The Metro Toronto Convention Centre was home to The Art of Leadership Conference on Tuesday, attracting 2500 individuals to explore the significance in the role leadership plays within the work environment.

Attendees had the opportunity to gain insight from a respectable line up of speakers, including five international bestselling authors and thought leaders, on what leadership means to them and their personal journey to become the leaders they are today.

This year’s event featured a handful of big name sponsors and partners including the Canadian Professional Sales Association, Mississauga Board of Trade, and TEC Canada.

The line of speakers included:

  • Dr. Vince Malinaro – Leadership Expert & New York Times Bestselling Author of The Leadership Contract
    Chester Elton – New York Times & #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of All In, The Carrot Principle & What Motivates Me
  • Amy Cuddy – Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, Author of Presence
  • Captain Phillips – Hero of the High Seas, Real Life Inspiration for the Movie Captain Phillips & New York Times Bestselling Author of A Captain’s Duty
  • John Mackey – Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market & New York Times Bestselling Author of Conscious Capitalism

Amy Cuddy, who has the second most viewed TEDTalk with over 25 million views, addressed the importance of body language and how it plays a significant role in allowing one to be present as a leader. Cuddy shared her thoughts on how being present works hand in hand with feeling powerful and how that can be embodied through body language and practicing dominant poses. She explained how one can fool itself into believing they have power by holding an expansive pose for at least 30 seconds, to build built that confidence and power from within. “Don’t fake it till you make it – fake it till you become the best version of yourself,“ says Cuddy.

One of the most anticipated speakers, Captain Richard Phillips, took the stage to share how his position as a leader helped him overcome one of the biggest challenges he’s faced in his life. In April 2009, for five days Captain Phillips and his crew were captured by Somali pirates, who had hijacked his ship.

Phillips went on to talk about finding your inner leader and setting the tone for your team. He stresses that people are the most important thing to a leader and how a well committed team can accomplish anything. In face of a challenge, he advises the audience to tackle them head on by staying calm, and most importantly having faith. “Failure is only final when we give in or give up,” expressed Phillips. As a leader you set the tone for your team, in uncharted territory it comes down to using your creativity to overcome way comes your way.

The conference created a learning experience for business professionals, designed to inspire them to think outside the box in terms of how they present themselves as leaders within the corporate world. The words of each speaker resonated with everyone in presence and inspired them to become better leaders.

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