Lime
12 November, 2018
The Institute of Leadership as Seen Through the Eyes of President and Co-Founder Éric Paquette
With several years of experience in management, Éric Paquette decided to co-found the Institute of Leadership in 2013 so that other managers could also further develop their knowledge.
In addition to his work at the Institute, Mr. Paquette shares his knowledge with the new generation of business people. “For the past thirteen years, I have shared my time between the academic world and the business world. I’m currently a lecturer in the basic principles of economics at the ESG-UQAM (School of Management Sciences of the Université du Québec à Montréal) and in “interpersonal skills” to the new generation of directors at the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés (College of Corporate Directors),” the CEO and co-founder said.
Interview with a leader in leadership who will be an expert guest speaker at the 7th edition of the Stratégies PME conference for the third time.
The beginning
Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, the Institute of Leadership offers different types of certifications to business executives as well as to small and medium business owners and the new generation of entrepreneurs. “Most of our certifications are intended for individuals who hold senior positions and who want to further develop their leadership skills and strategic vision,” added the co-founder.
Even after obtaining a diploma in one of the many management programs offered by different universities, it’s good to stay up-to-date and to learn about the new leadership trends without having to re-enroll in university. In addition, more and more society and the economy bring about new issues or problems to which solutions must be found.
“We found that there was a lack of practice-oriented courses for managers in Quebec. We also knew that the ageing of the population would be a challenge for the labour market. The mass of baby boomers holding management positions and who are reaching retirement age is forcing organizations to encourage a new generation of managers to move up,” Éric Paquette explained.
Facilitators and speakers are central to success
The Institute of Leadership can count on several facilitators and speakers to give the courses leading to certification. It’s quite impressive to see the extent to which Mr. Paquette’s project was able to bring together so many leaders of various industries. “We were lucky right from the start to be able to count on well-known people who believed in us and in our project. For example, people like Ms. Françoise Bertrand, Mr. Alain Bouchard and Mr. Serge Godin, among others, who were involved in our program during its very first year. That immediately gave us the credibility we needed in order to approach other facilitators and speakers. I cannot thank them enough,” exclaimed the leadership expert.
Given that the facilitators and speakers hold diplomas in various academic programs and each of them has unique experience in management and leadership, their contribution and work at the Institute are specific to each training session. “Participants can meet a dozen different facilitators and speakers during our six-day certification programs. Each topic in the curriculum is handled by specialists in the field (professors, consultants, expert trainers) whose many years of experience help to enhance the learning by participants through the training,” Mr. Paquette explained.
After five years of existence and with a current list of 89 facilitators and speakers, the Institute has decided to offer online training to managers throughout the world. “We’ve offered the certification in leadership and management skills online only once to date. Feedback from participants has been very positive. However, registration numbers remain very low as compared to the on-site courses,” he explained. That is why, in addition to the web courses, managers from several countries around the world come to Montreal to take the Institute’s courses and training sessions.
The future of leadership and management in Quebec
Giving a lecture at the Stratégies PME conference for the third time can only help to enhance the Institute of Leadership’s profile, and the Institute is already beginning to enjoy an excellent reputation on the international scene. “Every time we go there, we get concrete results. For example, we know that some people register in our training programs as a direct result of our attendance at the Stratégies PME conference,” the co-founder added.
Everything seems to be going well for the new Institute of Leadership, and Éric Paquette has every cause to be happy about this. He knows, however, that the world of leadership and entrepreneurship will be facing several challenges in the coming years and that the work must begin right now. “Attracting, managing and retaining talent are already major issues for Quebec. The effects are already being felt and they will still be felt in the coming ten years. More specifically, managers will have to adapt their approach to this reality. Organizations that are quick to attract talent and are able to “manage” their people well will have the best chance of succeeding,” the CEO and co-founder concluded