Mauro Cifelli is the CEO of Groupe Del Vasto. Cifelli is a past recipient of the AIA of Canada’s Distinguished Service Award, and more recently the recipient of the Aftermarket Warehouse Distributors Association’s Pursuit of Excellence Award. He joined CHAT Media publisher and director of content Andrew Ross on The Great Canadian Aftermarket Podcast to talk about what makes a leader. What follows are highlights of Mauro Cifelli’s comments from their conversation. Some edits have been made for length and clarity.

My involvement with both AIA of Canada and AWDA has exposed me to some of the greatest people in our industry, who share the same level of passion and concern for the evolution of the aftermarket that I do.

My involvement with the AWDA started with AIA Canada.

With Right To Repair, we realized that much more of a connection was required between the U.S. and Canada. And AIA has done, through J.F. [Champagne]’s leadership, an outstanding job of bringing those two associations closer together to fight their common battles.

The types of things that define leaders? It’s individuals that, no matter what they’re faced with, are going to get something done.

For me, passion is number one on the list. I’m not the subject matter expert when it comes to leadership. I’m not going to write a book on it. But based on my personal experiences, the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by at the association level, within our business, that’s what drives me. And I think passion is what drives most entrepreneurs, most leaders, and most people to get things done. When we go back to leadership, it means different things to different people, depending on the context.

I was at a recent gathering, and we were kind of throwing around the same topic, about what does it mean to be a good leader? Are good leaders born? Are they developed with time? Is it just based on luck, depending on what you were exposed to? And the majority of the people in that conversation felt like leadership could be taught, that it’s something that you can develop over time.

I believe strongly that successful leaders are not always born with all the qualities required to lead. But if you truly want to make a difference and have an impact, and have the courage, you can lead. So I think anyone could step up.

Most of us do tend to mix leadership with entrepreneurship, or with good management. But in my opinion, somebody who leads has the ability to develop a vision, see the end game, and can get others to see that same vision, making sure that there’s complete alignment. They can build belief that things can be done differently. It doesn’t necessarily have to be done the way it’s always been done. They tend to spot opportunities. So, there is a little bit of entrepreneurship in a leader. And most importantly, they can get people to basically get behind them and work on achieving the goals, work on achieving the objectives, seeing that vision. Those are the things that make a leader.

In reading a few books and listening to individuals and being surrounded by some of the greatest leaders in our industry, I’ve learned that there are certain key characteristics or principles. Most individuals that I consider great leaders are, for one, the most optimistic people you’ll ever be surrounded by. Staying positive is probably one of the most important qualities a leader tends to have.

The foundation to making decisions, taking risks, to me is courage. You need to have the courage to make decisions, to take calculated risks. Great leaders are individuals that have extreme focus and are very, very curious when it comes to anything. So, they allocate all their time and energy to things that matter most at the moment.

Their integrity is very high. So, basically everything they do is very consistent, regardless of how big or small it is.

And the last thing – which is probably more apparent in the last 15 years of my 27-year career – is empathy.

Leaders used to lead by fear. But today some of the greatest leaders are very empathetic. Empathy is probably one of the most underestimated elements of good leadership. And that doesn’t mean you have to lower your expectations. It just creates an environment where people know you’re going to listen and you’ll be fair.

I can still remember, I believe it was 1996, when I first got involved with AIA Canada and I walked into my first meeting. I walked in and felt intimidated by the presence of key individuals within our industry. And now with some of the younger guys that got into the business who feel like I did, we have the responsibility to carry that torch now.

So if you want to build your leadership skills, one, get involved at a very early stage of your career. Two, be curious. Stay informed. And the best way to do that is through giving your time to a cause, like an association in the industry or whatever it may be. To me, it’s just basic. It’s not more complex than that.

And that’s how you learn:  Listen, ask questions, and stay informed.

Listen to the original Great Canadian Aftermarket Podcast episode. The Great Canadian Aftermarket Podcast episodes drop weekly on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.