On a bitterly cold winter day in Ottawa, with the temperature at minus 33 degrees Celsius, the harshness outside mirrors the isolating command styles that still shape many ideas of leadership. In military settings where order and discipline are prized, this chill is not just physical, it's a metaphor for the distance that can exist between leaders and those they command. Simon Kardynal’s story offers a different approach: one that moves away from rigid hierarchy and toward a leadership style where authenticity and empathy matter just as much as authority. Why does leadership so often reduce itself to decisions and commands, instead of engaging honestly with human emotion?
Simon Kardynal’s story offers a different approach: one that moves toward a leadership style where authenticity and empathy matter.
From the infantry to leadership enlightenment
Simon Kardynal started his career in the Royal Canadian Regiment, Canada’s oldest continuously active infantry unit. The early appeal was clear: for a young recruit, firing machine guns and tossing grenades was both adventure and training. But Kardynal soon looked for more, seeking challenge beyond the predictable routines of the infantry, he moved into the Air Force to work on aerospace structures. This shift reflected his hunger for something broader and more demanding.
Pursuing a master’s degree was a turning point. Military life, with its rugged demands, gave way to the challenges and freedoms of academia. There, Kardynal discovered new sides of himself, parts that valued self-awareness and emotional intelligence alongside discipline. His studies helped him see that leadership could mean more than enforcing rules or carrying out orders. It could be about building genuine connections, understanding your own values, and using insight as much as authority.
Kardynal’s experience complicates the stereotype that military training leaves little room for introspection or personal growth. Education showed him the need to align outward leadership with inner authenticity, a step toward questioning long-running doctrines and imagining better ways to lead. Instead of sticking to well-worn routines of command and control, Kardynal found meaning in reflecting on what it really means to lead well.
Instead of sticking to well-worn routines of command and control, Kardynal found meaning in reflecting on what it really means to lead well.
Integrating empathy in a rigid military system
What role can empathy play in an environment built on hierarchy? According to Kardynal, leaders have to navigate a real tension between strict command and genuine connection with their teams. His own career has meant wrestling with this balance, meeting the immediate demands of missions while still investing in morale and trust.
Kardynal has grappled with imposter syndrome too. As the lone military member in his academic cohort, he sometimes questioned whether he belonged among civilians. Yet that sense of being an outsider became an advantage: it pushed him to start conversations that blended military discipline with inclusive communication and listening, traits often undervalued in command-driven contexts.
Kardynal’s approach challenges old assumptions about what it takes to lead effectively in the armed forces. He believes that focusing on personal connections doesn’t weaken authority, it deepens it. Mission success and team cohesion are not opposites; they reinforce each other when leaders communicate openly and make space for empathy.
Mission success and team cohesion are not opposites; they reinforce each other when leaders communicate openly and make space for empathy.
Generational gaps and authority redefined
Kardynal has watched perceptions of authority shift sharply from his father’s generation to his own. Today’s younger leaders often resist top-down hierarchies, favoring flat organizations that can sometimes blur lines of responsibility.
His concern is clear: as organizations flatten out, they risk losing sight of why structured authority exists in the first place. Authority can be a tool for discipline and collaboration, not just control, but only if the boundaries are understood and respected. If leaders don’t manage these tensions carefully, they may undermine both respect for command and their ability to get things done.
Kardynal’s stories go beyond personal anecdotes; they are reminders that protocol and tradition still have value alongside openness and accessibility. He argues there’s room for both, the independence many younger professionals want, and the stability effective leadership provides.
The art of preparedness and self-trust
Leadership isn’t just about giving orders, it often means having tough conversations you’d rather avoid. Kardynal believes preparation is essential, but so is trusting yourself when plans go sideways. In high-pressure environments like the military, leaders need both: practice for every scenario, but also confidence when things don’t go according to script.
The military principle “train as you fight” sums up this approach: rigorous preparation should replicate real-world challenges as much as possible. For Kardynal, leadership is not fixed or formulaic, it must remain adaptable, grounded in trust developed through experience and honest self-reflection.
Finding your own leadership style takes time, but Kardynal insists ongoing reflection is crucial if you want your decisions, and your integrity, to hold up under scrutiny. Trusting your authentic voice isn’t easy; it grows only with effort, feedback, and a willingness to keep learning.
Trusting your authentic voice isn’t easy; it grows only with effort, feedback, and a willingness to keep learning.
Leading through failure: lessons for resilience
Failure tends to be treated as an unwelcome finale rather than another chapter in growth. But Kardynal is frank about his own mistakes, miscommunications or misjudgments, and views them as opportunities rather than proof of unfitness. Leadership requires humility: learning from setbacks instead of hiding them makes individuals stronger over time.
Kardynal encourages leaders to look inward after failures, to examine personal biases or blind spots honestly, and treat this awareness as a skill worth cultivating. The discomfort of failing shouldn’t close off curiosity; it should deepen it. Adaptable leaders learn not just how to bounce back from setbacks but how to use them as fuel for continuing evolution.
Kardynal’s career makes the case for facing failure directly, not dodging blame or wallowing in regret but extracting meaning from each misstep. Leaders who champion curiosity and adaptability help build organizations that weather challenge not only by enduring but by growing stronger along the way.
