It's a girl

A lot of things have been happening since my last post. I had to decide what I'm going to do next year. After months of thinking, I narrowed my reflection down to two options: LCP second term or applying for the MC ( a 1 year contract at AIESEC Canada's head office in Toronto). Some of you might ask "are you crazy? you're really thinking of doing all this once again?" To you I'd answer that as crazy as it seems, it was worth it and there are still LOTS of things I'd like to do in this local committee. I want every member to contribute to exchange results. I still get random pop ups in my head about ideas of things that could be done at the LC level very often.

I've talked with a lot of people, used my network and still, one minute before the deadline I had set for myself I wasn't sure what to pick. Part of me feels like I partially failed during this term. Afterall, I can't say I have a very bounded and collaborative team. Isn't it my fault? I don't know.. I decided to listen to those who told me I did wonders with the cards I had in my hand. I have to learn to accept the things I can't change anymore.

I finally decided...

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to apply for the MC in Toronto!

It's still a rollercoaster in my heart as I have to say goodbye to lots of things.

I now have a successor, Marie Gwen, my VP TM (HR).  It's incredibly awesome and incredibly scary.

I have to slowly let go and get more detached. That's what I call a BIG challenge!

At least now I have an awesome picture of me dropping two pichers worth of water on MG's head!

Cheers!



I'm back (English version of De retour)

Hello dear blog,



Sorry to have neglected you for so long ... it's just that I had promised myself to wait I turned the situation into something positive .... as you can see, it took some time but I did it. I had to work very hard this summer to fight the wave of demotivation that has swept my team over. I had a lot of dark days, sometimes I even thought to the possibility of not completing the countdown that is on your home page. And yet I'm still here, although my hands are dipped deep into recruitment! I was smart in the way that I used my resources, my family, my boyfriend, my friends, the BoA chair, an HR consultant, the MC and other LCPs to get out. You might tell me that's a lot of people. Certainly, but that's what it took me. Here's what I learned:



- I learned that in times of crisis, meeting everyone individually in a relaxed environment can be one of the best things to do.

- I learned that I can NEVER please everyone all the time.

- I discovered that I had an incredible ability to pull up my sleeves

- I learned that i have a lot of resources

- I realized that people who understand me best are other LCPs (wink wink, to you successor !)

- Unfortunately I had to learn that management and friendship = friction sometimes

- I confirmed that I would do a lot of things for my team!

- I realized that NPM is the best lifeline in THE WORLD.



I am leaving for our September EB retreat  tomorrow. We'll spend the weekend in the woods in a cabin without electricity where I hope the girls will start being supportive of each other a bit more. I am also in deep reflection about what I'll do next year: LCP a second time or a term on the MC? That is the question ...


To those who read me: I'm waiting impatiently for your words of wisdom that might help me take that decision ...

Talk to you soon!

PS I can tell you today that I feel like I have been climbing for three months but that I finally reached a peak.

De retour

Bonjour cher blog,

Désolée de t'avoir délaissée si longtemps... c'est simplement que je m'étais promis d'attendre avant de publier que j'aie tourné la situaiton en quelque chose de positif.... comme tu peux voir, ça a pris du temps mais j'y suis parvenue. J'ai eu à travailler très fort cet été pour braver la vague de démotivation qui a déferlé sur mon équipe. J'ai eu beaucoup de misère, j'ai même pensé quelques fois à la possibilité de ne pas finir ce décompte qui orne ta page d'accueil. Et pourtant, je suis toujours là, les mains bien trempées dans le recrutement! J'ai été intelligente en ce sens que j'ai utilisé mes ressources: ma famille, mon chum, mes amies, le chair de mon BoA, une consultante en RH, le MC et les autres LCPs pour m'en sortir. Tu me diras que ça fait beaucoup de monde. Certes, mais c'est ce que ça prenait. Voici ce que j'ai appris:

- J'ai appris qu'en temps de crise, rencontrer tout le monde individuellement dans un contexte détendu peut être une des meilleures choses à faire.

