From student to faculty, my Institute 101 journey

Last week, Montreal hosted the annual The Institute 101. The three-day training program brings consultants from across the AVENIR GLOBAL network together to tackle topics ranging from personal brand to finance.

I have recently returned to NATIONAL after two years of living and working in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Career development and mentoring is something I value greatly, so when I came back, I knew I wanted to get more involved in internal initiatives. I agree wholeheartedly with our founder’s Luc Beauregard’s quote “In order to receive, you must first give." With that in mind, I asked The Institute 101’s team if I could help and I was paired with my Montreal colleague to host the Account Management session.

Noor Marzook and Chantal Benoit

During the session, we covered the fundamentals of account management, characteristics of a strong account manager and dove into some topical case studies. As I think back at my time as a participant, I remember feeling excited, ready to learn and feeling encouraged by my peers. These are the same feelings that I had going back to present.

What I loved about this session was the lively discussion. All 29 attendees shared their own personal experiences, thoughts and questions. I was so impressed with the different perspectives from colleagues living and working in the U.K., across Canada and the U.S. Regardless of where they were from, taking a client-centric approach was at the centre of the conversation.

As consultants, I think we all have a responsibility to give back and do something for our colleagues, firm and industry. I set out to share some of what I have learned through my local and international experience and give back to my colleagues. However, what I gave paled in comparison to what I received. It is such a gift to be able to connect with colleagues on personal and professional levels and share individual experiences.

My biggest takeaway is that if you have a passion for teamwork and a desire to do more, all you have to do is speak up and you will have a team behind you that will support and champion you. I know that is a rare jewel and one of the reasons I love my job.

The entire experience has been inspiring and humbling…and it all started with an offer to help.

——— Noor Marzook is a former Director at NATIONAL Public Relations.