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Johanne Bouchard

"The Leadership Whisperer" : Fostering healthy individuals and healthy organizations.

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Reflecting mid-year and checking in with yourself: Excerpt – Johanne Bouchard for BonneFire

Through BonneFire I have developed a monthly P-R-P:
Pulse Check – Reflection – Practice. 
June’s Inspiring Guidance & Teaching for members is
“Reflecting mid-year and checking in with yourself”
Enjoy a sample below.
Join BonneFire today to gain access to the full text of June’s Inspiring Guidance & Teaching!


Reflecting mid-year and checking in with yourself

Reflecting mid-year and checking in with yourself

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” – Aldous Huxley

What’s it in for you to reflect and check-in?
Better your life. Improve your relationships with yourself and other people. Learn to be authentic to your own voice and to who you are. Observe where, and how, and with whom you are not being truthful to yourself– or to them. Realize where some of your commitments are really not fulfilling, and how you might hold on for the external approval. Recognize when you know you are fulfilled and thriving. You get to know in your gut if your life and your leadership flow. You know if you are truly claiming your life…or not. It is not being egoistical, but honoring you.

***

In my 2017 holiday wish I said, “As you contemplate kicking off 2018, consider how the balance in our lives is achieved by knowing ourselves and honestly, intentionally engaging in all sectors of our lives with respect for who we are.” 

How may we know that we are on course, if we don’t take the time to really pause, ponder and ask the questions about how we are doing in our lives? How can we commit to change, even transform our lives, if we don’t know what to change and how to change?   

Regardless of the time of the year, it is truly beneficial to minimally take a “pulse check,” in order to achieve optimal whole-life balance. Balance is achieved when we are truthful with ourselves about knowing what works in our lives, what needs improvement and what is missing.

“When we take a true pulse and reflect, we gain clarity about what worked, what was disappointing, and how we could have been more effective and possibly more patient and tolerant. We also confront the truth about where we missed the mark.

“In having a clear picture, we can define what should change and how we intend to create the outcome we’re capable of producing and hope to realize.” – Johanne Bouchard, Explore Big Sky, Dec 2016

Checking in, taking a pulse check, is to pause and to check how we are doing. Remember how a basketball player has to check his/her play not every other game, but at every game, at every quarter, in the moment of every throw, before and after every game. A golfer, a singer, a rower, a firefighter… anyone who is intently present to what s/he is doing and caring to be her/his best at what s/he is doing naturally takes a pulse check, as an individual and collectively when s/he is part of a team. A checking-in is actually being authentic with our feelings, and to connect with what sits within our own hearts. It is not criticizing ourselves but ideally constructively critiquing ourselves. It is optimally not comparing ourselves to others but rather getting in touch with ourselves and really knowing if we are giving it our best in what we elect to do and how we do it; what we choose to communicate and how we say it.

Let me ask you…

How do you feel about your life so far this year? Did you have a vision of yourself, and did you have clear intentions going into 2018, as a leader of your life and as a leader of others?

“Before I ask you to sit with me,

I must be able to sit with myself,

Before I ask you to accept my pain,

I have to accept the pain myself,

Before I ask you to love me,

I have to be madly in love with myself.” – C. Thoth

Being reflective is healthy as it is about developing self-awareness and self-knowledge to lead one’s self. Your wisest self lies within you, not outside of you. You need to take time to shut out the noise around you and isolate yourself from all the noise that is being pushed at you and that you often seek. Noise clutters your ability to be clear, to focus and be who you are.

My holiday wish invited us to take the time to reflect and to be introspective as we began a New Year; to set a clear vision, clear intentions and attention to lead our lives with conviction in alignment with who we are.

“Do more than believe: practice.” – William-Arthur Ward

Practice is so important to create the result(s) you want. When you commit to conducting a pulse check the practice is to act on what is being revealed, to experience the positive results and to keep on practicing at assessing, checking in, to finely tune all aspects of your life in alignment with you.

If you did have intentions going into the New Year, revisit how you are doing with them. Don’t assume that you need to stick to these same ones. You might have changed your mind, or want to change your mind, having realized that they were lofty goals or not really what you intended to manifest. Take the time to think through new intentions or revisit the intentions you had for yourself.