- J'ai appris que je ne pourrai JAMAIS plaire à tout le monde en tout temps.

- J'ai découvert que j'avais une capacité incroyable de "relevage de manches"

- J'ai appris que des ressources, ont en a.

- J'ai réalisé que les personnes qui me comprennent le mieux sont les autres LCPs (clin d'oeil à toi successeur!)

- J'ai malheureusement dû apprendre que gestion et amitié = parfois frictions

- J'ai confirmé que j'en ferais des choses pour mon équipe!

- J'ai réalisé que le NPM constitue la meilleure bouée de sauvetage DU MONDE.

Je quitte pour notre EB retreat de septembre demain. On passe la fin de semaine dans le bois dans un chalet sans électricité où j'espère que les filles feront tout pour être solidaires. Je suis aussi en pleine réflexion quant à ce que je ferai l'an prochain: LCP une 2e fois ou un mandat sur le MC? telle est la question...

   

À ceux qui me lisent: j'attend avec impatience vos mots de sagesse qui pourraient m'aider à prendre une telle décision...

À bientôt!

P.S. Je peux vous dire aujourd'hui que j'ai l'impression d'avoir escaladé pendant 3 mois pour finalement atteindre un sommet.

Steps towards a nice morning

Dear successor,

By no mean am I writing this to discourage you from finishing transition. In fact, I just wanna help you set your expectations realistically. I just learned in the last 2 weeks that some days, even the people you can always count on will let you down. Shit happens. Nobody's perfect which means that even your unconditional supporters will have moments where they don't support you. You'll eventually feel lonely in your position. Shit happens. But at the same time, you will feel a special connection with the members of your team that will make it worth it. Your VP Comm might end up, 5 months into our term, writing you a very sweet sugar cube at NLDC. Sometimes, it'll take time. Lots of days. But what matters is that it'll happen.

When you're feeling down, you can do like I did.

- Zero, call me.

- First, reach other actual LCPs and share your pain lol. They WILL understand and make you feel normal.

- Second, reach your best AIESEC friends (hopefully they're not part of the problem. If they are, which will happen, go straight to friends from other LCs or previous years).

- Third, talk to your coach on the MC. Vitor is good for that. PEC and Jay can really help too.

- Forth, fall asleep with a zebra stuffed animal and swollen eyes.

The next morning, you WILL feel better.

Bisous

Val xxx

What to expect

Dear successor,

Right from the start, I can tell you that your team, no matter what words they say, will feel less accountable during the summer. Judge by actions, not words and give recognition based on that. You gotta be a bit more severe because it's a matter of respect. Respect towards their peers, towards you and from yourself to yourself. You will be working too, so their job really won't count as a valid excuse for not doing important stuff. Remember that and live by that. Otherwise, you leaning towards a bad road.

Val

So, what is GOOD?

Today, I realized that I get a way better happiness level when I surround myself with people who don't forget to mention what is good and not just rub what sucks in their face to make it get in even deeper. Negativity is very contagious so I intend to stay away from it as much as I can. If you're my successor and you're reading this, I strongly advise you try to keep your team from that negative vibe. That will start with you (like anything else) but don't expect it to be enough. Some people WILL complain and rent anyway and just because they do all the time doesn't mean it makes it ok. Try to write every night before going to bed what you did good and even the smallest impact you've had. It will make a huge difference.

It's been a while..

So it's been a while since last time I wrote. Why? Because I'm super busy with dealing with everything around me. I completed my first round of one-on-ones with my girls. It wasn't easy all the time but I've open myself to some honest feedback and I've grown a lot from reading what they had to say about me. I've tried to find a compromise between the leader I want to be and the leader they need me to be. Major lesson right there. Thanks to the MC for pointing that out at NPM. I attended this extraordinary conference that NPM is. I bonded with 24 other LCPs who share a similar situation and similar challenges to mine and it felt GREAT. LCP can be a veryyyyyy lonely position but it stops being lonely when you're surrounded by other lonely people.

