Anita Pawluk
My leadership style - Follow your intuition, support your pack and never stop learning.
Recipient of:
Leader of the Year
What brought you to Victoria?
I am a 5th generation Vancouver Island girl; lucky me! I was born on an Island that is rich in opportunity and has the best climate in Canada — not only for weather, but for entrepreneurial spirit, community and creativity.
Where did you go to school and what did you take?
In 1993, I took the Accounting Certificate Program at Camosun College and then transferred to the CMA Program. I finished off my CMA Designation in 2005 with Simon Fraser University’s Strategic Leadership Program. In 2013 I challenged the PMP exam.
What was the biggest obstacle to getting where you are now, and how did you overcome it?
Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, my family has seen the risks and rewards of chasing dreams. Due to some large failures, my immediate family became very risk averse. The biggest obstacle to getting to where I am now was me. I stopped listening to my instincts and conformed to the risk-averse environment I had been raised in. Suppressing my entrepreneurial instincts, I became an accountant and got a job with the government. Unhappy with that pace of life, I took a chance on a small tech company called ABE Books leaving behind financial stability and a pension. My family supported my decision with the back up comment: “At least if she fails, she does not have a family to support yet”. Two years later I co-founded my first company.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I have a dry sense of humour… I could not think of anything interesting. 🙂
What are you most proud of in your career?
I knew from a young age that I would one day own my own business. I am also the glue that holds my family, friends and business partners together through the good times and bad. Finally acknowledging the power of these two traits, and how they make me the leader I am today, would be the defining moment I’m most proud of. I fiercely trust my instincts to take a risk, own a company and to create genuine relationships with my employees, clients, peers and community — with a leadership style based on trust and respect.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
My Grandfather has had the biggest impact in my life; he taught me a sense of community and the importance of relationships.
Community is crucial and the people of our local community teach us the importance and impact of paying attention, being generous, and taking action. Creating a culture in personal and business where individuals have a feeling of belonging, people matter to one another and to the group, and a shared belief that members’ needs will be met through their commitment to be/work together.
Relationships are the key to getting things done in a safe environment, learning from mistakes and finding win-win partnerships. Healthy relationships, whether personal or professional, are authentic, engaging, challenging and offer opportunity to grow both individually and together.
For a Colleague or Client to answer: What do you admire most about this finalist?
“Anita is a force of nature; always learning, always challenging herself, always taking responsibility, Anita takes all business and life challenges in stride with a kindness and friendliness that inspire others to follow her, through tough times and good. RaceRocks would not be here today without her courage and emotional Intelligence and would not know the success it is having this year without her leadership and the culture she created.”
-Scott Dewis, CEO