St-Hubert Group: Shaping the next generation of leaders

LEA: a leadership program that keeps evolving since 2016

Since its launch, LEA has trained four cohorts of leaders. This popular and highly valued initiative is known within St-Hubert Group for the strong team synergy it creates and the many growth opportunities it offers. To take part, employees must go through a pre-selection process and meet specific internal criteria.

A unique highlight of this cohort: it was predominantly female, with 14 women and only one man. In a workplace where it’s still challenging to bring more women into leadership roles, this was a powerful example of advancing equity and opportunity.

True to the organization’s values, cohort members were driven by passion, boldness, and a strong sense of community. We were thrilled to take the interactive aspects of the program even further.

A fun, colourful path to reach for the stars

Inspired by George Lucas’s iconic space saga, we designed a learning path that transported participants into an interstellar universe. The goal? Help them step out of their comfort zones in a playful, dynamic, and psychologically safe space.

Masters of their own development

In this learning path, participants became the next-gen heroes of their own leadership adventure.

The first step was a self-assessment where each participant chose three themes to explore from individual, team, and managerial strengths. A personalized portal on our learning platform gave them 24/7 access to new content throughout the seven-month program, allowing them to learn at their own pace.

Hands-on missions to bring skills to life

Experiential workshops

Over the course of the journey, the cohort came together for four half-day, fully experiential workshops. Through games, role plays, improvisations, and group activities, participants got to practice and reinforce the skills learned in the online content.

Personalized quests

Between workshops, participants completed personalized quests to apply key learnings. There were three quest levels: “Not Game,” “Leader Portrait,” and “Wildcard.” The goal? Encourage everyone to push past their comfort zones — however that looked for them.

These quests helped them gather 360-degree feedback (from managers, colleagues, and team members), discover inspiring internal leaders, and share their own leadership portraits, highlighting strengths and growth areas. It was a deeply introspective process that celebrated authenticity and openness.

A vibrant communication channel

To keep momentum going, Boostalab animated a dedicated Teams channel with weekly posts. More than 100 messages were exchanged throughout the program!

This helped:

• Maintain engagement
• Spark curiosity and interest
• Provide an informal space to connect
• Share reminders and updates

A collective mission with real impact

And of course, what would an adventure be without a mission? During LEA-4, participants took on a collective recognition mission to foster even more engagement.

They invited colleagues, managers, and team members to send them messages of recognition and appreciation. For every message received, the St-Hubert Foundation donated $5, turning words of support into tangible contributions.

Through this initiative, the cohort raised an impressive $1,000, which they chose to donate to Fondation Jeunes en Tête.

This collective mission didn’t just support a great cause — it also strengthened a culture of recognition across the organization, celebrated participants’ efforts, and built deeper connections among the cohort. It sparked pride and reinforced how recognition helps create a positive, motivating work environment.

Outcomes and insights

A resounding success

Keys to success

The LEA program stands out for its many strengths, making it a model for organizations looking to grow their people.

• First, its interactive and experiential approach — mixing online content, hands-on workshops, and innovative activities — lets participants learn at their own pace and put skills into practice right away.
• Second, the initial self-assessment and personalized theme selection make for a truly tailored learning experience.
• Third, participant engagement is ensured through a careful selection process, which fuels genuine motivation and commitment.
• The collective recognition mission doesn’t just strengthen team bonds and foster appreciation — it also supports a social cause, adding a meaningful layer of social responsibility.

Finally, the active involvement of managers and organizational leaders throughout the program played a crucial role. Their support helped create an empowering environment, maximizing the program’s success and ensuring sustainable leadership development.

The LEA program’s success rests on a strong, long-term partnership between Boostalab and St-Hubert Group. This strategic alliance allowed us to build a fully customized program that perfectly matched organizational needs and participant expectations.

Thanks to this close collaboration, we continuously improved the program based on participant feedback, all while keeping engagement and motivation high. Together, we didn’t just develop leadership skills — we fostered a continuous learning and recognition culture across the organization. This story shows just how powerful a strong, lasting partnership can be in creating real, positive change.