For nearly a decade, the Captain Nichola Goddard Women in Leadership Series has brought together members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and civilian business leaders for thoughtful, informative discussions. Produced annually by True Patriot Love, the Series’ goal is to provide a vital forum for members of the CAF, and grow the connection between Canadians and their military.

The 2025 Leadership Series is presented nationally by Lysander Funds Ltd., an affiliate company of Canso Investment Counsel Ltd., a long-time True Patriot Love supporter with its own meaningful connections to the CAF.

There are upcoming Goddard Leadership events in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Halifax – click here for location and ticket information.

True Patriot Love had the opportunity to speak to Maryia Tirskikh and Karen Steinmann, both Associate Vice Presidents, on the National Accounts team at Lysander Funds, about the challenges leaders face, the insights they’ve acquired in their career journeys, and whether leadership is a title or an attitude.

Why did Lysander choose to sponsor the Captain Nichola Goddard Leadership Series? What aspects align with your corporate values?

Maryia Tirskikh: Both Lysander and Canso have been proud supporters of the True Patriot Love Foundation for many years. The Foundation and all of its related causes are very close to the heart of our founder, John Carswell, who himself is a Veteran. There’s a lot of military history, connection and support for TPL within our companies.

It’s been truly inspiring for us to see all the impactful work being done by True Patriot Love especially for someone like myself who recently joined Lysander. I haven’t been as active in supporting the military before, and since I’ve joined, I’ve learned so much. The Goddard series felt like a very natural alignment for Lysander and we jumped at the opportunity to be a national sponsor.

The theme of the 2025 Capt. Nichola Goddard Leadership Series is Sacrifices in Leadership which speaks to the responsibilities that leaders can carry. What are some of the sacrifices that effective leaders may have to make? Are they different for men and women leaders?

MT: For me, as someone working in a corporate world, the word “choice” is a more comfortable term, when compared to sacrifices made by the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces. For me, one key example of choices that are made by effective leaders is choosing a long-term business gain over a personal gain. For example, having tough conversations and making tough decisions that can put your position at risk. If it’s being done with the future of the company in mind, then it’s a choice that you’re making as a leader to lead the company towards a beneficial outcome.

Karen Steinmann:  Effective leaders make sacrifices by putting others first. This might mean taking on more work, having to do the less glamorous work, or simply doing the heavy lifting to lead by example. It can even be a case of being the bad guy and saying no even when the popular or easier, but perhaps less noble, option is available. I don’t think the sacrifices demanded of effective leaders are different for men and women.

What is one take-away you have learned about leadership over your careers?

MT: It’s very important to have good leaders at the top both for talent retention and growth of the business. Over the long term, the lack of strong leadership is always a negative.

KS: A good leader is capable of recognizing when they’re out of their depth and defers to the experts to guide them, even if those experts are more junior than them.

Is “leadership” a role, an attitude or a skillset to acquire? If the latter, what are those skills and how can employers grow them in their staff?

KS: It’s often mistaken for a role but leadership is an attitude and skillset. Taking initiative, competence, creativity, and the ability to connect with people are all important attributes of a leader. I think employers can grow these skills in their staff by putting trust in them to fully handle increasingly challenging responsibilities. The best way to discourage leadership is through micromanagement and not providing the latitude to take on new challenges or solve issues. Leaders want to encourage growth in their staff.

MT: I have a similar viewpoint as Karen. Leaders can be found across all different levels across a company. So, for me, the attitude is really just always looking for ways to add value to the department, to the team, to the company. And then your skills are really what translate that attitude into tangible results.

Another key trait that stands out for me in a leader is being able to see where the industry is going, where the market is going. Leaders see that and take action even when potentially nobody else is seeing those changes. The only constant is change and as a leader you need to be ready for it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

You can be part of this vital conversation!

The Captain Nichola Goddard Leadership Series is coming to

Toronto, Calgary and Halifax – join us!

Click here for location and ticket information.