Winchester local gives innovative construction TedX Talk
by Brandon Mayer
Devon Havenaar is a Journeyman Carpenter by trade, and an industry game-changer by passion. He is currently working full time on the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program on Parliament Hill, but his “creative outlet” and hobby is the energy he puts into his unique organization called BadLeader. Devon – who lives just north of Winchester in Cloverdale Estates – recently had the honour of giving a TedX Talk to an enthusiastic audience.
BadLeader aims to put people first in the trades. Devon’s TedX Talk opens with humour about how the risks, stresses, and expectations for workers in the construction industry are often much bigger than the perks. “BadLeader’s purpose is to serve construction workers to become the best versions of themselves at home and at work,” Devon told the Times. “We exist to be a self development resource as sometimes, the tradespeople we know and love are only recognized for what they can accomplish – not who they are as a person. The inspiration came from a personal pain and struggle. When moving into a leadership position at work, I quickly came to realize support wasn’t going to come easy. This sent me on a continuous learning journey. Over the last several years, I’ve done as much as possible to grow into a good leader – a supervisor that I can at least say did my best.”
Devon applied as a candidate to give a TedX Talk after he saw a social media post shared by an old friend. “It was a fluke,” he added. “When I applied, I didn’t really think it would go anywhere, but when I received an email saying that I got accepted, the first thing I thought was ‘uh-oh, what have I got myself into?!’”
The TedX Talk was filmed in Mechanicsville, a small hub west of downtown Ottawa. Devon reports that it was a great experience, although one of the “most stressful moments” he has ever had, since he is still working on his comfort level with public speaking. “The coolest part was meeting many people with great stories of what they are doing to make our local community stronger and help people live in better ways,” said Devon.
A startup at the moment, Devon is hoping that more people will take advantage of what BadLeader has to offer. The organization currently serves a small online audience, but is open to ideas and interest. BadLeader offers 1:1 coaching, public speaking and training. Services are currently provided at no cost, since Devon’s needs are sustained by his full time job.
“The future of construction will have to look different if we want it to thrive and meet the demands of the next 100 years,” Devon added. “Our workers’ needs, lives and motivations are different than 100 years ago. We need to adapt and ensure our workers are respected, invested in, supported and educated to meet industry demands.”
Visit https://www.badleader.ca/ to learn more about BadLeader. To view Devon’s TedX Talk, visit https://youtu.be/-R5D6dvfpjY?si=v9v6TkEie7cRLOcS