W. Brett Wilson, CM, is one of Canada's best-known businessmen and most respected philanthropists. His innovative approaches to philanthropy have generated tens of millions of dollars for many charitable initiatives. His celebration of entrepreneurship has helped inspire our nation to creatively explore and identify new business opportunities. Wilson is chairman of both Canoe Financial and his Prairie Merchant Corporation. Even in reruns, he remains the hugely popular co-star of CBC's award-winning Dragons' Den and Slice's Risky Business. He is a member of the Order of Canada. |
REDEFINING SUCCESS
STILL MAKING MISTAKES
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W. Brett Wilson, Dragons' Den co-star and Risky Business host, often gets asked about his secrets to success. He became one of Canada's top investment bankers because he was driven, willing to take risks and saw opportunity where others saw roadblocks.
But along the path to business success, he tripped over a multitude of misguided priorities. For many years, Wilson pursued business with uncompromising focus, working long hours, seven days a week. In the process, his marriage and his health suffered greatly: he was rarely home as his children were growing up, divorce became inevitable and cancer struck at age forty-three. He truly learned the hard way that one can find financial success and the respect of business peers while almost losing what matters most: health, family and friends.
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Redefining Success details how Wilson was forced to redefine his life, making health and key relationships his first priorities. Through trial and error, he discovered that these simple virtues are foundational for real, enduring success, both in business and in life. Wilson's compelling insights are the basis for Redefining Success. Not just for entrepreneurs and business people, the book outlines how we can change our lives for the better by re-evaluating our personal definitions of success, then reworking them into a life plan that is feasible, lasting and rewarding.
Inspirational and paradigm-changing, Redefining Success will help you implement and sustain lasting, positive change in your life—and make your world a little more meaningful—every day.
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The idea that I might write a book first occurred to me in the fall of 2008, in the middle of one of the most challenging business climates (read “economic collapses”) to prevail either in North America or Europe in decades. The big question on everyone’s mind was then moving from, “How do we get out of this mess?” back to “How did we get in this mess in the first place?” As it has evolved, my personal journey addresses this very business-focused question. This is a journey that touches on many aspects of my own life, and challenges the status quo–thinking behind corporate decision making.
I decided to speak out on the apparent lack of moral leadership in the business world because I thought what was needed was a voice that suggested the end of the world was not upon us. Economies have always gone through cycles, and always will. I suggested that leaders at all levels of life and business needed to encourage a stay-the-course sense of optimism in the face of the extraordinary gloom-and-doom attitude adopted by much of the media and many politicians. I argued that our financial issues were not with the people doing the work, but rather with the people pulling the strings, the leaders of our so-called “Corporate America.”
I have often spoken about the causes of the 2008 recession. I believed that what we faced—and what we still face to a degree—was not a strictly financial crisis, not the “crisis of credit” that the pundits pontificated about, but rather...
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“We could have left the Trailer Park long ago if we had had this book. But we didn't. Oh well.”
— Michael Smith (a.k.a. Bubbles)
“W. Brett Wilson is an accomplished businessman and a philanthropist of the highest order. How he got there is a combination of a big work
ethic and a big heart. Brett is a powerful and attractive man.”
— Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed
“Brett does it all—he loves what he does and he does it with total conviction and passion. Here he shares with you his insights on
prioritizing success. Brett's the real deal—a true Canadian leader with an inspirational message.”
— Sean Durfy, former president and CEO, WestJet Airlines
“Engineer, boy genius, investment banker, adventurer, mentor, TV star, Canada's most imaginative and committed philanthropist, of course
above all parent, Brett Wilson offers the only logical path to true success—behave decently with genuine concern for others and your
abundance will really mean something.”
— Dan Aykroyd, CM, D. Lit. (HC), head proprietor, Crystal Head Vodka
“I knew Brett long before his fame arrived. He wasn't perfect then and he’s not perfect now. What he is, is honest, very energetic and
visionary. This means there is lots of good learning and fascinating stories in this book.”
— Jim Peplinski, Stanley Cup–winning businessman
“Canadian military families have benefited from Brett's tireless philanthropic efforts. His personal story and his approach to living
intentionally serve as a source of inspiration and motivation to others who may be brave enough to take on the challenge of improving our great
country, and helping those in need around the globe.”
— General Walt Natynczyk, CMM, MSC, CD, Chief of the Defence Staff