I've learned a lot in the first quarter of my term. Yes, 1 quarter is already over. Time goes by so fast.

I will be heading to Puerto Rico at the end of the month for the Carribean Leadership Conference. I will have the pleasure to be surrounded by my VP TM (Maringouin) and my VP OGX (Odraii) who also happen to be two of my dearest friends. The MCPe of AIESEC Canada, Vitor has been of great support lately. Hanging out with him in Toronto has been comforting/fun/insightful/nice and I can wait to have him FACI my face at CLC lol.

Lesson of the month: Wear the pants. Keep them. Surround yourself with people who understand you or are willing to try. Wear the pants. And to all the LCPs: Be SEXY. You know what it means.

Note to my successor who will one day read this blog: ask me what BE SEXY means in LCP language.

Sometimes, you really got to put them on

Yeah. It sucks to do it when you're naturally inclined to avoid confrontation but there's a limit to everything.

It sucks on the very moment that you do it

but you feel much better when you feel you've found your spot back.

Good luck y'all

Because love is awesome

Here are some love notes exchanged between my team members on Valentine's day...

"Bonjours toutes, je voulais vous souhaiter une très heureuse et joyeuse fête de l'amour, n'oubliez pas de dire à tous ceux qui vous tiennent à coeur que vous les aimez.
J'en profite pour vous dire que je vous aime et que, le temps que je passe avec AIESEC, je suis heureuse de la passer avec vous.
Joyeuse ste-Valentin mes cocottes et si cupidon n'a pas encore passé, ne désespérez, car la vie est pleine de surprise."
Val-anne xxxxx
 
"Je vous souhaite de même une très joyeuse St-Valentin. Profitez-en bien tout le monde de cette journée remplie d'amour. Je suis si contente de vous avoir connue et de passer autant de temps avec vous. Je vous aime fort fort mes cocottes. How much? This MUCH: (plein de coeurs)
Nous oublions souvent de s'aimer avant même d'aimer les autres, alors oubliez pas de prendre soin de vous en tout temps!
À demain mes belles!"
Anna
xxxxx
 
"Je vous aime fort

Merci de mettre plein de sourires dans ma vie.
Joyeuses St-Valentin "
Marie Gwen xxx
 
"Joyeuses Saint-Valentin
Moi aussi je vous aime tellement même si je ne le montre pas beaucoup.
Vous faites partie ds rares personnes sur lesquelles je peux compter ici à Québec et que je suis contente de retrouver ! Je me sens moins seule avec vous sur le Nouveau Continent !
A demain !"
Audrey J. xxx
 
"Salut les belles pitounes d'amour que j'aime de tout mon coeur!
Joyeuse St-Valentin à vous toutes! Vous savez que dans certains pays on l'appelle la fête de l'amour et de l'amitié. Je considère donc que vous êtes toutes mes valentines :) Je suis contente que vous soyez dans mon équipe et que vous partagiez mon quotidien. Je vous aime beaucouppppppppppppppppppppp beaucoupppppppppppppppp beaucouppppppppppppppp..
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Ouais, gros de même!
J'ai hâte de vous voir demain :)"
Val xxxx

Bonne St-Valentin les filles!



"En cette journée, laissez moi vous dire à quel point j'aprécie tout les moment en votre compagnie et votre amitié.

Une très belle journée à vous toutes "
Ge xxxx

Adaptation and flexibility

Recently, the team has been all about adaptation. Adapting themselves to their new roles, adapting themselves to their team, to our team and to other people on our team. I must say that these past weeks as an LCP haven't been easy as I'm deeply concerned whenever people on my team have a problem with eachother. A very smart person told me that is was normal for them to go through this storming phase and made my day. I've also been adapting myself to my team and keeping on to the promise I made to myself of being more open when something is bothering me. So far, I think I've done great but it's not easy at all.

