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Leann Hackman-Carty | Founder & Principal | HackmanCarty & Associates

Leann Hackman-Carty: Visioning to Make World a Better Place

Leadership, integrity, professionalism and vision are vital traits that every business woman should possess” says Leann Hackman-Carty, Founder and Principal of HackmanCarty & Associates. She believes we can save lives and livelihoods, and is “passionate about creating a sustainable, disaster-resilient world for everyone.” As a social entrepreneur, she desires to make a meaningful global impact.

Leann also a Chief Creative Officer and Channel host of MYD Global, a YouTube channel dedicated to “all things disaster-related”, and author of the “Master Your Disaster” series of preparedness, response and recovery guidebooks.

Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Insights success and Leann Hackman-Carty:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader. 

I have had the privilege of having great leadership role models during my career. Starting early as a child- my parents always encouraged me to be involved at school, as a volunteer, as a leader. I also had an amazing university professor who challenged me to better understand my values/background and how they affected my world view. My first “real” job after university was working for an Alderman, who then became Mayor of Calgary. I worked with him for over a decade, and learned a significant amount about civic leadership. Since then, I have continued to seek out leadership roles in both the private and non-profit sectors. To me, leadership is about having a big vision on where you want to go- but also understanding the tactics that it will take to get there. It is also about being able to inspire others to join you on the journey, and recognizing that together you can achieve more.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to entice the target audience? 
Understanding who your target audience is, and what problem you are solving is where it all starts. Instead of developing a product, and then trying to find a market for it, a business person should spend the time clearly defining what the problem is, and then determining how your solution will help solve the problem. Don’t sell a solution looking for a problem.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market? 
To be honest, while it is always good to understand who your external competition is and what they are doing; I find it much more energizing and productive to focus internally on refining my products and services. I don’t actually spend a lot of time looking at what others are doing. I want to be the best at what I do, and sometimes that means paving the way, not looking at what others are doing.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a corporate business? And how did you overcome them? 
We all have challenges we need to overcome. Whether we are young and people don’t’ take us seriously; or a woman overlooked or dismissed when her male colleague is in the room, we all need to be mindful of how we are perceived by others, and look to either enhance our assets or mitigate our liabilities. To me, my response has been to work that much harder to ensure I know as much as I can, and am as prepared as I can be. Some things are in our control, others aren’t. Focus on what you can control.

Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause of women empowerment. 
I had very strong female role models. From my grandmothers, to my mother, my mother-in law, my aunts, my sister, my friends, and many of my colleagues. There were only two girls in our immediate family growing up. We were both encouraged to pursue our dreams. I never felt that I was inferior. It was never an issue for me. I just felt I needed to work hard, be prepared and I would succeed. However, I know that isn’t the case for every woman. I guess I have always gravitated towards organizations and causes that help support and further women’s empowerment. “To those that are given much, much is expected”. Guess I took that seriously.

How do you cope up with capricious technological trends to boost your personal growth? 
While I believe it is important to focus on personal growth, to be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time doing that right now. Maybe it is because I have teenagers, run my own business, run a non-profit, chair a women’s peer advisory board, host a YouTube channel, and try to keep sane while doing all of that. I just don’t have a lot of time right now to sit back and engage in “personal growth”. I consider getting up every day, and trying to make an impact that day, as my personal growth plan.

What are your future endeavours/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future? 
I want to make a difference in the world. I have always had a bigger vision for what I wanted to do. I am going to continue to build on my disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resiliency work as I believe that is where I can make a significant difference there. I am also always looking for unique commercial opportunities that I can get involved in that have the potential to disrupt industries.