The Mental Health Commission of Canada has the most inspiring vision and mission of any organization I have worked for in my long career. The Commission is all about leading transformative change. Its vision is a “society that values and promotes mental health and helps people who live with mental health problems and mental illness lead meaningful and productive lives.” Its mission is “to promote mental health in Canada, and work with stakeholders to change the attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems, and to improve services and support.”
I am acquainted with many people who suffer from mental illnesses or mental health problems. Unfortunately, I have known about a dozen people who died by suicide. For all these people and because of my own mental health problems, the work of the Commission is of deep personal interest to me.
I believe the Mental Health Commission of Canada should succeed for the following seven reasons:
Timing
People who have a mental illness are the only remaining large group in Canadian society who are still inappropriately stigmatized, discriminated against and marginalized. Since the pivotal decade of the 1960s, Canada, along with many other countries, has made great progress building a society that is increasingly inclusive of everyone. Discrimination against visible minorities and immigrants, women, gays and lesbians and people with physical disabilities has significantly decreased over the past five decades. But people with mental illnesses have remained in the shadows.
However, the beginning of real change is now evident. The direction of societal development seems to demand that people with mental illnesses come “Out of the Shadows Forever” as the tag line of the Commission calls for. From a historical perspective, the Commission was launched at the right time.
Leadership
While many played a part, the driving force that brought the Mental Health Commission of Canada into existence was Mike Kirby. He led the Senate Committee which tabled the Out of the Shadows at Last report in May 2006, a report which continues to be referred to as the Kirby Report. In a rare, risky and courageous act of true leadership, Mike Kirby resigned his Senate seat to lobby for the creation of a mental health commission. His considerable efforts succeeded and the Mental Health Commission of Canada was launched in March 2007.
Mike Kirby is now in his second term as Chair of the Commission. He continues to be its leader as he impatiently pushes the organization to achieve its vision and mission.
Resources
There are many excellent organizations in Canada dedicated to the cause of helping people with mental illnesses. There are many people with many good ideas for positive change and progress has been achieved. The current situation is much improved compared to fifty years ago. But everyone would agree that the degree and pace of change falls far short of what was desired.
To effect change requires resources and a significant reason for the underachievement of progress has been the lack of resources brought to bear on this cause.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has significant resources. A funding agreement with Health Canada provides $130 million to fund the Commission for ten years. A second funding agreement with Health Canada provides $110 million for a five year research project on the mentally ill homeless population. This magnitude of funding for this cause is unprecedented and is the result of the leadership of Mike Kirby.
Strategy
In several critical areas the Commission has the correct strategic approach necessary to succeed in its vision and mission. Again, Mike Kirby is the architect of these strategies. While he certainly has his shortcomings, when it comes to strategic thinking he shines brightly.
Mike Kirby is realistic about where the Commission should be positioned as a catalyst for change. “Just inside the outer edge of political feasibility,” he has said over and over again. To advocate for only modest systemic changes will not result in enough change to be meaningful. To advocate for radical change is to over-reach and fail. Achieving the correct balance between these two extremes must be determined by political feasibility, which is a continuously shifting target. Ultimately, it is the power of governments that must make the necessary changes.
Over the years, the lack of action on sound recommendations in excellent reports from fine organizations stems partly from a lack of political feasibility. The recommendations were overly idealistic and beyond what governments were willing to do at the time.
But Mike Kirby and the Commission also have the right strategy to push the limits of what is politically feasible. It is well understood that politicians respond to public pressure. From the very beginning of the Commission, Mike Kirby recognized the need to generate a big social movement to support the recommendations the Commission will be making. Such a social movement will push the point of political feasibility in the right direction.
A third strategy employed by the Commission also originated with its leader - the (obvious) need to involve the people who themselves have mental illnesses. People with lived experience with mental illnesses are prominent at every level of the Commission. They are on the Board of Directors, they are on Advisory Committees and they are on staff. They have a strong voice.
