#1 More than committed: activists!

Activism is no longer just the business of individuals, but of large organizations. More and more companies are making public commitments.

In an era where communication channels are multiplying, organizations must position themselves and thereby distinguish themselves, argues Marie-Josée Gagnon. Peter Simons of the channel of the same name is a good example: he has made numerous public appearances to campaign against tax inequity and support local industries in the face of American web giants like Amazon.

Furthermore, concrete, bold and visible gestures in terms of environmental protection will multiply in 2019-2020, announces the public relations expert. "And I'm not talking about small gestures like banning plastic straws, but about important positioning gestures that will make customers choose, for example, to go to one supermarket chain rather than another."

#2 The employee gains promotion

In 2019-2020, employees will become more important than customers, predicts Marie-Josée Gagnon. “I see this particularly in the field of communication. Leaders will make efforts to communicate with their employees, as they do with their customers. There will be a lot of quality content created internally. Employees therefore not only become more important, but they precede everything. The stronger the employees, the stronger the organization will be!”

#3 Mindfulness

Becoming more aware and attentive here and now. This is one of the main objectives of mindfulness, the practice of which is increasingly appealing to the business world. While some people naturally have this capacity for “ mindfulness ” in their daily lives, others want to develop it through the practice of meditation outside or inside working hours.

“Conscious leadership is good, but a conscious company is even better,” emphasizes Ms. Gagnon. “At our company, all of our staff is trained by a mindfulness coach. This way, we develop a common language, common signals, and common behaviors.”

#4 Authenticity, as a reminder!

Although authenticity has been a topic of discussion in the business world for at least 10 years, it seems that this trend is still relevant and still inspires leaders and advertisers. But can we learn to be authentic? “I think we can train ourselves to be more authentic,” says Marie-Josée Gagnon. “Some people have created personas for themselves in their work that push them to act differently from who they are.”

This is the observation that Valérie Plante made in particular during a BRAVE interview. “When she announced the tax increase during her first year in office, she did so in a disembodied way and felt very uncomfortable in the days that followed. She then swore to herself that she would not be caught out again and that she would strive to always remain herself, even in adversity.”

Being authentic also means accepting your vulnerability and failures. “You can’t force anyone to be authentic,” Gagnon reminds us. “It’s part of each person’s personal psychological journey.”

#5 The courage to be yourself

“Courageous.” This is what is sometimes said of a person who constantly and perfectly acts in coherence and transparency with themselves, with their values. “I realize how much people aspire to develop this quality,” notes the president of Casacom. “As a leader or employee, we often face decisions that go against our values and we must take courageous actions to live a life of integrity.” To do this, individuals must be ready to have courageous conversations, notes the creator and host of the Brave series, a series of interviews with women “who have guts.” “Let’s imagine a world where the highest leaders (prime ministers, ministers, deputy ministers) would take courageous actions to achieve their goals. What impact would that have on the world that is facing colossal challenges such as climate change, to name just a few!”

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Marie-Josée Gagnon

President and founder of Casacom

Your sources of inspiration: Everything, everything, everything! All humans, all content!

Your role model/mentor: My friend, Nancy Trites Botkin.

Your leadership style: Potential amplifier

Your essential tool: My podcast headphones

Casacom

Founded: 2001

Head office: Montreal

Number of employees: 25

Turnover: 3.6 M

Service areas: public relations and integrated communications