CONFIDENCE IS KEY for career growth By Kristin Marand
Dayna Spiring remains hopeful for 2022.
Dayna Spiring is a woman with an outstanding number of credits to her name. She was recently named one of the Manitoba 150 Women Trailblazers by the Nellie McClung Foundation and Honorary Colonel for 2 Canadian Air Division. She holds law and political science degrees, as well as an ICD.D professional designation developed jointly by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She has contributed to numerous boards including CancerCare Manitoba, the Winnipeg Football Club, the CFL board of governors, Manitoba Hydro and Winpak. After starting out in law, Spiring worked for the Canadian Wheat Board, where she cemented her place in the business world as someone who can create value and make the kinds of decisions that move the needle. She is currently the president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg. Spiring has an easygoing demeanour for a woman of power and her confidence shines through.
She credits her ability to make decisions as a defining facet of her leadership style. “One of the skills that I have is that I can make decisions very quickly. They’re not always bulletproof decisions, but I think in order to move the needle, and in order to have progress and really get some momentum, we’ve got to act quickly,” she says. “You trust your gut, you trust your team, you get as many opinions as you can and then you make a call.” Confidence, she acknowledges, is a skill that requires cultivation. Her advice for growing confidence and career is to say YES! “When opportunities come your way, don’t second guess whether you’re good enough. Don’t second guess whether you’ve got all the skills,” she says, explaining there are aspects of every position that have to be learned on the job. “Be willing to take on new opportunities. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and see where the path takes you.” Confidence is key to being welcomed to the table,
6 CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
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