They have a voice but they do not have the final, deciding voice. There are those in the mental health community who believe that people with lived experience should have the final say on all matters. I have heard expressed publically by leaders in this community that they should have control of the organizations that serve their needs through majorities on Boards of Directors. Were this to occur, I believe this would eventually move such organizations beyond what is politically feasible. There is a lot of anger amongst people with lived experience because their needs have not been adequately met and they have suffered greatly for a long time. But when this anger pushes for radical change beyond what governments can realistically deliver, the result is only token change rather than real progress. The Commission has wisely avoided this trap.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada listens to all voices – the established system, various professional associations, social service organizations, employers, governments and people with lived experience and their families. No one voice dominates nor should this be otherwise.
Of course there is little hope of complete agreement amongst widely different interest groups. Mike Kirby and the Commission have no such expectations and this is where the principle of equalized unhappiness comes in. If everyone likes 75% of what the Commission promotes, dislikes 25% and what is disliked is different for different groups, all will unite to achieve “their” 75%. This strategy should be a unifying force and should prevent the paralysis which would result from any misguided attempt to achieve a higher level of consensus.
Structure
The structure of the Mental Health Commission of Canada is important and has not received the attention it deserves. It is a non-profit corporation funded by the federal Government through Health Canada but independent from government. The Federal Government and Provincial Governments have seats on the Board of Directors but only a minority. Other Board seats are filled from the mental health community across Canada.
This structure is more conducive to achieving the Commission’s vision and mission than attempting to achieve system reform through the federal bureaucracy. A crown corporation or any type of entity controlled by governments would not be effective. No other existing organization in Canada could have successfully delivered on the vision and mission given to the Commission.
People
By being a new entity independent of governments, the Commission has been able to attract a wide variety of individuals with energy and passion for the cause.
The significant resources and bold strategies organized in an effective structure under the charismatic leadership of Mike Kirby have enabled the Commission to engage many talented and passionate individuals. Amongst the Board of Directors, Advisory Committees, Executive Leadership Team and staff are many people with high levels of skill, knowledge, experience, intelligence, energy and passion.
Momentum
The Commission has momentum and has quickly emerged as a leader in the mental health community. After its first couple of years, Mike Kirby remarked with great pride that the Commission “took off like a rocket.”
The Commission should succeed. It is now four years into its ten year mandate and its influence is continuing to grow. Major systemic change is not easy to accomplish and takes time. It will be several more years before it will be appropriate to evaluate the Commission’s impact. It may never be possible to determine what positive changes would have happened even without its existence. But that doesn’t matter because, as Mike Kirby says, it’s about the cause, not the organization.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has many strengths which justify optimism. But it is a far from perfect organization and there are areas which should cause concern. As a former member of the Executive Leadership Team for almost three years, I was privileged to play a part in its formative phase. I will provide my perspectives on some of its initiatives, projects, accomplishments and shortcomings in the near future.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Inside the Commission
On January 28, 2011 my employment with the Mental Health Commission of Canada ended on mutually agreed to terms. My three years with the Commission was in many ways the highlight of my career. From start to finish it was an intense experience and a rare opportunity to be on the inside of an important, new organization.
As a Board Member of the Canadian Mental Health Association, I had been well aware of the launch of the Commission in March 2007. But I was taken by surprise, as was the whole country, when the Commission announced that the head office would be located in Calgary where I lived. The instant I heard the news I knew I wanted to work for the Commission.
I was further pleasantly surprised when Glenn Thompson was appointed Interim President. We knew each other from our time together at CMHA National – Glenn as Acting Chief Executive Officer and I as a Board Member and National Treasurer. I phoned Glenn and expressed my interest in joining the Commission as Chief Financial Officer and he invited me to apply.
On a Saturday morning in September 2007 I received a phone call from Glenn who was in Calgary for the Commission’s first Board meeting. Would I like to meet with Mike Kirby, he asked.
