Leadership is a key quality for any future business leader. MBA student Geneviève DeBlois has shown that she has the potential to lead the pack as the winner of the first $5,000 Chefs de file en herbe bursary. DeBlois was selected by her peers and by a panel of experts for her leadership qualities, communication skills, capacity to positively influence her peers, and overall performance in the inaugural Chefs de file en herbe program.
The Regroupement des gens d’affaires(RGA), which brings together more than 800 members of the francophone business community of the National Capital Region, joined with the Telfer School of Management and the Université du Québec en Outaouais in offering the first French-language edition of the Chefs de file en herbe program.
The program comprised four seminars developed by specialists and led by senior leaders of businesses and organizations in the Ottawa/Outaouais area. Held in March, the program was offered to 30 undergraduate students in administration and commerce programs, as well as to MBA and MGP (masters in project management) students.
DeBlois is certain her participation in the program will help her in her career. “The program emphasized all the key areas essential to ensuring a high level of leadership proficiency,” said DeBlois. “Having those leadership skills will help me stand out from other employees. I will also be in a better position to guide others in meeting the goals of an organization.”
She was struck by a message repeated by many of the speakers: it’s vital to know yourself as a leader. DeBlois sees that as the crux of good leadership: knowing your strengths, knowing where to stop, and knowing when to ask for help. For her, these qualities will give leaders the optimal energy level they need to motivate, inspire and guide those around them.
Photo: From left to right: Micheál J. Kelly, dean Telfer School of Management; Geneviève DeBlois; Joanne Lefebvre, president and CEO, RGA; and Larry O’Brien, mayor of Ottawa, at the RGA Gala of Excellence.
