A summer job that stuck
MA Leadership and Training alumna Jennifer Bennett says her Royal Roads degree helped her advance to higher positions within the Canadian Forces.
It started as a summer job and now Rear Admiral Jennifer Bennett is Canada’s highest ranking reservist.
Bennett, who earned her MA in Leadership and Training (now MA Leadership) from Royal Roads University in 2005, is the country’s first female chief reserves and cadets. She is also the first woman to attain the rank of rear admiral in the Canadian navy. It’s these achievements – and more – that motivated one of her (male) subordinates to nominate her for Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards.
In December, Bennett found her name on the prestigious list alongside screenwriter Deepa Mehta, author Margaret Atwood, Sleep Country Canada president Christine Magee and two other Canadian Forces senior officers, Major General Christine Whitecross and Colonel Jennie Carignan.
“It was a real honour to be considered in a group with women of a pretty impressive pedigree,” Bennett says. “There were three winners from the Canadian Forces and I think that’s a really great statement of us being on par with other business leaders in Canada.”
“As these awards make clear, women form a rich and vibrant part of Canada’s military legacy,” says Minister of Public Works and Government Services Rona Ambrose.
The Women’s Executive Network’s ranking is one of Canada’s most recognizable honours and is bestowed on the country’s highest achieving female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Bennett started her illustrious career with the Forces in 1975, as a naval communicator in the reserves. But even before that, she participated in a Canadian Forces summer program that offered basic training and military familiarization.
“Something clicked that summer and I’ve stayed with it,” Bennett says. “I’ve now done 36 summers.”
Over the course of those 36 years, Bennett served in Kingston, Victoria, Ottawa and Quebec City in a variety of training, staff and command positions. She lived in Victoria for 20 years and commanded HMCS Malahat from 1995 to 1998.
As chief reserves and cadets, Bennett is an adviser to the chief of defence staff and the minister, and she represents Canadian reservists nationally and internationally. Throughout her career, Bennett has achieved many firsts for women.
“I joined the Forces at a time when women had just a supporting role and we’ve come a long way, so I take great pride in being a mentor,” Bennett says. “What I find humbling is the silent mentoring. From time to time, I’ll hear from someone who says, ‘I watched your career and because you were able to achieve this, I knew I could.’”
What is it about Bennett’s leadership style that makes her a success and a mentor? She says her style has evolved over the years and she’s best classified as a servant leader – one who achieves results by giving attention to the needs of colleagues – and a coach.
“I’m not the typical military leader. In the military, your rank comes with a certain level of respect that is expected. My philosophy has always been to earn respect rather than demand it,” she explains. “I’m a teacher in my civilian career, so I also have that nurturing side.”
Bennett is the principal of Fern Hill School in Oakville, Ont., but is taking a leave due to the demands of her job with the Forces and, as she puts it, “so I can take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
It was a desire to grow in her civilian and military careers and build on her leadership skills that led her to Royal Roads’ leadership program.
“She was remarkable in her leadership journey,” says Prof. Tony Williams, who was a faculty member in the School of Leadership when Bennett was a student and will return to the school in the fall. “She faced a leadership dilemma whether to continue as a leader in the K-12 school system or to follow her other passion with the reserves. She was passionate – and sought after – for both roles.”
What Bennett learned, however, is that she can succeed in both of her careers and leadership is a unifying skill.
“Leadership is a very marketable skill and it’s an area of great interest to me,” she says. “When I chose the program, I was looking for something that would provide that bridge between my two careers and also set me apart from others who might have done more business-oriented master’s degrees. I’ve been able to apply the learning practically in my career and it’s helped me to advance to higher positions.”
Bennett’s work at Royal Roads has also helped others develop their leadership skills. Her major project on enhancing professional development of senior leaders when they become institutional leaders has been used by the Canadian Forces.
“We tend to focus a lot of our leadership training at the early stages of your career and focus on leading people,” she explains. “When people rise through the ranks and end up leading the institution, they need different ways to enhance their development.”
As far as her own development, Bennett says she’s still learning and growing.
“I’d like to continue to develop personally and professionally,” she says. “I often say, ‘I’m not sure what I want to be when I grow up.’”
To her, working for the Forces is still an exciting summer job that goes year-round.
Written by Raina Delisle
Posted Jan. 31, 2012
