Business Life / Agnès Bella Tavassi: "Afro-Médiation Inc. is a high-performing entity with an even more promising future"
Professional transition consultant, business owner, coach, and specialist in project management and entrepreneurship, Agnès Bella TAVASSI is a committed professional for whom the quest for excellence is a daily challenge. She travels the world to share her knowledge, always with immense pleasure and passion. She has been an expert within the Canadian group Afro-Médiation Inc. since 2013. Coaching and change management are her specialty. She always gives her best to help others achieve fulfillment on both a personal and professional level. With nearly 30 years of experience, Bella TAVASSI continues to innovate to take on increasingly significant challenges. Meeting with an enthusiastic and determined woman.
LE STRATEGE: You always seem to be on several fronts at once. Tell us about your academic and professional background.
Hyperactive by nature, I have always worked while studying. This allowed me to gain diverse experience and save time. Initially, I studied general psychology at the University of Toulouse Le Mirail, then continued with a language degree at the University of Abidjan. Later, I discovered modern psychology applied to communication, specifically NLP—Neuro-Linguistic Programming—in the United States, and finally specialized in business management in Reunion Island.
I have been working since I was nineteen, and I am fifty today. So, we are talking about a long journey. I was fortunate to start my career in an American company, S.C. Johnson Wax, which gave me the values and solid foundations for my personal and professional path. Knowledge sharing has always been at the heart of my work method.
In fact, I practiced as a teacher for seven years, including at Lycée Mermoz in Abidjan, before turning to professional continuing education for adults, coaching, and business support. Thus, I have never stopped transmitting and applying what I have learned while remaining consistent with my professional evolution.
As a professional transition consultant, business owner, coach, and specialist in project management and entrepreneurship, you have many strings to your bow. What motivates you to be interested in so many fields?
In reality, all these fields you refer to share a common thread: change management. Likewise, they share a common point: the transmission of knowledge. In fact, I take my expertise in change management and apply it to different sectors.
That said, how important is coaching in your opinion?
"Coaching, an essential tool for the 21st century"
Today, coaching is the only concrete way to obtain quantifiable results, reach real objectives, and "perform" while respecting the personal balance of the practitioner. In my view, it is the indispensable tool for men and women of the 21st century to achieve professional and personal fulfillment.
Because they have lived through painful experiences or are haunted by bad memories, many people find it difficult to be happy. What advice would you give to those in this situation?
"No one stays on course by looking backward"
Being happy does not depend on others, on events, or on what we possess or do not possess; it is a choice, a decision made with full awareness. We decide to be happy because we are fortunate enough to be able to decide our own lives. Painful experiences are part of everyone's life. To live is necessarily to move forward.
No one stays on course by looking backward... To move forward, you must know how to turn the page, accept what was and what no longer is, and face changes—whether they are desired or imposed. And when you cannot do it alone, you should not hesitate to seek support. That is the coach's job.
What types of cases do you encounter most often in your consultations?
Today, the people who call upon me know they can reach their goals by being supported. Let's say that approximately 70% of my clientele comes to successfully navigate a professional transition—business creation, business development, career changes, professional reorientation, etc. 30% consult for well-being support within a personal context.
You make extensive use of NLP and email coaching. Tell us about them.
NLP—or Neuro-Linguistic Programming—is a valuable tool for communication and coaching professionals. This particular methodology, based on the study and modeling of excellence, allows for rapid and lasting changes. I do use it often, but I also have other equally valuable tools at my disposal.
I turned to email coaching to allow my clients to be supported wherever I am in the world. I travel often and sometimes for long periods. Therefore, it seemed right to be accessible to those who wished for it in ways other than physical consultations. This specific type of support allows for more flexible, faster coaching that is accessible at any time, as exchanges take place via email and Skype. Furthermore, it is more economical as there are no travel costs or time lost in traffic jams.
You joined the expert team at Groupe Afro-Médiation Inc. in 2013. What are your responsibilities within this organization?
Yes, I joined Afro-Médiation Inc. with joy and enthusiasm in 2013, initially as an expert on specific training programs for which I handled the engineering based on the core idea of establishing "African performance" adapted to the international context. Moving forward, I would like to serve as a coordinator and an effective, active representative of Afro-Médiation Inc. in the locations where I practice.
How do you find the atmosphere there so far?
I don't have a great deal of hindsight yet, but let's say that what appeals to me most for now within Afro-Médiation Inc. is the responsiveness, the openness, and the firm resolve to work together for our continent. The accessibility and simplicity of exchanges with President Boubakar TRAORE are also among the strengths I attribute to this organization.
How do you assess the work of Afro-Médiation Inc.?
"Afro-Médiation Inc. is today the conductor of a symphony orchestra"
Behind the current results of Afro-Médiation Inc., there is monumental and long-term foundational work that proves the effectiveness and relevance of its founders and leaders. One must understand the difficulty of bringing in qualified individuals with rich backgrounds while maintaining a consistent direction.
If I had to make a comparison, I would say that Afro-Médiation Inc. is today the conductor of a symphony orchestra where a multitude of instrumentalists are both empowered and directed. This is a true performance. Afro-Médiation Inc. is therefore, in my opinion, a high-performing entity with an even more promising future.
Interview conducted by Arsène Flavien BATIONO
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