As far as Scott Jacob is concerned, he has the greatest job he can have. As the CEO of Jacob Bros. Construction, he deals with ensuring that the company runs smoothly and clients get what they need, while his brother (and business partner) handles more of the safety and finance. Knowing and realizing the impact of what the company does is what drives him forward every day – he believes that doing more than average is needed to become above average.

When people think of human resources, there is often a very narrow view of what it is. When Fit Foods hired Giselle Blackman as VP of People and Culture, this was something they wanted to change. How do you make people feel seen and heard? Addressing this is the key to cultivating a positive and healthy workplace – a place that isn’t afraid to ask allegedly “stupid questions” that could lead to innovations and ideas.

When Ken Kalesnikoff was approached to form a task force around Canada’s lumber industry, it was a tall challenge but he was the right person for the job – it came shortly after his role as the principal leader of Kalesnikoff, a lumber company based in Castlegar, British Columbia. Lumber had always been in his blood, growing up in Thrums, an extremely small logging town between Castlegar and nearby Nelson.

For Judith Bosire, figuring out the economy’s direction is very similar to a weather forecast. As the chief economist at Vancity, this approach allows her to see the risks in where your money can go. This requires taking many data points into account – not only does she need to keep the numbers straight, but also understand how those data points impact the people.

Pattison Media is one of Western Canada’s most well-known media companies – and Rod Schween is the leader. He oversees radio and television stations from anywhere from British Columbia to Manitoba, which includes over 600 professionals. On top of that, he is the Chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. This gives him intimate knowledge and insight into the state of broadcasting in the country, as well as developing new technologies that can impact the industry around the world.

Who is looking out for the economic wellbeing of First Nations? As the president and CEO of the Nanwakolas Council, this is part of Dallas Smith’s job, by bringing together six of British Columbia’s First Nations. By connecting First Nations with the government to improve their economic infrastructure, projects get expedited and managed on a level that might even outpace the economy at large.

What does it take for a building to go from an idea to completion? This is part of Tillie Kwan’s job as an architect at Studio Balcaen Kwan, which she co-owns with her colleague Bettina Balcaen – she looks at what is possible and appropriate for the client’s vision and budget. This is a far cry from what she thought architects did when she graduated high school.

For Bettina Balcaen, being an architect is her primary role at Studio Balcaen Kwan, which she owns with her colleague Tillie Kwan. The wide variety of roles involved in her job keep her going, which involves not just design but also how buildings are constructed – while some architects are specialized, she also sees the values of being a generalist as well.

Running British Columbia’s largest credit union is all about leveraging the abilities of your team. As CEO of Vancity, Wellington Holbrook’s job is to make sure everyone’s strengths shine, including the diversity of ideas and problem-solving skills. Amidst all of this, as a credit union, he also needs to make sure this is balanced with meeting the needs of its members.

How do you know where business trends and growth are headed? That is Katie Fitzmaurice’s challenge as the executive vice-president of Invest Vancouver, on top of creating relationships and making sure she catches every trend as it happens. This is especially true today, with what businesses in Europe and Asia are seeing in Canada’s market – she has to compete with other Canadian jurisdictions, especially when those overseas markets could see Canada as a singular market.

What are your workplace talents? That is what Dr. Linda Schubring seeks to help you discover, through her consultancy work. To achieve this, she has to do a lot of discovery herself, as it is a constant learning process to learn how to help others.

Are you doing everything the right way, legally? That is what Robin Junger helps with, in his role as a lawyer with McMillan LLP – he untangles the complexities around treaties, government frameworks, and more to make sure transactions and deals go smoothly, especially around negotiation time. A lot of this depends on communicating clearly and understanding what matters to clients – and gaining their trust.

How does technology work with your business? That is what Marc Low helps you understand, as the leader of Ignition at KPMG. He works with businesses to demystify technology trends and how to leverage innovations like artificial intelligence. The journey to this job was all because of his curiosity about how everything comes together or happens – this domino effect shaped his career and his understanding of how the world works.

How are policies around mining determined in British Columbia? As the President of the Association for Mineral Exploration in BC, that is Todd Stone’s job. He helps shape the policies and regulations through advocacy and meetings with stakeholders and decision makers in government. His mission is to provide informed solutions, and not just complaints.

For anyone who lives in British Columbia, everyone knows the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), the Crown corporation that handles public auto insurance. As its leader, Jason McDaniel is tasked with balancing insurance coverage with affordability – in fact, he sees affordability as his top concern. That means having a very lean team and having work on his mind beyond the normal office hours. His path to his role is not straight, but it was the result of simply giving opportunities a chance when they came.

What does it mean to lead an artificial intelligence company? For Louis Dron, CEO of Redwood AI, it means everything – helping his company and workers get grants, fundraising, making sure the technology works, and more. While his team is small, it is also heavily networked with universities, academics, and government agencies. Much like the industry itself, his role requires constant innovation.

Can “encourager” be a job? For Joe Roberts, that is how he sees himself in a world full of change and uncertainty. In his Push For Change Foundation, he seeks to better protect kids so they don’t fall through the cracks. And he isn’t just all talk – he draws on his own struggles with being a homelessness youth in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. On top of his foundation, he also does public speaking at conferences, where he uses his empathy to understand how to speak to each audience.

Being a politician isn’t easy. According to Yuri Fulmer, it means a lot of travelling and talking to people face-to-face. As a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, it is vital for him to get to know the people he seeks to represent – no matter where in BC they live. While this is a tall task for anyone, this was not something Yuri thought he’d do, while growing up in Australia. What started as a 3-week journey in Canada ended up being 34 years – starting with a humble job at A&W, he learned how to lead through franchising a location in New Westminster and developed the entrepreneurship skills that shaped who he is today.

What is the current and future state of dentistry in Canada? To Bruce Ward, this might be the biggest issue in his industry today. Does the dentistry field have enough dentists? What about assistants? After all, dentists need them to function. Do we have enough qualified workers domestically, or do we need to reach out internationally? As the president of the Canadian Dental Association, Bruce’s job is a mixture of making sure dentists in Canada can deal with industry realities, economics, and even immigration.

How do you deal with over 15,000 restaurants and their issues? That is Ian Tostenson’s job at the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association. Most of British Columbia’s restaurants are small businesses, which might not have the resources and connections to solve their many issues – Ian and his team help that. As he puts it: “When I hear the industry’s not doing well, I take it personally.”