Taking Time to Reflect and Move Forward: Looking Back on the Collège Nordique Leadership Retreat

As the fiscal year draws to a close, Collège Nordique took a moment to do something that can be difficult in a constantly evolving environment: slow down and reflect collectively on the future.

This reflection carried particular significance this year. Over the past several months, the institution has faced a significant reduction in its core funding, resulting in major organizational changes and a reassessment of priorities. In this context, the leadership team wanted to take stock of the lessons learned over the past year and prepare for the next steps.

The leadership team recently gathered for a two-day strategic retreat bringing together the Executive Director, the Director of Education and Training, the Director of Student Experience and Quality Assurance, the Director of Marketing and Communications, and the Director of Operations.

Supported by an external consultant, the team reviewed the past year and began planning for 2026–2027.

Looking Back on a Significant Year

This reflection proved especially valuable, as the past year was one of the most demanding in the College’s recent history.

The loss of approximately $2 million in core funding revenue led to a significant reorganization of activities and required teams to revisit priorities. The retreat therefore provided an opportunity to step back from the decisions made throughout the year, draw lessons from them, and identify the approaches that allowed the College to continue fulfilling its mission despite the challenges.

Projects continued to move forward, services for students and learners were maintained, and several initiatives achieved results that exceeded expectations. The retreat also offered an opportunity to recognize the work accomplished and the resilience demonstrated by teams throughout this period of transition.

Understanding the Reality of Daily Work

One of the most insightful exercises of the retreat involved examining how time is actually spent across the organization.

Beyond strategic projects, daily operations involve countless essential responsibilities: responding to emails, processing invoices, managing administrative follow-ups, responding to partner requests, coordinating activities, and addressing unexpected challenges.

Taking the time to acknowledge these responsibilities helped the leadership team better understand the realities experienced across departments and identify ways to organize work more effectively.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of setting realistic expectations and considering the full scope of responsibilities when planning, prioritizing, and managing workloads.

Building on Individual and Collective Strengths

The retreat also provided an opportunity to reflect on how ways of working have evolved over the past year.

Faced with numerous challenges, teams demonstrated remarkable adaptability. With fewer staff members available, employees increased collaboration across departments to maintain services, advance projects, and continue responding to the needs of Northern communities.

This reality encouraged a more cross-functional approach to work, allowing the organization to draw on the full range of skills and expertise available within the College. Many team members also developed new competencies by taking on challenges that extended beyond their usual areas of experience.

The retreat highlighted this collective ability to learn, adapt, and work together to advance the College’s mission despite the changes experienced over the past year.

A Team United by a Shared Vision

Throughout the discussions, one conclusion became clear: despite the challenges faced over the past year, employee commitment remains one of the College’s greatest strengths.

Members of the leadership team repeatedly emphasized employees’ willingness to collaborate, find solutions, and contribute to collective success. This ability to work together, develop new skills, and adapt quickly to change is a significant asset for the organization.

The retreat also allowed the various departments to deepen their understanding of one another’s realities and priorities, fostering a shared vision of the goals ahead.

Next Steps

The discussions held during these two days helped confirm several key directions and lay the groundwork for the action plan that will guide the College’s work in 2026–2027.

The work initiated during the retreat will continue in the coming weeks. A follow-up meeting is already scheduled for early July to further develop these ideas and turn reflections into concrete actions.

As Collège Nordique concludes a year marked by both significant challenges and important achievements, this retreat served as a reminder of the value of taking time to reflect collectively on the future.

More than a planning exercise, it reaffirmed the strength of the team and the shared commitment to continue building a strong and sustainable French-language post-secondary institution serving Northern communities.

Published on June 8th 2026