Former Chief Of Defence Talks On Leadership, Afghanistan

One of Canada's foremost military leaders paying a visit to Saint John today...former Chief of Defence Rick Hillier, who now works in leadership development with TD bank, speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Saint John Board of Trade. Hillier used his experiences in the armed forces to illustrate some key points about getting the most from a team.

Hillier used some harsh terms to describe leadership that relies on words rather than actions to attempt to connect with the workforce, saying "action talks, bullsh*t walks."

Hillier also said when the going gets tough, you need to be able to draw strength from the people you've worked hard to inspire. 

In a question period, Hillier said he takes exception to the notion that Canada is strictly a peacekeeping nation, saying it's the responsibility off all G8 nations to do whatever they have to do to make the world more stable, even if that means military action.