It might be a bit cliché, but I would say that my best habit and my worst habit are the same things. I’m really super organized. It works very well at the office because we have a lot of work to do, a lot of files that we want to move forward, but I’m the same at home. The kids would say I’m really too focused on our family list.
So, to come up with an idea, I really like to talk to people. Here in the office, we have a team of over 650 experts in telecommunications and broadcasting. I really like to talk with the team. I also have two vice-presidents and six regional advisors. I really like to talk with others for an idea. But I think it’s really important, not just for professional life, but also for personal life.
I really like books about people, like biographies, those of anyone, athletes, actors, politicians. But the book that I recommend to others is called The Good Life from its English title, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultz. And it is the longest scientific study on happiness and health. And the bottom line is that the people who are the happiest have one thing in common: strong relationships. I think it’s a good reminder for us of the importance of human connections.
It’s been a long time now, but I worked in regulatory law for almost 20 years. In competition, telecommunications, natural resources. Then someone offered me a position in the communications sector which was really far from regulatory law. I’ve talked to people I respect a lot, who said, “No, no, that’s not a good idea. This is too far from the law. This may have an impact on future positions. » But I took the job because it was so different from what I was doing. I wanted to learn new things. So, I really grew up. In retrospect, it was a very good idea.
I would give the advice that a mentor gave me early in my career in the private sector, and that is to go out and talk to people. He explained to me the importance of really talking to people, like at events, meetings, conferences, to really build a professional network. I wasn’t comfortable talking with others. It was a little out of my comfort zone to just go and talk to people I didn’t know. But it helped me a lot to build my professional network.
Yes, I think there are a lot of defining moments in my career. But for me, I think the most important point was when I left the private sector to become a civil servant. It was in 2005 that I started working at the Competition Bureau. Then, I have been working in the public sector for almost 20 years now. And what really interests me is working on things that are really important to Canadians.
I have a lot of tropical plants that I love, but my favorite things are my kids’ crafts. And that’s what I brought. Because they made flower bouquets. I brought my favorite little things. It brings me a lot of joy during the day when I’m in my office.
I really like writing notes by hand. It’s a personal touch, handwritten notes.
A long time ago, I had a position in an organization that really needed to change. I am very results-oriented and I like to work quickly. So, I made changes myself because it was clear to me what needed to be done. And we had some success. But I realized that to truly succeed, to have big changes in our organization, I had to work with the team to have a vision that everyone understood, and that we would agree with. That’s really a very important lesson.
He is someone who supports his team. Especially when things are bad. And at the same time, when things are going well, a good boss puts his team forward so that they can get recognition. A good boss ensures that everyone on the team feels valued.