This month the Alberta Government announced an allocation of $70 million in support of The Peter Lougheed Leadership Initiative, $35 million of which will support the creation of the Peter Lougheed Leadership Institute at the Banff Centre. The new project is reflective of a newfound focus, spearheaded, in part, by its relatively new president and visionary, Jeff Melanson. No question, it’s exciting times for the Centre, a phenomenal and most unique place.
Nestled intimately within the heart-stopping beauty of the Rockies and espousing a simple yet profound mission of ‘inspiring creativity’, over 8,000 artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world converge upon Banff Centre every year to take part in its multidisciplinary programming.
At its heart is a focus on the arts, bringing together an inspired hodgepodge of world-class musicians, sculptors, dancers, actors and others and giving them the support they need to climb to their creative heights. But the Centre offers a lot more than that. From commissioning and producing new creative works to training opportunities, professional development workshops, advancing new research and live events and conferences, it’s not hard to see why the Banff Centre calls itself the “largest arts and creativity incubator on the planet.”
The Centre also has a history of fostering and transforming great leaders, thanks to a host of leadership development programs. Building on that historic reputation, the aforementioned Peter Lougheed Leadership Institute was created with the belief that a different type of leader and a different definition of leadership is required in the 21st century. The hope is that the Institute’s programming will enable the development of current and emerging leaders focused on building strong communities and influencing positive change at a system-wide level.
With the awesome mountains our backdrop, I recently had the chance to sit down with Jeff Melanson to talk about the inspiration behind the Institute and other new initiatives at the Centre. He explained that, over the years, the Centre felt it had lost some of its differentiating qualities, a realization that led to some serious soul-searching. “The board said we either have to make money or create something really compelling,” he recalls. “Generally, I feel if you create something compelling, the money part takes care of itself.”
So they asked themselves what they could bring to the table that was totally different from what was already out there and that would make the most of their unique space – including the breathtaking mountains that surround them and the indigenous history, so fundamental to their programming.
And thus began a number of new steps at the Centre. Providing an inspirational environment for leaders and drawing upon collaborative thinking and cutting-edge creative and business practices, the leadership institute expects to attract exceptional current and future talent. “In terms of curriculum, we thought we could add more value by doing values-based business design,” Melanson offers. Concepts like triple bottom line and innovation would all play a role in the conversation.
At the core of his work, McGrath adds, is a need to integrate or bring together people with strongly held values about the world they want to live in, who want to create something new and are seeking diverse perspectives. “We’re making connections between groups who wouldn’t normally connect and identify interesting working best practices.”
But this bold new step is only one of many for Melanson and the Banff Centre. Other visionary ideas includes a broadcast centre, new residences, chalets and studios and a theatre building in downtown Banff. “My mentor taught me that if you have four great ideas, do them all,” he says with a laugh.
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