If you did change a job, don’t assume that because you have changed you didn’t get yourself in a situation that might still not work for you. It is not unusual to resist change or to resist admitting that a new change is actually not the kind of change that works for you.


Gain access to the full text of June’s Inspiring Guidance & Teaching by joining BonneFire today!

BonneFire Community Johanne Bouchard

BonneFire is a community dedicated to fostering healthy individuals and healthy organizations. BonneFire is about living our lives loving what we do, being authentic to who we are, to our own unique blueprint. It is about being in harmony with ourselves and caring to be in harmony with others and realizing our individual and collective potential in all sectors of our lives.

BonneFire is in support of being true to ourselves, showing up authentically in roles that we commit to and inviting individuals to be introspective, self-aware, mindful, intentional and purposeful. Together we lead with dignity in alignment on values, governance and strategic priorities, conscious of the impact we can make for future generations. We are in service to each other and all stakeholders.

Johanne Bouchard

Johanne Bouchard

Johanne Bouchard, a serial entrepreneur and former high-tech marketing executive, is a governance and leadership advisor to boards, CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs, as well as an expert in board composition and dynamics. An accomplished author and blogger, Johanne has published a number of eBooks, and her articles have been published in Ethical Boardroom and NACD's Directorship. She is an advocate for STEM, increased diversity in the boardroom and patients' rights.

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Filed Under: BonneFire Inspiring Guidance & Teaching Excerpts Tagged With: BonneFire, Inspiring Guidance, johanne bouchard, Practice, pulse check, reflection, Teaching

Explore the BonneFire Community

BonneFire is a yearly subscription with 12 monthly offerings inspiring self-mastery and transparent leadership in service of both the individual and the collective, for healthier individuals and healthier organizations.

Members also receive two half-hours of one-on-one coaching with Johanne. 

Each month has a unique theme that guides the focus of each month’s inspiring guidance and teaching. Members receive one email the first week of each month consisting of:

bonnefire iconPulse Check

 

bonnefire iconReflection

 

bonnefire iconPractice

 

Each month, Johanne chooses a theme and determines the focus for that month’s inspiring guidance and teaching pulse check, reflection and practice.

Click here to learn more!

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- Independent Director

I recommended you for this task because I felt that the depth of inquiry and the thoroughness of your approach are important to bring the Board to a new level of quality and interaction. I found your work very complete and am glad that you brought to the surface a number of issues that have to be addressed to improve our effectiveness as a Board. Your observations and recommendations go to the heart of what makes a Board a team (and what gets in the way).

- Governance Chair

Johanne has an innate ability to bring out the best in all whom she touches. She practices what she preaches – patience, courage, generosity, wisdom and humility. Her contributions have positively impacted our Company and working environment and will result in increased profitability and shareholder value.

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Johanne is truly exceptional at what she does. I've worked with many consultants over the years, and what sets her apart is the combination of her right- and left-brain skills. She knows how to listen, catch unspoken cues, instill trust and openness, while also being focused on the substance of the issues, the complexities of the situation and challenges, and the business issues that have to get solved. She is direct and candid while also unusually sensitive. By applying these skills, she helped us analyze what was going on in our business, shed light on the core management and governance issues, and facilitated our discussions among the decision makers about the next steps to take. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.

- Independent Director, Governance Committee

I have seen Johanne's skilled handling of important executive interfaces and her ability to quickly get to the heart of the issues and lead to results. That certainly happened here. I found that even in cases where the participants thought they had good communication we reached new levels of connection and candor, all helping us be most efficient at a time when that is most important in our company.

- Senior Vice President

Johanne has provided a mirror into myself. Helping me to step back and view my actions and true feelings. By her perceptive and insightful questioning she enabled me to look within. Just being able to speak openly about myself was most helpful. Without question this awareness is leading to positive change both personally and professionally. I find myself a more effective participant with both my direct reports, peers and my Board.

- CEO

I thank Johanne for her clarity and quick ability to cut through the clutter. She made a huge difference. I have grown a lot. Johanne’s exceptional wisdom for defining and supporting the needs of clients were a real asset to us. Johanne is exceptionally gifted at understanding how to balance and focus for success. I highly recommend her to any company looking to grow.