Later that day in the lounge of the Hyatt, I met with Mike Kirby, John Service, Howard Chodos and Glenn Thompson. During this “interview,” I deliberately tested the Commission by being quite open about my personal mental health problems. I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety since teenage. In many other organizations my disclosures would have ended any hope of employment on a senior management team. But after due process, I joined the Mental Health Commission of Canada in January 2008 as CFO.
The atmosphere at the January 2008 Board meeting was electric, full of anticipation. The number of attendees was quite large because Advisory Committee members were included. Together with Board and staff, this group became aptly known as the Commission Family.
My first six months with the Commission was the best period of my long career. I was highly motivated and full of energy. There were considerable challenges because this was a start-up situation and I literally began work on my kitchen table. I rose to the occasion with great productivity and accomplishment.
The Executive Leadership Team bonded almost instantly. Working with John Service, Howard Chodos, Mike Pietrus and Jayne Barker seemed almost effortless from a team dynamics perspective. Everyone was completely focused on whatever needed to be done. All of us were excited by the opportunity to really make a difference in a cause important to each of us.
But it certainly wasn’t perfect. Michael Howlett joined the Commission as Chief Executive Officer and he did not make a good first impression on me when we first met in Calgary in April. Something doesn’t feel right, I remarked to my wife after that first meeting. I quickly began having difficulty working with the new CEO and we disagreed on several significant matters. Fortunately he worked out of an office in Toronto where he lived and we saw little of him in Calgary.
The six month high I had been on ended abruptly with the first major negative event in the Commission’s history. In September 2008 Michael Howlett brutally terminated without cause the employment of John Service, Chief Operating Officer. I was further dismayed that the Board of Directors did not intervene. This unjustified act violated my core values and upset me deeply. For a couple of weeks my productivity plummeted and I considered resigning. Thankfully, I was encouraged to stay by Jayne Barker and I am glad I took her advice.
Naively, I had thought that the Mental Health Commission of Canada would be a special place to work both in terms of what the organization did as well as how the work was done. The work of the Commission was indeed special and the rapid start up and accomplishments of 2008 and 2009 was impressive. I found my job a CFO very challenging and stressful but also very rewarding. All things considered, there was no other place I would rather have been.
The challenges of a start-up, the extremely fast pace, the inevitable continuous change, the enormous expectations and trying to work with Michael Howlett added up to a very stressful situation for me, but I coped. Looking back, I am proud of my contribution.
But in July 2009 I had a serious mental health problem which I described in my blog entry Who gets Depressed on Vacation. I began to think about what changes I needed to make for the sake of my mental health. I also received some excellent advice from a psychologist who I see from time to time.
In January, 2010 Michael Howlett informed the Executive Leadership Team that he had resigned and would be leaving the organization at the end of March. Figuratively speaking, I leapt from my chair in pure joy. My two years of trying to work with him was the worst inter-personal experience in my forty year career.
Louise Bradley accepted the offer to move up to Chief Executive Officer. In a private meeting with Louise in March, she expressed her confidence in me and her intention for me to continue as CFO. However, I surprised her and replied that for the sake of my mental health, I wished to semi-retire and step down. Over the next few months we worked out a plan for a smooth transition for both me and the organization.
In September 2010 I left my position as CFO and joined the Commission’s Mental Health First Aid program, working in a part-time, non-management role. I thought we had arrived at a win, win and was pleased to remain with the Commission. However, on December 22, 2010, which by coincidence was the date of my wedding anniversary, I was placed on leave with pay. On January 28, 2011, my employment with the Mental Health Commission of Canada ended on mutually agreed to terms.
As a Board Member of the Canadian Mental Health Association, I had been well aware of the launch of the Commission in March 2007. But I was taken by surprise, as was the whole country, when the Commission announced that the head office would be located in Calgary where I lived. The instant I heard the news I knew I wanted to work for the Commission.
