Verschuere is a woman of influence in her personal and professional life
Dianne Verschuere admits she just fell into the group benefits industry about 30 years ago. “I was working in retail and had an opportunity to put my typing skills to use,” she laughs.
But after five years in benefits, it was her love of change and her competitive nature that moved her into the realm of pensions. One day, she came across a filing cabinet with two files in it called “top hat” pension plans. “I thought, Ooh, something new, and instinctively, I knew I was going to grow.”
The regional vice-president, group retirement savings, with Desjardins Insurance, is invigorated by learning, something, she says, that keeps her inspired. “I continually think, How can I grow? How else can I expand my mind?” This mantra has always been part of her life—both professionally and personally.
For instance, earlier this year, she looked around for an outdoors social group to join but couldn’t find one that fit. Verschuere simply started her own: Fit & Feisty. “I’ve got a group of women who are like-minded. They’re in my industry or in HR, so it’s become a networking event—they’re already sharing recipes!”
She recently completed Module II of a life coaching certificate; she’s also a certified yoga instructor and a certified personal trainer. To maintain her personal trainer certification, she needs to earn four credits annually. “This requirement inspires me to continually add to my knowledge, as I have to learn something new every year.”
This passion for change and learning is something she indirectly passes on to her clients. “The key is to inspire people, understand their objectives and help them expand their vision to achieve their goals. It’s through trusted partnerships, learning from one another, that we grow and expand,” she says. “Talking about product does not ignite passion; people are interested in how you can help them explore things in new ways and help them be successful.”
Interestingly, Desjardins’ credo plays right into Verschuere’s life handbook. “At Desjardins, part of what we do is measure, adjust and evolve. I regularly measure where I’m at physically, emotionally and mentally: identifying where I want to be, which course I have to take, what I have to learn to get there and then make the adjustment. That’s how I keep moving forward to be the best me I can be.”
It works the same way for business. “People need to check in on a regular basis, take a look at where they’re at and identify where they want to be—What’s this pension plan for? How do we integrate it into our HR strategy? How do we build employee confidence that they truly recognize the value we’re delivering to them?”
But there’s a caveat to change. “You have to take responsibility,” she says, noting that too many people these days are willing to pay someone to do something for them (e.g., make meals). “That’s one of the challenges we have in our business. People are looking for somebody else to tell them what to do rather than taking responsibility for themselves,” she says. “If you don’t have a plan for retirement, you aren’t going to get there.”
Part of the change is making it fun, interesting, inspiring and motivating, she says, so that people will do it—whether it’s lose weight or save for retirement. “Change can be viewed in a positive light.”
While Verschuere has learned a lot over her 54 years—and is committed to growing and learning for the rest of her life—she knows practice is the key. “I believe that to influence others to be the best they can be, we need to be the example,” she says. “We influence others not by reaching out to them but by allowing them to reach into us.”
Brooke Smith is managing editor of Benefits Canada. brooke.smith@rci.rogers.com