What will change at CF Montreal

A few years ago, the multinational Deloitte asked a biologist, an anthropologist and pollsters to develop a personality test. The objective: to classify the leaders of the company into four groups.

• The pionneers “They stimulate the energy and imagination of their teams. They think it’s good to follow your intuition and take risks. Think of Guy Laliberté, when he was at Cirque du Soleil.
• The pilots “Getting results matters above all else. They tend to see problems in black and white, and tackle them head-on. “I know several head coaches like that.
• The gardians : “Pragmatic, they are reluctant to take risks. They bring order and rigor. Facts and figures are important prerequisites for them. »
• Integrators “They are diplomats and seek consensus. They unite their teams. Relationships and accountability are paramount to them. »

I hear you grumbling between mouthfuls of Froot Loops. Mr. Chronicler, isn’t it a bit heavy this morning in the Sports section? Why tell us about Deloitte and its personality tests? Because the new president of CF Montreal, Gabriel Gervais, has spent the last 13 years at Deloitte. That he answered the questionnaire. And I have the results.

The envelope, please.

Drum roll.

Gabriel Gervais is… caretaker and integrator.

“The goalkeeper, he explains to me, is someone very Cartesian. My Excel spreadsheets are all well organized. My shoes are in the right place. You see the picture. I am also protective. The integrator is someone who likes teamwork. Whether in the field or in business, I have always worked as a team. »

Its profile contrasts greatly with that of its predecessors. The DNA of the club’s senior management, for 25 years, is precisely the opposite. Instinct. The impulse. The confrontation. Improvisation, too.

Like the time the owner, Joey Saputo, went to yell at the referees on the field. Or the time when former president Kevin Gilmore fired head coach Rémi Garde to replace him with Wilmer Cabrera, with whom he had had dinner the day before, after returning from a trip to Europe. Or, all the times the club bosses have argued with the supporters. The journalists. The players. The coaches.

Gabriel Gervais is neither impulsive nor quarrelsome. He is rather a calm manager. Studious. Methodical. At Deloitte, he produced operational and financial analyzes for clients struggling with problems on their production lines.

Do you like processes?

Him, yes.

A lot.

Another of his strengths: change management. “The capital, the talent, no matter how much we want to embark on 10,000 projects, if we don’t have the people to carry them out, it won’t be a success. That’s one of the lessons I learned at Deloitte,” he says.

This will be his first challenge at CF Montreal. During the pandemic, several qualified employees left the organization. For all sorts of reasons. Notably because of internal tensions over the past three years.

“You have surely seen it on LinkedIn, there are a lot of open positions, he underlines. And there will be others. We fight a lot to get people to come. […] It’s necessary [aussi] really refresh, clarify the mission of the club. In all honesty, I don’t think that’s fully understood by everyone. »

Two other sectors in which he intends to get involved quickly are communications and marketing. Under Kevin Gilmore, there was a coldness between the two teams. About the management of social networks, among others.

Another big challenge: selling corporate subscriptions. This was already an issue before the pandemic. It is certainly not better today. But Gabriel Gervais does not want to rush anything. Before meeting potential customers, he wants to conduct studies. Read analytics. Develop a plan. Do things methodically. Like when he was a project manager at Saputo, or an advisor at Deloitte.

What was the definition of a “guardian” again? Order and rigor. Facts and figures are important to them. There.

And that of an “integrator”? Diplomat. Seek consensus. Relationships are important to him. Well, Gabriel Gervais has a message for the Ultras. At least, for those who weren’t banned for life last summer for their actions.

“Ultras are welcome. Just like the 1642. There are other [groupes] in other sections. Our vision is to unify them. Maybe they don’t have the same values. The same philosophy. Whether they are left or right. Me, I don’t get involved in that. When they come together, it’s for the good of the club. We want to build a fortress at the Saputo stadium. »

And to build a fortress, what does it take?

A map.

That’s good. Plans are a bit, a lot, the specialty of the new boss.