotta take a knee.
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.560
I'll truth that I'll truth that.
00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.560
Now your company recently celebrated, as I mentioned earlier, 20 years.
00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:02.879
What do you think has allowed the company to stay relevant and keep growing over two decades?
00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.480
For sure, staff is huge.
00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.600
We have good and great staff.
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:14.560
We don't keep kind of laggards or whatever you want to call them, and there's nothing wrong.
00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:20.720
It's a challenge because we feel that we're higher performing than most other companies.
00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:26.399
We may not be better than all, but we're as good as all of them, and we're very high performing.
00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:30.639
So getting the right staff in the door and then holding them.
00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:33.120
And if they're not right, letting them go.
00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:37.199
We're pushing 40 staff now, and every single one of them are really awesome.
00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:40.480
And even the new staff picking that new person.
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:44.959
And so that's part of the reason I've been on Georgian College on the board for a while.
00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:51.680
It gives us access and gives us that piece of knowledge before we even sit down with them that is so helpful.
00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:52.959
Well, that's terrific.
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.680
And you do have a very successful co-op program, don't you, Gary, that you use with the students?
00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:00.480
That's the board I sit on, is the co-op advisory board.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:02.639
Yeah, yeah, good for you.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.560
I got one last question for you, Gary.
00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:05.199
Okay.
00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:05.680
Okay.
00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:15.360
As your company grows, how do you decide what still needs your attention and what you need to trust your team with?
00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.720
Yeah, I mean, these projects, there's just dozens of them at any time.
00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:33.040
So it's touching them at the beginning, understanding what the scope is of the project, putting the right sources, the right team together, and then just touch pointing it along the way.
00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:36.720
And I always tell my clients, nobody has my cell phone.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:40.240
You can't call myself, call into the office, call my email.
00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.920
I say if there's something going on, call me, I'll deal with it.
00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:50.160
Otherwise, we've got a great team, and you gotta, again, it goes back to that previous question, just trust them.
00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.240
But you're able to get a lot more work done.
00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:58.720
And it's that building and holding that that layer of middle management and then their support staff.
00:07:58.720 --> 00:07:59.839
It's a big part of it.
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.360
That would be a huge part of it.
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:01.920
Absolutely.
00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:02.800
Well, good for you.
00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:05.120
Good for you for building that team, right?
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.319
I mean, that's crucial.
00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.360
Absolutely crucial.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:10.240
Gary, I can't thank you enough for being with us today.
00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.560
I've really enjoyed, you know, our time together.
00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:18.879
We've got some good leadership nuggets from you in in like 10 minutes, which is just wonderful.
00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:20.000
So thank you very much, Gary.
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.079
Love to do this again down the road with you.
00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:23.279
Welcome, John.
00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:24.160
It's been great.
00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:24.720
Yeah.
00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:25.600
Thanks a lot.