My local committee has also been about adapting themselves to the new members, the new rythm, the new EB. The new members are slowly trying to find their spot on this big Laval boat. Bringing some of the new members to MUCH LDS really made me proud (and nervous at first). It was my first outing as an LCP and I really wanted this first experience to be perfect. It worked! The new members who were there really are passionate about AIESEC now and they come to our activities and to our office. That means a lot to me :)

Here are some inspiring quotes from new members:

"I've talked to more strangers in two days than since i got to Canada a year ago.."
" I wasn't ready to have fun but I did. I wish I had come prepared to fully embrace all the atmosphere."

 

Slowly but surely.

I'm feeling some incredible warmth inside of my heart. Why? Because my girls are slowly starting to reach out to me for stuff that is not technical and/or professionnal. They're coming to me for some emotional stuff which makes me feel extremely lucky. I love these girls and I've really been hoping that they would come to me as a person, for support. I'm doing my best to help these girls dodge the catfights but sometimes, if catfight there must be, I try to make it smoother and help them find the solution themselves to this problem. My girls are slowly noticing that they've jumped onto a boat and that they've just left the shore for an awesomely challenging journey.

                                                                                                              

La passion et le sens de l’organisation (Le Soleil, 24 janv. 2010, Page 28)

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La passion et le sens de l’organisation
Yves Therrien ytherrien@lesoleil.com
Le Soleil
24 janv. 2010

Ce qui unit les étudiants engagés dans l’AIESEC, c’est la passion. La passion de l’international, mais surtout celle de dépasser ses propres limites, de sortir de sa zone de confort. L’Association organise des stages à l’étranger, et s’occupe également...lisez plus...

Étiquettes Tech: Le Soleil newspaper ACTUALITÉS

LCP Pride

Today, I've felt the true pride of a mom. I've been interviewed twice this week by journalists of local medias. Yep, we've been awarded the Lauréat Le Soleil-Radio-Canada award of the week which "recognizes incredible individuals". I've looked at my Local Committee like a mom looks at her children: with pride and perspective. Sometimes, having an external say "Good Job" can be the greatest thing.

Take a peak at the newspaper article:
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/le-laureat/201001/23/01-942372-la-passion-et-le-sens-de-lorganisation.php

And here's the link to the TV interview:

Some battles are worth it

This week, I learned that sometimes, no matter how much I hate confrontation, it will be necessary and it will be helpful. As the EB retreat was approaching, part of my team announced to me that they were gonna skip the first night. As they new that it was gonna be the night where we get to build our team spirit, I felt offended that they were deciding arbitrarily to put me in front of the fact. I felt like they didn't understand the value of that night and that they didn't value the bonding of our team. Instead of keeping my anger and my sadness inside, I decided to rely on friends and AIESECers to get their point of view. It helped me lower my reaction and made me ready to start my "battle" for the team spirit. That "battle" wasn't easy but it has had the effect of sending a message to the whole group: I'll be Warm&Fuzzy-Val when everything goes smoothly but I won't have a choice to put on the LCP hat when necessary. The first hat is wayyyyyyy prettier than the second one but sometimes, the second hat is wayyyyyyyyy more efficient and respected. The challenge here is to find the balance between the two hats and to make myself feel confortable in both.

And once again, the walls did NOT fall.

The magic LCP- rub my tummy for a solution... NOT

Tonight I am experiencing anger. No, it's more like a depressed feeling. No, frustration is the right word. I am deeply frustrated because that third letter in my position seemed to my team like the guarantee that I will always have the solution to unsolvable situations. I definitely don't. At least not yet. But still, as an LCP, people look up to you when shit happens.. And when that happens, you just do your best to keep your confident, happy and nice face that is obviously fake to those who know you best. I tried, did my best and I will definitely try to come up with the solution they're expecting from me. But tonight, that role was heavy. One thing I didn't mention is that I learned tonight that Rafael, our intern from Colombia that we've been expecting for 6 months, got his visa application refused. I'll have to figure this out too I guess....

*** In reference to "my EB meeting moment must be changed for the third time because all of our schedules do NOT match together at all". We checked and there is NO time during a 7 days week that all 8 of us are available. Looking up to the option of having our meetings at 6am. is not a nice thing when you live an hour away from the university.

