FRANK LEONARD: I saw our President as untruthful, yet they saw someone with good looks, personality and charisma who was giving the BC Chamber high profile

Chapter – Park the Rage and Work the Agenda 

I have a temper – this is something I’ve learned to manage – maybe.

My poor parents suffered through many a temper tantrum from this child and teenager.  Thankfully my temper rarely flares as an adult - maturity finally kicks in.

Yet for me it is not just maturity - it has to be a conscious effort.  I realized that to achieve my goals I couldn’t let my temper get in the way.  I think the pivotal moment was in 1986 – yes, I was 32 years old and finally wrestled this temper to the ground.

By 1986 I had a clear set of goals.  I was executing another five-year plan and the November civic election was in sight.  When I finished my part-time studies to complete my B.A. at UVic in 1982 I turned my attention to community affairs while tending to a family business and a young family.  My goals were to achieve business, family and political success.

By 1985 I was on top of my game: I was active in several business and community groups; and became President of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.  In those days the Chamber had quite a public profile.  Media covered our luncheons; we created news at our Board Meetings; and the President was sought out for commentary on many local and provincial issues.  

I was also on the Board of the BC Chamber of Commerce.  The Manager had an unusual amount of influence and I found decisions to be pre-determined by the insiders. 

This was clearly the case as the President’s position became vacant in the winter of 1985 / 1986 but we were told there was a ‘ringer’ in the wings that would take the position.  This didn’t pass the ‘smell test’ to me but a new President was dropped into our lap and the old boys were quite proud of themselves.

Yet the tipping point for me was the presentation of the Chamber’s priorities for the 1986 Provincial Budget.  The Chamber developed policy in a pyramid fashion: local Chambers voted on policies, they went to the provincial conference and were short-listed by the BC board.  I recall finalizing the presentation at a hotel on Robson Street in Vancouver.  We rushed to get it done in the morning so that the President could fly over to Victoria and meet Provincial leaders that afternoon. 

So, I was shocked when I saw our President on TV that night announcing that the BC Chamber had come out in favour of legalized gambling. 

At no point in local chamber resolutions, our provincial convention or board meetings had this proposal even come up or been adopted.  It wasn’t a part of our morning meeting so my eyes popped watching our President describe our position, and how it was received by the Provincial Government.  I thought to myself that our next BC Board meeting was going to be very, very interesting.

 

It was ... but not the way I expected.  

Colleagues were still ‘high fiving’ the President for his domination of the news cycle before we even convened, so I quickly realized that an uprising was not in the works.  I saw our President as untruthful, and yet they saw someone with good looks, personality and charisma who was giving the BC Chamber high profile and impact.  No one challenged the Chair as the meeting got under way and the whole thing ran like a fan club.  

At the first coffee break I quietly left the room and the BC Chamber never saw me again. No temper tantrum; no outspoken righteous indignation; no burning bridges.  

I was a minority of one and had no hope of influencing any outcome.  But most importantly, I was mature enough to know that this battle would have no effect on my plan to win election to Saanich Council in just a few months.  In fact, if I allowed my temper to take over with an outburst it could even hurt my chances.

 

Former BC Premier Bill VanderZalm

You see, this BC Chamber President really did have some influence, as did the ‘groupies’ that were coming to his side.  While I did succeed in getting elected to Saanich Council that November, he had managed to become the Premier of BC.

None other than ‘the Zalm’ – yes, that Bill VanderZalm won the leadership of the Social Credit Party and led them to a resounding victory at the polls.

It wasn’t long before many others in BC saw VanderZalm had a unique relationship with the truth, and I quietly told close friends and family ‘I told you so.’  But that wasn’t my battle.  It didn’t fit into my five-year plan.  

The lesson I had learned was that I couldn’t achieve my goals by losing my temper.  The rage had to be contained.  If I were to speak out in righteous indignation, it needed to be calculated - while it would appear spontaneous, it never could be. 

When you lose your temper you lose control of the agenda and your goals.  Maturity was going to help me achieve the successes I desired.