18 Aug Leadership Transformation
Allan Bifield, former Deputy Chief Financial Officer of George Weston Limited and CFO of Nortel Networks, shares invaluable leadership transformation lessons from his 30+ year career in finance and operations management. His expertise in driving world-class business strategies and developing high-performing teams offers actionable insights for today’s leaders navigating organizational change.
The Plant Analogy: Taking Strategic Career Risks
Allan’s career philosophy centers on continuous growth through calculated risk-taking. He compares career development to a plant’s growth cycle:
- Initial wobbling phase: Starting a new role with uncertainty and nervousness
- Root development: Growing into the position and gaining confidence
- Root-bound stage: Becoming too comfortable and needing new challenges
- Transplanting: Moving to bigger opportunities and repeating the cycle
This leadership transformation approach emphasizes that discomfort is temporary and necessary for professional growth.
Early Career Lessons: The Power of Collaboration
At age 26-27, Allan learned a crucial lesson while serving as controller of a fast-expanding business. Key takeaways include:
- Avoid the superhero complex: Trying to solve everything alone leads to burnout
- Leverage team strengths: Great teams combine people with different skills and experiences
- Ask for help: Pride shouldn’t prevent seeking assistance from knowledgeable colleagues
- Share the burden: Distributing problems across a team reduces individual stress
Leadership Style: Vision, Communication, and Empowerment
Allan’s leadership transformation methodology focuses on three core principles:
Setting Clear Vision
- Collaborate with team leaders to establish shared objectives
- Ensure executive alignment across the organization
- Make your job about making others successful, not the reverse
Active Listening and Communication
- Maintain regular check-ins and updates with team members
- Know when to step in versus when to stand back
- Support people while allowing them to excel independently
Strategic Decision-Making
- Balance understanding team needs with making tough calls
- Don’t wait for 100% alignment. Move forward with 80-90% buy-in
- Keep the big picture in focus while addressing immediate challenges
Organizational Transformation: The Nortel Case Study
During Nortel’s significant finance transformation, Allan’s leadership transformation strategy included extensive communication efforts:
- 15 global webcasts over two years
- 96 newsletters to keep teams informed
- 55 global discussion sessions about transformation impact
- 35 face-to-face meetings worldwide
- 80 advisory meetings for stakeholder alignment
Key Transformation Principles
Communication is Action: Successful transformations require consistent, repeated messaging across multiple channels.
Rowing Team Analogy: Like a rowing crew, all team members must move in the same direction simultaneously for optimal results.
Adaptability: Listen to feedback and adjust course when necessary without losing sight of core objectives.
The Impact of Coaching and Mentoring
Allan’s experience with coach Jaren highlighted several important aspects of professional development:
- Self-accountability: Taking responsibility for personal career progression
- Natural ability recognition: Identifying and leveraging inherent strengths
- Strategic career planning: Thinking beyond immediate tasks to long-term goals
- Balanced focus: Serving the organization while advancing personal development
Paying It Forward Through Mentoring
Since 2007, Allan has mentored through the Menttium program, driven by:
- Legacy building: Sharing accumulated knowledge and experience
- Gender equality: Supporting women’s advancement in leadership roles
- Self-actualization: Finding fulfillment in helping others reach their potential
- Skill optimization: Maximizing the value of hard-earned expertise
Success Habits for Emerging Leaders
Curiosity as a Driving Force
- Ask “why” consistently to understand underlying motivations
- Look for curious people when building teams
- Study successful leaders who demonstrate natural curiosity
- Use questioning to drive innovation and improvement
Risk-Taking Philosophy
- Push personal boundaries to avoid future regrets
- Take calculated risks that promote growth
- Don’t waste time on low-impact activities
- Live intentionally to create a meaningful legacy
Practical Leadership Efficiency Tips
The “Touch It Once” Principle
Allan’s efficiency motto involves:
- Reading emails once and taking immediate action
- Avoiding the cycle of reading, postponing, and re-reading
- Applying this principle to all tasks, not just communication
- Maximizing productivity through decisive action
Time Management Wisdom
- Busy people get things done efficiently
- Delegate to those who understand task completion
- Focus on high-impact activities that drive results
Key Takeaways for Modern Leaders
Allan Bifield’s leadership transformation insights provide a comprehensive framework for professional growth:
- Embrace discomfort as a sign of growth and learning
- Build collaborative teams that leverage diverse strengths
- Communicate relentlessly during periods of change
- Balance listening with decisive action when leading transformations
- Invest in others’ success to create lasting impact
- Stay curious and continue learning throughout your career
- Take calculated risks to avoid career stagnation
Conclusion
Allan Bifield’s three-decade journey from early career challenges to senior executive success demonstrates that effective leadership transformation requires continuous learning, strategic risk-taking, and unwavering commitment to team development. His practical approaches to organizational change, combined with his dedication to mentoring the next generation of leaders, provide valuable insights for anyone seeking to maximize their leadership impact.
Whether you’re navigating your first management role or leading large-scale organizational transformations, Allan’s lessons offer proven strategies for building high-performing teams and creating lasting positive change in your organization.
About Allan Bifield
Allan Bifield is an accomplished senior finance executive with over 30 years of global experience in finance and operations management. He recently retired as Deputy Chief Financial Officer of George Weston Limited, following a distinguished 30-year career at Nortel Networks where he advanced to Chief Financial Officer and led the most significant finance transformation in the company’s history.
Known for developing high-performing teams and driving successful organizational change, Allan has established himself as a transformational leader within multi-billion-dollar organizations. Since 2007, he has been an active mentor through the Menttium program, sharing his expertise with emerging leaders and advancing women in leadership roles.