“Leadership as an incredible responsibility because we really do have a very big impact on the people we lead”

Peter Aceto has written the book Weology:  How Everybody Wins When We Comes Before Me and shared that he does not have his own office, his own parking space and doesn’t have a title imprinted on his business card.  He focuses on team and believes that everyone has an important role in Tangerine (formerly ING direct), the company that he has been CEO since 2008.  In a conversation moderated by Ron Tite, he shared his insights and advice on working together as a team.

The first question that Tite asked is why he would ever share the secrets that give Tangerine a competitive advantage in a book?  His answer was that his company creates an experience that is different and his book helps to gather new customers and works as a recruiting tool for those who “think different” which is important for the company which has an “ideology of leadership where if you put we before me, everybody wins”.

He laughed and said that he cringes when people refer to him as a banker despite the fact that he has spent 90% of his career in banking.  Instead, he things of himself as a “student of leadership” and expressed how he has learned many lessons, made mistakes and studied other leaders while considering his leadership as a “constant evolution”.

Aceto strives to break down the stereotype of the CEO and told the story of coming to work late and driving around the parking lot looking for a space just like everyone else.  He feels that he can share ideas with his team, they will take it and make it 10 times better by working together which makes him “incredibly proud”.  He loves to hear “what employees will do for a client” and notes that there are some senior members of his team that started out working in the call centre.

He makes an effort to get to know members of the team, making connections gives him energy.  He feels that it is a true luxury to hear front line feedback and that in the past, companies “focused too much on the shareholders at the expense of stakeholders”.  He likes to involve the customers through advisory groups.

“Make connections, they pay dividends”

Listening to him speak, he really did seem like the guy next door, running out to watch his son play soccer and talking about his 13 year old daughter when he stressed the importance of women filling key leadership positions.  I am looking forward to reading Weology and am happy to add a signed copy to my bookshelf!