RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE THOMAS BENJOE
Thomas Benjoe
Firstly introduce yourself and tell us where your home place is. Describe your job/jobs in just under four sentences. Please also provide your title and profession.
Thomas Benjoe, President & CEO of FHQ Developments and current Chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. I am from Muscowpetung First Nation in Treaty 4. Our company is a leading Indigenous Development Corporation that manages a portfolio of 12 companies across multiple industries, manages Economic Development for our Nations and Citizens and supports the growth of Indigenous talent through our HR solutions.
What sparked your interest to work in this industry?
My goal has always been to help our people become successful in economic development and business since high school and the goal was to become a CEO of a First Nations Development Corporation. I felt this was the best way to share my gifts and skills to help advance our community.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I enjoy the stories. It’s the stories of our companies securing meaningful work with our customers, stories of our people who have gained meaningful employment, stories of students and youth gaining meaningful experiences through the outreach we have in the community and it’s the pride our people share when they interact with the stories we share.
What educational preparation would you recommend for someone who wants to advance in this field?
A business program is the first place to start but I would highly encourage individuals to continue working in related fields either part time or through internships to gain the experience to put the knowledge into practice and perspective.
What does success look like to you for Indigenous youth?
Success is finding your gifts aligning your passion and advancing your community. It’s a powerful feeling to know you are helping your community succeed.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
We do our greatest learning in situations that we feel we have failed at the most. The trouble most people get stuck on is accepting failure as the only outcome. I have failed on many different things and sometimes wish I could go back and change it but I wouldn’t have learned those hard lessons. All of my success today comes from failing 4 times out of 5.
What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
Three books that have had major influence especially as of late has been Measure What Matters, Good to Great and Start with Why.
Do you volunteer? If so, where and why is that important to you?
I have been volunteering since I was 10 years old throughout school and now on Boards and Committees that serve the community. I am currently the Chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
In the last year, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
Build and protect a work culture that drives passion, accountability and the pursuit of excellence.
What are some challenges you think the next Indigenous generation will face in your industry/profession?
The continuation of trying to get society to understand that capitalism is not sustainable and Indigenous value systems will play an important role of being introduced into more companies to do better and think longer term about the overall impact of our businesses and actions.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?
We spend a lot of time thinking about our strategies, our ideas, our passions and sometimes people will come along and will take all but two minutes to judge us to make us feel like our ideas are worthless. Your education should teach you how to think and not what to think and by ignoring that judgement you may just have the answer everyone was looking for. Don’t let anyone take your light!