About the picture: Imagine it's me yelling at my doodle chart....

This way or that way...

Being an LCP is a lot about guidance. Both professionally and personally, members and VPs come to me a lot more now. I could even say that this is one of my measurements of success (MoS): people feeling that they can trust me and knowing that I'll be there for them. Sometimes though, I end up having to give guidance I wish I didn't have to give. Realigning the strategy of a portfolio in order to get better results without hurting the creator of the proposed strategy = not so much fun.. It's all about making people understand you're doing it for them, for AIESEC and especially not to hurt/insult them...

More and more, I am starting to realize of have people make me realize that I became LCP. It's only one letter more than when I was a VP but that single letter makes a HUGE difference. Everyone's problems are mine too and everyone's joys are mine too. I'm just coming to the understanding that people go to their LCP a lot more when the situation is problematic than when everything's fine to spread the joy. Lesson of that story: you must go and spread the joy all over yourself instead of waiting for people to do it.

"JFDI"

A person full of wisdom once told me to apply the JFDI technique in my daily life in order to achieve either my dreams but mostly to complete tasks I don't feel like doing or I don't see the point doing. After thinking about it a lot, I felt like the JFDI management technique was a complex but essential thing to apply in my life but also in my team's habits/ethics. My term as LCP only has 396 days and my girls (my VPs) only have 396 days as well. The JFDI technique was and will remain the best way to get my team and myself to move mountains, change the world and impact others.


I find it really sad that management classes don't talk about that technique. It's complex and simple at the same time. Today, we applied the JFDI technique for the first time and cleaned the office for 8 hours (8 people full time) in order to provide a better working environment to the members and ourselves. The best thing is that we made it. It's clean and it smells kinda nice. The greatest thing: every single member of the team invested time and effort not because they felt like it but because they did it for the team.


Still wonder what the JFDI technique is? Wanna learn more?
Here's what the letters mean: Just Fucking Do It.
Trust me, it works.


Bottom line: I'm proud of my team.
I'll have to be there for them as the hurricane is starting: life begins next Monday.
"Seasickness"is starting to make its way around the team... Gotta make sure I drive that boat with confidence.

Walls did not collapse.

When I got elected, I thought that in order to succeed you had to be friends with everyone and have everyone love you and always 100%  happy with what you're doing and how you're doing it at all times. That implied that I wasn't telling people whenever something was making me feel bad / sad / mad. I started 2010 with the objective to be more honest with people whenever something's wrong. This involves that I accept that I will not always be smiling, warm and fuzzy. I now consider it a much more realistic objective to be smiling/warm/fuzzy when people treat me respectfully and care about me and others.

Today, I took action and claimed the respect someone had been lacking towards me and towards others.

Windows didn't break. Walls didn't collapse. Nobody died. I didn't die.

Even sounds like it was the right thing to do.

Let's hope there'll be more of those situations where I take ownership of how I feel and make sure I make things right.

Sometimes the greatest lesson to learn is from walls not collapsing. Weird eh?

As a new chapter is written

Sometimes, we wonder what waits for us in the future. Today is one of those days where I am standing on the doorstep of something totally new and unknow. No testimonies of previous LCPs have been able to make me understand fully what to expect, how to prepare myself and how to fight the challenges awaiting for me. As of now, I feel lucky, excited, scared, anxious, happy, proud and a bit overwhelmed.

Transition has been done, tools have been transfered but still, it feels like parts of it you just gotta learn the rough way. I've surrounded myself with a team of 7 people. You will hear a lot about those 7 smart and wonderful girls joining me on my boat. We'll go through some storms and some wonderful days but what matters to me is that everyone ends the trip on board and that we limit the seasickness along the way.  We're aiming not just to reach the island but to reach the best island and that objective comes with efforts and sacrifices to be made..

There's not much that I'm sure about.
But, I know it's my job to prevent that seasickness and to make sure no one leaves the boat.