Two Sport Leaders Retreats Announced for 2020!

Published January 15, 2020

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the Sport Law & Strategy Group (SLSG) are proud to collaborate on the annual Sport Leaders Retreat, an innovative leadership development program to support sport leaders from across the country, and across all sports, to lead with values.

Two Sport Leaders Retreats are planned for 2020: April 7-9 for sport managers and November 24-26 for executives.

Participants can expect to walk away from the Sport Leaders Retreat experience refreshed, renewed and inspired. With the introduction of the NOVA Profile, a powerful psychometric tool, sport leaders are able to better understand their behavioral preferences, connect with their motivations, and reflect on key topics such as trust, personal values, leadership philosophies and managing conflict. The beautiful retreat setting at Strathmere, near Ottawa, Ontario, allows for deeper conversations, an opportunity to pause and self-reflect, and time to connect with others who share similar passions and challenges.

“The CCES is committed to creating opportunities for sport leaders to lead from a place of values. One of our commitments from the Values Proposition Symposium in 2018 was to concentrate our collaboration with organizations who believe in a management by values ethos. We know from experience and research that when the stewards of sport are aligned around values, risks decrease and organizations thrive,” said Karri Dawson, Senior Director of Quality Sport at the CCES.

“The Sport Leaders Retreat is creating ripples of change across the sport sector. This work is so important, and we are humbled by the impact we are witnessing as participants commit to lead with values, communicate with purpose and manage with integrity,” said Dina Bell-Laroche, Integral Master Coach^TM and SLSG Partner.

To meet the demand for practical, inspiring and sport-specific leadership opportunities, there will be two Sport Leaders Retreats in 2020:

1. April 7-9 for sport managers. Participants require a minimum of five years experience as a manager. Registration deadline: February 5, 2020.
2. November 24-26 for executives. Participants require a minimum of five years at an executive level. Currently accepting expressions of interest.

Here’s what sport leaders have to say about their experiences at previous Sport Leaders Retreats:

• “It’s always difficult to break away from the urgent demands of day-to-day business, however I felt that the Sport Leaders Retreat was an excellent opportunity to slow down, reflect, learn more about myself, enhance my leadership skills, and connect with others. I would definitely recommend this experience to other sport leaders.”
  Penny Joyce, COO, Diving Canada, 2017
• “This was a hands-on, practical and extremely useful professional development opportunity for senior leaders. I would highly recommend it for anyone that is looking to expand their leadership capabilities and take it to the next level.”
  Kim Van Bruggen, CEO, Triathlon Canada, 2018
• “The Sport Leaders Retreat is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for true personal and professional development for leaders in sport. The opportunity to engage and learn with your peers in a non-traditional environment was insightful and engaging. I highly recommend the retreat.”
  Sureen Gosel, Executive Director, Ottawa Gymnastics Club, 2019
• “The Sport Leaders Retreat was the single most significant and beneficial professional development opportunity I've had the chance to engage in thus far. Inspiring and filled with profoundly invaluable insights.... This is exactly what our sector and community need much more of. It should be a must for all sport professionals and leaders in Canada.”
  Olivier Pineau, Executive Director, Karate Canada, 2019

Launched in 2017, the SLSG designed the Retreat to introduce sport specific training to sport leaders from across the country. The program has since expanded to include retreats for female leaders, managers and other stakeholder groups looking for customized leadership experiences. For information about a custom-designed Sport Leaders Retreat for an organization or group, please contact Dina Bell-Laroche at DBL@sportlaw.ca.

Today’s complex environment requires leaders to lead differently. The CCES and the SLSG are both dedicated to values-based sport and care about making a positive impact. To do so, we recognize that an investment in strengthening the leadership capacity of sport stewards goes a long way to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all participants. It’s our way of contributing to a fair, safe and open sport system.

For more information and to register for a retreat, please contact Dina Bell-Laroche at DBL@sportlaw.ca or Liz Muldoon at lmuldoon@cces.ca. Registration is limited so act fast!