By Geneviève Harbec,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach Marcel Bellefeuille made his way north to the Cree Nation of Mistissini last Feb. 5 to 9 to speak with the community about management and organization.
“My wife and I have a consulting firm in training and development of leadership called Success Energy. We give conferences around the country to the companies interested in our services,” Bellefeuille explained.
During his stay in the northern Quebec community, Bellefeuille met with 30 managers and employees from the Mistissini Health Board.
“We gave them the tools that they needed to work properly. We identified what they were missing on the communication and leadership aspects, and we trained them accordingly.”
Bellefeuille started his company while with the Ottawa Gee Gees in the late-90s and since then has given talks at numerous companies such as Nortel and other well-known Canadian corporations.
“There is a natural relationship between managing and coaching. Many private sector companies have coaches coming in to train employees about leadership,” he said.
“Managing employees and coaching athletes are very similar. The teamwork and the energy within a company are similar to a football team’s energy.”
A long-lasting friendship
It is not everyday that a consultant goes to a place like Mistissini to give a conference. For Bellefeuille, it was a natural fit.
“Gord Hudson is the Director of Youth Services with the Cree Health Board and we won a Vanier Cup together as coaches at the University of Ottawa. He needed my services so it was my pleasure to go up there to help him.”
His five seasons in Regina coaching for the Roughriders taught him a lot about the needs of small communities.
“There are hundreds of companies like mine that can do the job in Montreal, but not many will go up north to a small community like this one to give conference on leadership. They had needs, and I knew I could fulfill them,” Bellefeuille said.
After such a great experience, he said he’ll return when he gets a chance.
“I loved the place, it was cold, but the people are very nice and the landscapes are breathtaking,” he said. “I think I might go back with the team for a football camp next summer.”
