10 questions for… Pascal Houle | Go to bed early and stay positive in the storm

Every Friday, someone from the business community reveals themselves in our section. This week, Pascal Houle, CEO of Sollio Cooperative Group, answers our questions.

Pork, chicken or tofu?

Pork and chicken. We process pork and chicken and my heart swings between the two productions. But on the plate, it’s chicken.

How do you inspire your troops at key moments?

By keeping my calm, my good humor. In the storm we went through, I could inspire by keeping a positive attitude. I always see the glass half full. It’s really easier to get the best out of our people, to motivate them, with a positive attitude.

Are certain decisions keeping you up at night?

There’s not much that keeps me from sleeping. I go to bed early, around 9:30 a.m., then I need my eight hours of sleep. The only things that keep me from sleeping are those that affect people, people close to me, people around me. When it affects the human aspect, it can prevent me from sleeping, otherwise I sleep very well.

A good boss is someone who…

…is human, who will give clear direction to his work teams, who will be able to strengthen commitment and motivation. He is not someone who is harsh, uncompromising, but understanding, attentive. I easily accept being “challenged”, that’s how we arrive at better solutions, although at some point, it takes someone to decide.

A good employee is someone who…

…is autonomous, who is able to take initiatives, to manage projects without constant supervision, who is committed, not just to his daily tasks, but also to the values, objectives and strategy of the organization. He is also someone who is authentic, who can be trusted.

What advice are you glad you ignored?

It is to have avoided selling strategic assets, marketing tools for our agricultural producers, who are the owners. The first advice we got to weather the storm that Sollio experienced was to sacrifice certain assets, for example to sell one of our three divisions [NDLR : constituées notamment d’Olymel, de BMR et du secteur agricole]to reduce our debt. But I ignored them. Instead, we made a surgical sales plan.

On a personal level, it was ignoring advice on real estate. Several years ago, I was told that it wasn’t a good time to invest, with interest rates being high, but I did it anyway and I haven’t regretted it. I had around twenty doors and land in the Victoriaville area, which I have since sold, after my move to the South Shore of Montreal with my arrival at BMR.

What is your biggest mistake?

It’s having left a financial institution at the start of my career to choose to work in the cooperative sector, in which I have worked for 26 years.

What is your best investment?

It’s a personal investment, that of the time I spend with my family. The last few years have been quite good in terms of involvement at work [NDLR : avec le redressement de Sollio]but I always made time for my family. I have three children aged 22, 20 and 12 with whom I am close, and I have been with the children’s mother, my partner, for 31 years. I’m happy to see that although the older ones are studying at university, we continue to see each other on weekends, we go skiing and trips together.

Who do you admire in the business world?

I was CEO of BMR before, in retail. And a local business person that I admire is Alain Bouchard, the founder of Alimentation Couche-Tard. He was in a market, the small corner stores, which was doomed to die. But he managed to find a business model, a way of doing things, notably the standardization of stores, which led to success and the creation of an empire of gas station convenience stores. The company follows its business plan and applies rigor when it comes to acquisitions.

What book do you usually recommend?

In addition to the biography of Alain Bouchard, The audacity to succeedI recommend to my older children the book by your colleague Nicolas Bérubé which popularizes personal finances, i.e. Millionaires are not who you think.