I was further pleasantly surprised when Glenn Thompson was appointed Interim President. We knew each other from our time together at CMHA National – Glenn as Acting Chief Executive Officer and I as a Board Member and National Treasurer. I phoned Glenn and expressed my interest in joining the Commission as Chief Financial Officer and he invited me to apply.
On a Saturday morning in September 2007 I received a phone call from Glenn who was in Calgary for the Commission’s first Board meeting. Would I like to meet with Mike Kirby, he asked.
Later that day in the lounge of the Hyatt, I met with Mike Kirby, John Service, Howard Chodos and Glenn Thompson. During this “interview,” I deliberately tested the Commission by being quite open about my personal mental health problems. I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety since teenage. In many other organizations my disclosures would have ended any hope of employment on a senior management team. But after due process, I joined the Mental Health Commission of Canada in January 2008 as CFO.
The atmosphere at the January 2008 Board meeting was electric, full of anticipation. The number of attendees was quite large because Advisory Committee members were included. Together with Board and staff, this group became aptly known as the Commission Family.
My first six months with the Commission was the best period of my long career. I was highly motivated and full of energy. There were considerable challenges because this was a start-up situation and I literally began work on my kitchen table. I rose to the occasion with great productivity and accomplishment.
The Executive Leadership Team bonded almost instantly. Working with John Service, Howard Chodos, Mike Pietrus and Jayne Barker seemed almost effortless from a team dynamics perspective. Everyone was completely focused on whatever needed to be done. All of us were excited by the opportunity to really make a difference in a cause important to each of us.
But it certainly wasn’t perfect. Michael Howlett joined the Commission as Chief Executive Officer and he did not make a good first impression on me when we first met in Calgary in April. Something doesn’t feel right, I remarked to my wife after that first meeting. I quickly began having difficulty working with the new CEO and we disagreed on several significant matters. Fortunately he worked out of an office in Toronto where he lived and we saw little of him in Calgary.
The six month high I had been on ended abruptly with the first major negative event in the Commission’s history. In September 2008 Michael Howlett brutally terminated without cause the employment of John Service, Chief Operating Officer. I was further dismayed that the Board of Directors did not intervene. This unjustified act violated my core values and upset me deeply. For a couple of weeks my productivity plummeted and I considered resigning. Thankfully, I was encouraged to stay by Jayne Barker and I am glad I took her advice.
Naively, I had thought that the Mental Health Commission of Canada would be a special place to work both in terms of what the organization did as well as how the work was done. The work of the Commission was indeed special and the rapid start up and accomplishments of 2008 and 2009 was impressive. I found my job a CFO very challenging and stressful but also very rewarding. All things considered, there was no other place I would rather have been.
The challenges of a start-up, the extremely fast pace, the inevitable continuous change, the enormous expectations and trying to work with Michael Howlett added up to a very stressful situation for me, but I coped. Looking back, I am proud of my contribution.
But in July 2009 I had a serious mental health problem which I described in my blog entry Who gets Depressed on Vacation. I began to think about what changes I needed to make for the sake of my mental health. I also received some excellent advice from a psychologist who I see from time to time.
In January, 2010 Michael Howlett informed the Executive Leadership Team that he had resigned and would be leaving the organization at the end of March. Figuratively speaking, I leapt from my chair in pure joy. My two years of trying to work with him was the worst inter-personal experience in my forty year career.
Louise Bradley accepted the offer to move up to Chief Executive Officer. In a private meeting with Louise in March, she expressed her confidence in me and her intention for me to continue as CFO. However, I surprised her and replied that for the sake of my mental health, I wished to semi-retire and step down. Over the next few months we worked out a plan for a smooth transition for both me and the organization.
In September 2010 I left my position as CFO and joined the Commission’s Mental Health First Aid program, working in a part-time, non-management role. I thought we had arrived at a win, win and was pleased to remain with the Commission. However, on December 22, 2010, which by coincidence was the date of my wedding anniversary, I was placed on leave with pay. On January 28, 2011, my employment with the Mental Health Commission of Canada ended on mutually agreed to terms.
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