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Thank you so very much for the day of focus for our team. We really needed it and I do not believe we could have done it without you. You are such a wonderful friend of ours. I personally left feeling inspired and clear. You are a beautiful person to facilitate those connections.

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Thank you for such a productive session. It was wonderful to have your support and focus in connecting the team. Your constant guidance in finding clarity is a true gift for our organization.

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The time spent was of tremendous help to me personally as it gave me a chance to review all aspects of our operations. Johanne's attentiveness and level of support was remarkable. Her sense for the big picture will keep us all focused on the right priorities.

I can't thank Johanne enough.

- CEO

Johanne Bouchard is a pioneer and a leader who brings to the process of executive coaching and strategic planning a focused, high-energy and highly- effective approach. In a short time and in a seemingly effortless manner, she leads an individual or a team to a crystal-clear understanding of their core values, their goals and a path to achieving them.

- CEO

Johanne has a remarkable ability to inspire others to share with perfect honesty, overcome their own barriers, and find greater clarity for their purpose. Her dedication to her work comes from a sincere passion for guiding others in their quest for successful leadership and life skills. Johanne's encouraging style supports rather than leads, promotes as opposed to advises.

- REMIA participant

Thank you very much for your kindness, warmth and thoughtfulness for our team. Your team building session was beautifully on point, and done very constructively.

- CEO

Johanne is an outstanding professional with exceptional coaching skills. She is insightful and a very effective communicator.

- Ken Coleman- Board Chairman, Saama Technologies and special advisor to Andreessen Horowitz Venture Capital firm

Johanne worked with our board at Accelrys to enhance our effectiveness. She provided tremendous value and insight in a very collegial manner.

- Jeff Rodek - Former Chair and CEO of Hyperion, Former President and COO Ingram Micro 

Johanne Bouchard is a unique consultant and advisor who brings clarity to high urgency situations in short order. She has served several of the companies I am involved with as a Board member in various assignments including Board 360, Executive Team assessment, leading and facilitating strategic planning sessions, and CEO coaching. In all these assignments she has displayed dedication, creativity, depth, and an unerring focus on reflecting the reality of the situation and presenting it as such to the client, with concrete suggestions for improvement and increased efficiency. I highly recommend Johanne.

- Ricardo Levy  - Lecturer at Stanford, former Chair, former Chairman and CEO of Catalytica  

If you have an organizational leadership problem to solve (the bigger the better) and need a tireless, objective collaborator to assist, challenge and drive you (and she WILL drive you), work with Johanne. And if you welcome the friendship that will grow from that experience, you couldn't do better.

- Steve Snyder - Former EVP/GM CBS Interactive Games, Music and Sports

Johanne's work is, in a word, spectacular. She digs in on a project like no one I know, she is thorough, thoughtful, and does superb "inquiry" work early in a project. She brings a wealth of experience to her projects, including marketing expertise, consumer research, management and leadership insights, and insightful summaries of the issues. Her work is honest, clear, clean, and useful. She is a truth-finder and a truth-teller. Johanne is an intense, yet calm and measured expert - she knows where to look, what to ask, and how to propose key points and plans of action. Her logistics and organizational skills are world class, and her follow up is superb. As you can read, my professional opinion of Johanne is of the highest level. I believe she can excel at virtually any assignment or challenge presented.

- John Hamm - Strategy and Leadership Advisor, Former VC, Former TCG - The Chasm Group Advisors and Former CEO

I have known Johanne since the times she was building BOSS when helping high-tech executives and companies with globalization and International market development. She was a pioneer in her field helping American companies not treating International as an afterthought. She was an invaluable trusted advisor to senior executives and CEOs in need to succeed in Europe and in need to adjust their leadership style to grow their organizations overseas. I recommend Johanne to CEOs and Executives as a partner when significantly challenged to take their organizations to new levels. She has broad operating, marketing and leadership experience and a proven track record to continually deliver results. Her dynamism is infectious/inspirational.

- Philippe D’Argent - Former Senior VP Dell Europe, Former Senior VP Toshiba Europe

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