Lisa Lisson’s larger-than-life personality is striking. The mother of four children and five pets, is also the highest-ranking woman at FedEx Canada.
Lisson has led by example in her 20 year career at FedEx. She disguised herself to work alongside her employees in remote parts of Canada, for a TV episode of Undercover Boss.
Two years into her position as president, FedEx Canada was awarded the No. 10 spot in a ranking of the Best Employers in Canada.
(Click here to read her exclusive profile!)
What makes Lisson so admirable is her perseverance and success after surviving a family tragedy. Her husband had a heart attack, which sent him into a coma for two years, before died at the age of 40. Within a year of losing her husband, Lisson was named the first female president of FedEx.
Read how this super mom single-handedly balances her family commitments with her hectic work schedule, and how she found the strength to succeed professionally, in the face of personal adversity.
Little PINK Book: Do you have a success secret?
Lisa Lisson: In business, you need to be nice and kind. I know it sounds so simple but people forget that. I always say, “You need to get out and burn lots of shoe leather.” You need to be with your frontline employees, or go where the action is. When I get out there, I always say to my employees: “You create my to-do list. How can I help you be more successful?” Then employees feel they can talk to you and often, the best ideas come from them.
LPB: How did you cope with your personal tragedy? How did it affect your professional life?
LL: My husband had a heart attack in August 2007 when I was VP. On the eighth day, they told me he was brain dead and I should let him go. I kept him alive for two years and searched the world for some type of drug that could wake up his brain. My mother said to me: ‘Life is not about what happens to you, it’s about what you choose to do with what happens.’ So I made a conscious decision: I was going to only focus in the moment that I was in, right now. When I came to work and my husband was in the hospital, I focused on being with my team, and looking for reasons to smile. I had so many people come up to me who said during those two years, [they] had no idea what I was going through and [they] never would have known. I really had to train my mind; it sounds much simpler than it is.
By Ruchika Tulshyan
“It’s important to have white space on your calendar both professionally and at home.”
Lisa Lisson
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