Michel Rondeau’s notable advice is to make a conscious choice to create the life you want to live and remove yourself from environments that are toxic to your well-being and success. Find out how he stays true to these words in today’s YPDaily…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
I am responsible for a corporate recognition program (Customers First Champions) aimed at recognizing customer-facing team members who consistently go above and beyond in delivering an exceptional customer experience. This program supports TELUS’ #1 corporate priority of putting customers first.
I am also the chair of the Ontario chapter of TELUS’ LGBTQ employee resource group, which aims to create a supportive and inclusive work environment for LGBTQ team members and their allies. As Chair, my role is to provide leadership to a team of volunteers through active participation, commitment and enthusiasm as well as ensuring consensus and cooperation among the chapter executive committee.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
I started working at TELUS in June 2002. My first job was in the call centre doing technical support for high-speed Internet and 611 phone repair. It was a foot in the door to a large organization at a time where I had little experience. Over time, I realized that while I was happy I understood technology, I was much more passionate about management and leadership, which is when I decided to go back to school.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Because of the high profile nature of the program I run, I have the opportunity to interact with individuals at all levels of the organization and across all business units. This gives me a unique opportunity to deepen my understanding of the complexities of our business. Learning about the health side of the business through my interactions with the health solutions team is probably the most interesting learning opportunity, as it is quite different from traditional telco business.
Because the scope of the program I manage is enterprise-wide, one of the more challenging balancing acts is making sure that the program is flexible enough to meet the individual needs of the different groups eligible for the program all the while ensuring consistent and equitable governance across all business areas (i.e. if a change is made for one area, do we need to make the change for all areas? What is the impact?).
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Leading a team of professionals responsible for complex projects and/or programs.
What does success look like to you?
It is difficult to pinpoint success as any one achievement or milestone. Generally, for me, success is delivering my very best every day and enabling/creating a work environment where people feel comfortable coming to work as they are, and don’t feel like they need to compromise their values to get the job done. More specifically, I aspire to progress into the C-suite of a large organization as I believe I have what it takes to be successful in that type of role.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
The day we launched the Customers First Champions recognition program is the most recent one. It was a year in the making, and was very exciting to see the program finally launch.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Do not compromise your ethics or your values and always do your best, even if you are not particularly fond of a given task or job. Building a reputation as a high performer will go a long way. Always give credit where credit is due.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Leukemia Society of Canada: my father was diagnosed with leukemia in July 2011 and passed away six months later.
What to you is notable?
Making a conscious choice to create the life you want to live and removing yourself from environments that are toxic to your well-being and success.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
Blackberry for work, iPhone for personal use (despite autocorrect).