Ten Years of MarchFifteen: Celebrating and Reflecting on the Last Decade

Posted by MarchFifteen & filed under Reflection.

First of all, on behalf of the MarchFifteen Team, let me send you the sincerest thanks.

To you, dear Partner, dear Client – Thank you! Thank you for helping us remain true to what we are. Thank you for pushing us to be uncomfortable and, by doing so, to remain relevant. Thank you for your loyalty and care. We could not have done it without your trust and without our intimate conversations. Being your “inside outsiders” is a fuel that makes us get up happily every morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

To the M15 Team – We might not come from the richest beginnings, but we are rich beyond together. We have passion, dreams, care and generosity. We have our idiosyncrasies that make us colourful. We have our love and our disagreements. We have the trust with which we thrive, no matter what hardships life might present. We share joy with each other in the most spectacular way. We are perfect in our imperfections. We are a living example of Kintsugi – the old Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold. We do build on this idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, we can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique, and instead of repairing an item like new, this 400-year-old technique actually highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. Each time we acknowledge our “scars”, we create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. This is us. And I would not want us to be any other way.

Sitting here today, I feel rather melancholic, remembering the time when I decided to start MarchFifteen, receiving support from a few very, very special people who, to this day, hold a dear spot in my heart. I still get the feeling of a fast heartbeat when I drive by the Hilton in Toronto, where we were figuring out what the firm would become.

In the decade that has passed, we have found our way in a world of more and more complex business realities and an even more aggressive landscape of consulting.

Our mission remains to advance business through people. In our practice, we help build the world of connectedness and we strive to help our clients have a consciously positive impact. Through them we help transform business’ thinking about success. Our ambition is to continue being the head-turner in the areas of strategic business advisory, leadership development, assessment, and coaching.

Our courage to lead and have a provocative perspective, as well as our curiosity, continue to allow us to embrace new thinking, stand tall, be acknowledged as thought leaders in our field. Our partnerships with firms such as MRG and Motivation Factor help us bring unique filters through which our clients look at their people and organizations. The connection to CoachingOurselves, a platform for practical management and leadership development, are a sense of pride for us all. Our ongoing collaboration with Gauthier Murtada et Partenaires expands our reach in the most heartfelt way, naturally complementing our offering and mutual desire to be better. The recent joint venture with DecideAct opens yet another chapter for us, shifting the agenda for our client discussions and, at the same time, giving us a place in the digital space. We believe the future is now, and always, always attempt to show foresight and anticipate what is to come.

Our professional discipline and business insight permit us to take a seat at our clients’ leadership table, and be their trusted advisor regarding their talent and their strategy execution. Many of our clients see us as their “talent gatekeepers”, giving gravitas to the insights gained from our assessment. I am thrilled that our consultancy brings relevant and sought after expertise to the conversation. Especially in the last year, our coaches have listened to and supported hundreds of leaders dealing with the impact of COVID-19. The feedback we receive is humbling, and also gives us confidence that we are making a real positive difference. Even our little webinar series, focusing on creating a space of psychological safety carries an echo today. Our Family and Independent Businesses practice established itself as a solid voice in the family and small/medium-sized business world. The deep knowledge and practicality of our consulting in this area is acknowledged to be needed and impactful. Not only because of the expertise and the know-how, but also because of the smart setup, leveraging a rich network of brilliant collaborators.

The belief that we cannot focus only on our success without a keen participation in the wellbeing of our society not only sets us apart from others, but also binds us in a common purpose and view that there is no healthy business without a healthy community around us. I am so proud of our contributions, both time and financial, to many causes. Close to my heart is our connection to the world of art – we have built many meaningful friendships with great Ontario artists who have showcased their work in our offices. The pandemic put a bit of a damper on the quarterly “Meet the Artist” events we all so love, but we are not abandoning the idea!

Lastly, although this reflection highlights the positive, I do not feel neither smug nor snug. Many of you know I need to feel afraid. We are experiencing wonderful growth and standing at the point of the next structural change, despite the fact that we hardly see each other. The 15th of March is a perfect moment to pause and dream about the next ten years. So here is the invitation to all – let us stretch our arms wide for the next promising ten years and shape MarchFifteen to remain noteworthy, significant and relevant.

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