Courageous Leaders Series: Elaine Lajeunesse

Brene Brown is a world-renowned researcher who studies courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and recently completed a 7-year study on the future of leadership. She discovered that the number one issue leaders ranked as their greatest concern was avoiding tough conversations, including providing honest, productive feedback.

Give honest feedback? Most people would rather jump out of a moving car. We do not like to be uncomfortable and even the world's most celebrated leaders admit to it being a weakness.  This made me think of someone who embodies direct, honest communication in her leadership.

Elaine Lajeunesse is Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at TD Bank. I first met Elaine about five years back at an educational networking event. She made a lasting impression in her thoughtful direct and clear nature. She had opinions, practical questions, and was genuinely curious about the people there, which made her stand out to me. She was an attentive listener. What made her different was that I felt she was the real thing; not there to be seen or add connections to her profile, but to learn and really connect.

I interviewed Elaine for this series because I believe her courage shows up in her commitment to clarity. I wanted to hear her thoughts on leadership and how being direct has helped her in her career.

Courage and Leadership

Courageous leaders spend time and resources laying the groundwork for building trust. It is the hard way, but the right way to build a team that will rely on each other. Many leaders avoid it - Elaine Lajeunesse does not. She puts in the energy and commitment to build clear, honest communication, and I asked her about her experiences before and during the coronavirus pandemic in relation to this.

Elaine began her career as an actuary, and after years in technical roles she moved into management and senior leadership roles with 2 of the 5 top Canadian financial institutions. She is now the Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at TD bank with no end in sight.

JS: Elaine, how is your team doing through this massive transformation of how you work - I assume everyone is working from home?

EL: Yes, we are doing very well. Not much changed in a way, from how we worked before COVID-19. Throughout my career, I have been the kind of leader who believes in clarity with my team. This has been the best way to ensure they understand my expectations - then I leave them to it. I am always available for coaching or steering or to weigh in, but allow them to do it on their own. They also know I have high expectations and I will tell them if they mess up. I mess up too!

Being clear and giving tough feedback ensures that as change happens, there is a good sense that you support them because you have all along.  Those struggling now as leaders may never have laid the groundwork. It may mean you may not always be popular or the favourite, but people know where they stand because you were clear all along.

 This leans into Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety and how setting the stage with your team is an essential primer for direct and sometimes difficult feedback. In order to build the trust necessary to provide valuable feedback, it’s important to clearly share how you work, along with what you expect and do not expect from your employees.

 JS: Tell me a bit about how your leadership changed when your team transitioned to working from home in March.

 EL: When the coronavirus pandemic started, I decided to call everyone in my organization at home. I wanted to simply thank them for their work and just ask how they were doing. These calls initially lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. The next month each call lasted approximately 30 minutes, some going even longer. People wanted to talk. They wanted to be heard and I wanted them to feel appreciated. With 60 people however, this strategy could not be easily maintained so we moved to small group calls we call “water cooler” discussions with predetermined topics. It was totally voluntary and was aimed to keep connected. I think it was helpful, especially with those without family at home who may be isolated.

JS: Did you get any feedback as to how this landed?

EL: They loved the one-on-one calls. People were incredibly open; some asked me about meditation, which I practice regularly; some shared very personal stories and were dealing with death in their families. One person recounted a comment that “COVID-19 was a test for leadership and we've passed the test.”

JS: Tell me more about that. Why do you think you “passed” a test?

EL: Our values haven’t changed. What we cared about before the pandemic is what we care about now. We care about our people, their teams, and their work. Yes, we adapted like everyone has, but there was not a huge shift in our core beliefs. Going into the colder months will be a mixed bag as people have many things on their minds like school, daycare and avoiding getting sick, but we will have to adapt again.

JS: Do you have any advice for leaders who are struggling right now?

EL: My advice is always the same: look at your communication. Be direct and talk to the person. I think that those who struggle the most are the people who have a hard time addressing the elephant in the room. Start off being clear about your expectations so that there is less confusion. I believe this approach has trickled down to how my direct reports lead as well.  

I would also say listen for what's not being said. Sensing what people are not saying and asking more about that can be a gift. From there, you will learn much more. Finally, what I learn, I share. My team does the same. We’re all in this together.

JS: How do you deal with the advice that this style may be too direct? Do you change based on feedback like that?

EL: The people on my team tend to appreciate the clarity. They know that I care about them and that the quality of their work really matters to me. They learn that when I say something it is to help them grow. I have no interest in being mean for the sake of it; I have been yelled at before in my career and I would never do that - there is no point. I find that when you treat people as adults they behave as adults.

Elaine is the first person to tell you she is far from perfect. She talks about her many missteps as she began her career and that she is on a path of constant growth and learning. That along with her clarity and investment in her teams’ success, embodies strong courageous leadership, even if it isn’t always the popular way.

I am hopeful for the future of work when I see leaders like Elaine, who demonstrate to the next generation what honest and clear communication looks like, while still caring for people as individuals.