Élise is the kind of inspiring person, with great ideas galore, who is always available for a good stimulating discussion or to share her knowlge. With several years of experience in digital, she co-found Les inspirations as well as the monthly CreativeMornings Québec conferences . She now works as a content strategist at Spektrum, where she brings her human and creative approach to each of her mandates. Learn more about our aspiring geek!
What is your background and what makes you who you are today?
As a teenager, I wasn’t what you’d call an outgoing person. I contribut to a lot of projects, but the idea of getting too much attention made me anxious. One day, I decid to combat my shyness (which was social anxiety, by the way) by giving myself challenges like playing a leading list of lithuania cell phone numbers role in a theater or singing in a band at prom.
After a DEC in human sciences in my very family-friendly CEGEP of 40 people (yes, the parties includ our CEGEP director and the teachers yell at us from the classroom when it was class time), I chose to study public communications at Université Laval.
I also had the startup experience (the late Humagine),
which allow me to meet Julie and Myriam, with whom I co-found Les Inspirés. Then, I implement a content strategy service in an advertising agency, participat in the creation of the Quebec chapter of CreativeMornings , contribut to the digital shift at.
Opération Enfant Soleil and land at Spektrum elise rousseau spk specimen to do content strategy and launch the SPK ecosystem at the invitation of my friend Georges. In a few weeks, I will be leaving for a year to embark on a new adventure, that of motherhood.
Tell us about a meeting that had a significant impact on your life.
Early in my career, I dove headfirst into all sorts of projects that allow me to show my colours and share my values. And when you dare to do that, it’s magnetic! It’s hard to name just one encounter, so I’ll talk about the people I met through the global Art of Hosting movement .
It’s an approach to leadership bas on the emergence of collective wisdom and which stimulates the self-organization capacity of groups. There are a variety of practices bas on facilitating important conversations and co-creating innovative solutions.
I had the chance to participate in a training in Montreal a few years ago and it really reinforc certain beliefs and ways of doing things that I want to put forward in my daily life and in my career, by placing people at the center of everything. In fact, an event focuson the environment is being prepar for September!
Your favorite quote?
“Sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world.”
Change is not always welcomwith open arms and sometimes it takes disruption to implement it. I like people who participate instead of constantly criticizing without putting themselves in danger. The world nes it!
What project are you working on at the moment?
Phase 2 of the SPK ecosystem, when I return from maternity. The launch last year allow us to define ourselves and try out a lot of things, whether we think about our different event formats, our blog content or our partnerships with schools and startups, among others.
It will be time to build on our learnings to bring together even more people who believe in the importance of placing people at the heart of businesses and organic growth. Overall, it will be time to take each of the cells of our ecosystem further and formalize ways of doing things, without losing our essence. I will have a year to think about it, between two diaper changes!
What would you like to change with your project?
I would like to inspire more companies to become aware of their overall impact on people, communities and the world. Convince them by example that it is profitable to invest in the well-being of their employees and collaborators, to stand out from the ranks by affirming their true values to attract those who believe in them and who will feel accomplish and fulfill in the environment they offer.
Too many leaders still ignore these aspects, while this is what gives a soul to their company and what motivates the troops. Everyone nes more meaning in their life !
What place do you give to work in your life?
Less and less important. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t put my heart, creativity and talent into it. On the other hand, I know my limits (hello burnout at 24!) and I know that in my case, a fulfill life doesn’t only come through work or side projects.
It’s really important for me to evolve in a job business to consumer reviews that matches my values, that allows me to have a lifestyle that suits me and to evolve alongside the people I love. Life is way too short to spend all your weeks waiting for the weekend!
What do you find most difficult and easiest about being an entrepreneur?
Having experiencit with Les Inspirés, I found it difficult to “be focus” on a single aspect of the business and not spread myself too thin according to my interests and passions.
It’s important to have a realistic game plan, to go step by step, in iteration mode. It’s okay to explore, but at some point, you have to have a solid business model if you want to last. And for my part, finances are not what I prefer. I think I have more of an intrapreneur profile.
The easiest thing is to do things completely your own way, since there is no precent: everything has to be creat and each of our actions contributes to forging the company culture.