Changing the way he expresses his leadership — How a single Surdek Training helped Abdoul develop his inner power.

Industry: IT / Telecom
Job title: Service Assurance Manager

Here is what Abdoul had to share after his experience participating in a Surdek retreat.

The main challenge I addressed

I had difficulties expressing my leadership inside my team. Once at the retreat, I immediately felt I would be able to exchange with other people who work in different domains and that I would benefit from the support of the Surdek team. The approach was very respectful and I really enjoyed learning from the experience of the group.

As a group, we were able to externalize our emotions and address subjects that touched both our professional and personal lives. The group sessions are rich and meaningful and the coaching team encourages us to express ourselves without restraint and express our leadership. I learned to discover myself more deeply, express my point of view without restraint and assert my arguments with confidence.

How my mindset changed

In my personal life, I am beginning to realize that I need to better manage my stress and my communication with my spouse and my children. Listening to the stories and life experiences of other participants increased my self-awareness and this had an immediate impact on improving my relationship with the world around me.

I am more attentive and more aware of the impact of my words in my exchanges, both professionally as well as in my relationships with the people with whom I am very close. I questioned myself about the way I communicate. Before, in my conversations, I wanted to answer the person in front of me without really listening to them and I often spoke more than necessary. Now, I take more time to listen to the person to better answer them in a succinct way.

What I learned

Here are some things that I learned during the retreat. I am trying to apply them now in my everyday life, both in my strong involvement as a volunteer and in my professional settings:

• Becoming more intentional in my leadership approach
• Developing a very competent and self-sufficient team
• Energizing, motivating and mobilizing my troops, and conserving this positive energy
• Concentrating my efforts and the efforts of my team on the things that really matter

My experience at the retreat

The enchanting setting of the location and the amenities were very rejuvenating. The organization was impeccable. We had everything we needed at our disposal with the quality lunch and supper breaks.

My three key moments

• The initial presentation of each participant on the first night. Their life experiences were so enriching and unique that each person’s journey could be the subject of a novel.
• The late evening walk on the second day where we had to do a self-discovery activity by deeply questioning who we really are.
• The end of the retreat where we had to talk about each other individually. Beautiful!