From systems thinking to safe housing
Learn more about the Master of Arts in Leadership.
Forty-eight hours can make a world of difference.
That’s how long it took the team at Senior Services Society of BC (SSSBC) to find 87-year-old Barbara* a place to sleep after she lost her long-term rental and was living in her car. Within a month, she had a new permanent home.
It’s stories like that – which unfortunately are all too common – that have kept Alison Silgardo, Master of Arts in Leadership '14, at a job she never expected to love.
Silgardo joined the team on a temporary assignment, intending to stay for two months or less. It’s been seven years, and her work as the CEO has been deeply meaningful, she says.
“I had no idea there was a problem,” she says of learning how many senior citizens are at risk of being homeless. “And once I did, I knew I could help.”
The non-profit delivers local and provincial programs and services to help vulnerable older adults secure housing and navigate supports so they can live independently. In the last five years, the society has helped connect more than 16,000 seniors to housing throughout BC.
“The work we do is about preventing homelessness and preserving independence,” she says. “It’s about ensuring seniors are seen, supported, and valued in the communities they helped build.”
*Name changed to protect privacy.
Learning to lead
As Royal Roads University marks the 30th anniversary of its Master of Arts in Leadership program, alumni like Silgardo demonstrate how its approach to systems thinking and values-based leadership translates into real-world impact.
Silgardo credits Royal Roads with laying the foundation for her leadership style, which she has continued to hone throughout her career and through her sustained connection with fellow alumni and faculty.
“Trust the process is a phrase you hear a lot. It’s not a tagline – it’s truly a way of being,” she says. “A lot of the program pieces I learned and developed at Royal Roads really strengthened my ability to think systemically.”
She recalls a class where she was sent out to one of the campus gardens to observe what was happening around her. Watching bees move between flowers became an unexpected aha moment.
“I watched how one influenced the other and then the whole system. It helped me create an understanding of leading through complexity,” she says. “Engaging in meaningful ways sometimes is just listening and being quiet, so you are able to see and observe the system.”
Thinking outside the box
That skill has served her well as the team at SSSBC has navigated a pandemic and an ongoing provincewide housing crisis.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it became harder to meet client’s needs for housing and other services.
Meals still needed to be delivered. The solution: partner with a company whose drivers were already on the road and have them drop off meals along their routes. Medical appointments needed to be attended, but cabs and buses were out of the question due to exposure risks. The solution: partner with a funeral service company whose limo drivers could step in.
“It was about pivoting with community spirit and such collaborative work that it was unbelievable,” Silgardo says. “I am always questioning. Just because something is a rule, doesn’t mean it has to be so.”
The ability to see creative solutions, not just problems, helps Silgardo approach her work with more intention and gives her the tools to look for simple solutions to complex problems.
“The program challenged me to examine my values and align them with my actions,” she says. “Royal Roads really gets the secret sauce of leadership. It’s an experience you will never forget.”
Learn more about the Master of Arts in Leadership.