Word from the new presidentpar Johanne Landry, PCC
What a privilege it is to take over for Gisèle Aubin, PCC – an insightful, poised, generously engaged woman whose leadership brought people together. Thank you Gisèle for your legacy.
Jacinthe Ayotte, who heads Coach Québec, asked to me to write a bit about myself, how I see my new mandate, my vision, and so on.
I am fascinated watching myself navigate this transition into a new role at ICF Québec. Is there a coach in the house?
In my mind: doubts, questions, concerns, scenarios, and ambitions
In my heart: a strong attachment to our community, gratitude, and a drive to contribute to and serve our profession and coaching community with a personal touch.
In my body: grounded, aligned, excited.
My predecessors were a group of dedicated men and women who laid the foundations of our community, brick by brick. Who remembers Centre St-Pierre, where the annual convention welcomed fifty or so attendees?
Over the last few years, we have deepened our understanding of the ICF Québec mission and identified three areas of development: community, development, and reach. Every project of ours relates to these areas. I am surrounded by talented, heart-centered, and dedicated people on the board of directors. Our exchanges are constructive and inspiring: we share the responsibility of building the future together. In coming months, we will align priorities and update the action plan for the coming year.
I am a people person. I enjoy building trust and relationships. Family and community are core values of mine. From the moment I first attended events in 2006, I knew that I had found my place among professional peers at ICF Québec.
The 2020-2021 period underscored the importance of coming together around the globe. Inclusion and diversity are integral to developing a sense of community, so how do we truly embrace these concepts among us?
We on the board of directors want to provide an experience where everyone can find professional and personal fulfillment within the certified coaching community. Such an experience calls for us to come together, building relationships and giving each other support and assistance.
In Africa, it is said that it takes a village to raise a child. What do we want to become TOGETHER as a village? Every volunteer in our village is already hard at work on a variety of projects within our different committees.
How should we foster our growth and ensure our legacy is passed down through the generations? What in-house and external relationships should we build and maintain to ensure a vibrant, inspiring, and thriving community? I call on all of us to help “elevate” young coaches in training, facilitate their certification process, and welcome them to the ICF Québec community. I have personally supported a number of them, and they have helped me refocus my coaching posture, consider other possibilities in the coaching process, and learn so much as a person. They breathe new life into the village, bringing in new ways of observing traditions or the beginnings of new traditions that align with and strengthen our DNA. Our wise elders play an active role in the village, benevolently dispensing teachings and shared experiences.
The quote below reflects my philosophy, and I’m sure you can see the parallel with our own community:
“The people in my village stood by me at every stage of my life: they gave me my first jobs, supported me in the projects I undertook, inquired about my studies and my relationships, wove blankets in preparation for my first child, lent me tools, offered me coffee, or should I say a beer… In good times and in bad, I could always count on the people in my village.
I have always happily been involved with the people in this township to help make dreams come true, grow our community, and help it shine across the province. We wanted to work together to secure an enviable quality of life and moments of happiness in organizing, holding, and attending all kinds of events to bring us together.” – Josiane Fontaine, Development Agent, Centre-du-Québec, 2017
I stand here before you, with humility and vulnerability, ready to serve the village that has already given me so much.
