Against the Ordinary: Redefining Leadership for True Success with Isabelle Fortin

Summary

In Episode 53, Isabelle Fortin’s insights on leadership and team dynamics are the focus of today’s discussion. She shares her unique journey from the Royal Canadian Air Force to founding Against the Ordinary, where she emphasizes the importance of a human-centered approach in the corporate world. Isabel highlights the key differences between military teamwork and corporate environments, arguing that prioritizing individual strengths fosters better collaboration and ultimately leads to greater success.

Throughout the episode, we explore the vital role of empathy and understanding in leadership, making clear that great teams are constructed one individual at a time. Join us as we delve into practical strategies for creating a positive workplace culture and empowering employees to thrive.

Guest

Isabelle Fortin’s journey began in the Royal Canadian Air Force, where she spent a decade honing her communication and leadership skills, including training at the prestigious Royal Canadian Leadership School. When she transitioned to the corporate world, she quickly noticed a stark contrast—where teamwork had been the foundation of success in the military, the corporate world often operated with an “every person for themselves” mentality. She knew that kind of environment wouldn’t lead to real success for herself or anyone else.

Determined to create something better, Isabelle founded Against the Ordinary, a company built on the belief that putting humans first is the key to building stronger organizations. Today, she empowers human-centered leaders to tap into the unique strengths of every team member—because GREAT TEAMS aren’t just formed; they’re built, one person at a time.

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Takeaways

Against the Ordinary: Redefining Leadership for True Success with Isabelle Fortin

Takeaways:

  • Isabelle Fortin’s military background in the Royal Canadian Air Force shaped her leadership approach, emphasizing teamwork and communication as core values for any successful organization.
  • Her transition to corporate America revealed a jarring difference in leadership skills, highlighting the need for human-centered leadership in organizations today.
  • Founding ‘Against the Ordinary’ stemmed from her desire to create a culture that prioritizes human connection, recognizing that great teams are built one person at a time.
  • A strong company culture can significantly increase efficiency and profitability, demonstrating the immense value of investing in employee engagement and satisfaction.
  • Isabelle stresses that real leadership is about empowering people, not just managing tasks, and that understanding your team is crucial for business success.
  • The podcast emphasizes the importance of hiring for cultural fit over just skills, as attitude and alignment with company values can lead to better retention and performance.

Episode Transcript

Freddy D
00:00:00.080 – 00:01:03.288
Isabel Fortin’s journey began in the Royal Canadian Air Force, where she spent a decade honing her communication and leadership skills, including training at the prestigious Royal Canadian Leadership School. When she transitioned to the corporate world, she quickly noticed a stark contrast.

Where teamwork had been the foundation of success in the military, the corporate world often operated with an every person for themselves mentality. She knew that kind of environment wouldn’t lead to real success for herself or anyone else.

Determined to create something better, Isabel founded Against the Ordinary, a company built on the belief that putting humans first is the key to building stronger organizations. Today, she empowers human centered leaders to tap into the unique strengths of every team member.

Because great teams, great aren’t just formed, they’re built one person at a time. Welcome, Isabel with Against the Ordinary to the Business Superfans podcast. How are you this morning, Isabel?

Isabelle Fortin
00:01:03.384 – 00:01:07.500
I am fantastic. So happy to be here. Thank you for the invitation.

Freddy D
00:01:07.840 – 00:01:21.052
Yeah, we’re excited to have you. So share with us a little bit of your background and the story of how you came about with against the Ordinary.

Because I like that name and I think that there’s a message behind there. Let’s go down that road.

Isabelle Fortin
00:01:21.216 – 00:05:59.228
There absolutely is a story behind the title and I’ll tell you all about it. So I joined the Air Force right of a high school and I really, it was the family business.

I really thought that was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

And after a decade, although I loved being in service for my country, for my countrymen, and I loved being part of the military, my day to day job was beginning to be a little bit boring. And I really didn’t see how I could grow within the organization.

Even though there’s lots of room to grow in the military, I didn’t see anything that truly tickled my fancy. So I decided to release in the Canadian Air Force. It’s called a release and not a discharge.

So I released and joined corporate America and figured, hey, you know, 80% of Canadians, that’s how they make a living, why not me? And the first civilian job I got, I was dumbfounded by the lack of leadership skills. And every single boss I had was like that.

And I thought, more than likely it’s just the company culture of this particular company. So I changed jobs and it was just more of the same. And I would change jobs again. It was still more of the same.

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