34: Leading a City out of Rock Bottom, Building Calgary 2.0

Background:

Zane Novak is our very first returning guest and we are so glad to have him back on our show. If you haven’t listened to his story yet, please check out his interview – Episode 12: Double Family Tragedy To CEO & Political Influencer // The Story Of Zane Novak. He is currently running for mayor and hoping to win the election this coming October in Calgary. You can get to know more about his platform and vision for Calgary by visiting his website: Zane4Mayor.ca

Twenty years ago, Zane Novak made the inspired move to Calgary because he was drawn to the energy and passion of this great city. His more than 23,000 volunteer hours serving Calgarians has driven him to pursue a higher service to this city. Whether as the president of the Kerby Centre or the Big Hearted Mavericks, an entrepreneur, or as a father and amateur baker, Zane is always looking for a better way forward. Zane brings dynamic leadership to Calgary and a plan to invest in its communities. He wants to enhance economic opportunity for Calgarians while bringing new energy to downtown.

Zane has created the Calgary 2.0, which is a platform for Calgarians to voice their concerns and opinions. Calgary 2.0 follows a grassroots approach, operated entirely by volunteers and concerned Calgarians. Now that the Zane4mayor has been formally announced, Calgary 2.0 will continue to be used as an outreach platform for the community. Calgarians can provide their feedback, thoughts, concerns, and visions for Calgary’s future.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

  • 3:22 Zane currently has a very full schedule since he is running his election campaign and at the same time making a living for himself.
  • 5:25 Using an analogy to describe the inner workings of politics and election campaigns, Zane points out why the current system can eliminate people who want to run for the right reasons.
  • 8:04 Zane talks about his election campaign for a major municipality in Canada. He also shares his platform if he gets elected to the mayoral office.
  • 11:00 According to Zane, Calgary has faced so many problems and catastrophes that include unemployment, domestic violence, and COVID19. He is terrified for the future of this city.
  • 15:28 There is a strong driving force that pushes Zane to pursue this path he is taking.
  • 20:32 Eric recounted his story when he suddenly decided to go to Alberta to start his construction company. He also shares his view about the growing tech industry in Calgary and what it means for the identity of the city.
  • 23:20 Zane thinks that Calgary is struggling with its identity.
  • 30:14 There are a number of innovative ideas that Zane wants to create and implement.
  • 35:57 Having a serious conversation with her daughter, Zane tells her why he is diving into the political arena.
  • 41:30 In terms of business, his rock-bottom moment happens when he failed to deliver what the customer envisioned for that particular project.
  • 44:13 Zane believes that everyone should have a place at the table and an opportunity to be heard.
  • 50:05 Listening to the community and engaging with the community leaders can be the solution that could bring Calgary back from its lost glory.
  • 54:38 When his son died in a tragic accident, Zane had this perspective that kept him from wallowing in self-pity.
  • 59:04 At 18 years old, he learned a very important lesson about always saying something nice to a person, whether he or she is a stranger or not.

This Episode Brought to You By:

  • 19:29 The Man, the Myth, the Canadian Legend: Eric Gilbert-Williams. Eric put together this very podcast as a passion project to help you & others. If you’d be so kind to Subscribe & Leave a Written Review of the show, it’d really make our day! You can Subscribe & Rate our Podcast right here: From Rock Bottom to Rockin’ It..

 

Key Points from the Interview:

  • “For me it’s always been, will I succumb to it or will I rise above it. To me everything in life just comes down to that, no matter how terrible, how tragic, how stressful, how difficult, how ominous, how seemingly impossible it is, you always just have two choices, will I succumb to it or will I rise above it. And I have always done my best to always rise above it.”
  • “If I’m not willing to stand up and do something to make this city that I love better, then how do I have the right to ask anyone else to, if not me then who.”

 

Resources Mentioned:

Interested in being a guest?

Please fill out the form below and I will be in touch!