LEAD WITH RADICAL OPTIMISM - WATCH THE VIDEO




INSEAD ESSENTIALS & GLOBAL DAY 2013 - WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

3 months ago INSEAD Alumni Association France held a superb conference in Paris, at the beautiful College des Bernardins, on my favourite theme : How to make the world a better place.

The topic attracted a large audience of business people (over 500) and our tag-line drew their attention because of its unusual nature, especially in pessimistic France : How to be radical optimists in the worst turbulent times.

Paris was indeed a challenging location for this event, as David Jones, CEO of Havas, pointed out in his fantastic closing speech: "In Paris nobody believes that tomorrow can be better than today, whilst in New-York nobody believes that tomorrow can be worst than today"... David wrote a remarkable book on leadership which I recommend: Who cares wins. In this book he insists on the way social media contribute to make the world better, by inciting companies to do well by doing good. Doing good is not anymore a management fashion or a competitive advantage: It has become a vital component of corporate DNA.

All speakers on stage were top leaders of businesses, non profit organizations, churches... speaking wholeheartedly about their passion for growth and social responsibility. Their radical optimism was clear and infectious, energizing the audience and proving that optimist leaders can really change the world, and make their organization successful !

Even bankers :-) were speaking, demonstrating that optimism and authentic leadership can transform their industry which deeply suffered in the past years, being held responsible for the traumatic financial crisis. Antonio Horta-Osorio, CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, used a famous quote of Churchill to underline his testimonial: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Jacques Seguela, the advertising master and guru, was on stage too and brilliantly summarized the huge need for optimistic leaders to make our world better, in one of his famous slogans : "Merde à la déprime" ... which translates poorly in English a.k.a. "F--- depression"... His last book, Merde à la déprime, covers this topic in great detail.

Have a look at the short video-clip showing all speakers live: Video INSEAD Essentials

Or watch the full 3-hour event on INSEAD Alumni YouTube channel: IAAFchannel

Be inspired and connected !

SAVE THE DATE FOR INSEAD ESSENTIALS 2014 on SEPTEMBER 11...

COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP - THE 3 R's of MADIBA

Two Courageous Captains and Legends

The entire world has seen the global tribute paid this week to Nelson Mandela, Madiba.

I had the privilege a few weeks ago to visit his country, "the place to be" in Africa these days for business reasons, and to attend a conference with many testimonials from his peers, friends or fellow Nobel Peace Prizes - Ahmed Kathrada, Manphela Rampele, Kofi Annan, François Pienaar...

In particular, I was very impresssed and personally touched by François Pienaar, the legendary Springbok captain who, against all odds, led the South African Rugby Team to victory at the 1995 World Cup, defeating the almighty All Blacks in the final game in Johannesburg 15-12. A legend was born - the hero of the movie Invictus.

And there in Johannesburg I saw this living idol crying on stage, in front of 1500 people, when talking about another captain, a master of courage and leadership, Nelson Mandela. It says a lot about "Madiba" when you see a Springbok captain, used to severe enduring pain, wiping off some tears of emotion... We can certainly learn a lot from Madiba.

His attitude of Courageous Leadership can be summarized in 3 R's :

1) Resilience : Spending 27 years in jail, 18 of those years in a microscopic cell in the infamous jail of Robben Island, is an experience that few political leaders have survived to. Many prisoners in isolation or breaking rocks would end up physically or psychologically damaged. Not Madiba, who managed during 18 years to learn, teach, meditate, exercise... and get ready to win a national election for presidency! The famous poem from William Henley that Madiba kept reciting every day, Invictus, illustrates well his unique Resilience : I am the master of my fate - I am the captain of my soul.

2) Recovery : Being able to fail, learn from mistakes and recover is a great characteristic of courageous and effective leaders... Madiba has faced many challenges, huge difficulties and overcame them everytime, not without some scars. Apartheid, violence, insecurity, poverty... are many of the battles (and scars) of Madiba - many of them not fully won, but all fought with courage and determination. Many times Madiba failed, but always learnt... and tried again. The deepest scar is probably his failure to assess the risk of AIDS in South Africa, until his own son died from this lethal disease in 2005. Then again Madiba learnt and recovered, despite the huge personal pain, with a national program against AIDS.

3) Reconciliation : Most importantly, like a modern Ghandi, Madiba understood the imperative of reconciliation. This act of courageous leadership is extremely difficult, and not a natural inclination of mankind. Courageous leadership requires compassion and humility first, to be able to seek reconciliation, and impose it to the entire population of South Africa. This is a daunting task, that very few political leaders are capable to undertake, preferring the "easy" route of retaliation rather than reconciliation. Retaliation is definitely the wrong "R" : Madiba chose the other route, against advice of all his fellow ANC comrades, and the strong opposition of the white people of South Africa... and through this supra-natural Reconciliation effort, Madiba succeeded to forge the Rainbow Nation !

But let's now give the final word to Madiba himself on "Courageous Leadership" - His definition is undoubtedly much better than my 3'R interpretation :

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear"

Inspiring !

LEGACY, RESILIENCE ... AND PLEDGE

Olive Trees in Gethsemane Garden, 1000 years old
Living Symbols of Legacy, Resilience and Promise

One cannot travel to Israel, the Holy Land, without undertaking a personal transformation, a sort of displacement... and also some formidable learning on mankind, organizations, and one-self.

I just came back from a week in Israel, visiting the historical and religious sites of Nazareth, Bethleem, Cana, Jordan River, Tiberias Lake, Sea of Salt ... and most importantly Jerusalem - the Holy City for all monotheist religions (Christian, Jewish and Muslim).

Paradoxically, the etimology of "Jerusalem" is rooted in Foundation, God and Peace. Clearly, it is a sacred foundation town, and also the land of God, i.e.
- The city of King David and King Solomon, who built the First Temple - for Jewish people.
- The city where Muhammad ascended to Heaven, where he speaks to God - for Muslim people.
- The city where Jesus Christ, Son of God, died and resurrected - for Christian people.

Etimology is more mysterious and intriguing on the meaning of "peace":
- The city has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times and captured 44 times!
- Today the city seems quiet on the surface, but the country as a whole is visibly tensed underneath.

Besides a spiritual personal experience in Jerusalem, which is really intense for all visitors and pilgrims (however religious they may be), there are 3 very interesting and profound lessons to draw from the city with regard to corporate leadership and management:

1) Legacy is a fundamental cornerstone in the history and development of any organization.
Jerusalem has been founded about 5,000 years ago, proven by archeologic evidence, dating back to the Bronze Age. The city was later governed and developed through Egyptian, Macedonian, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman periods... Under each stage, the city grew in prosperity, recognition, spirituality and tradition, despite the wars. The old city of Jerusalem is magnificient, and you really see, hear and feel the weight of history, the strength of legacy, and the power of tradition.

2) Resilience is the proof and condition of sustainability of any organization.
As I said earlier, the wars and conflicts seem permanent in Jerusalem, often of exceptional violence. The various Crusades that took place to capture and recapture the Holy City are well known episodes of massacres conducted there. Until today there has never been a long period of quietude in Jerusalem, whose people and leaders have always shown extraordinary resilience to survive, and to continue growing. Today the authorities of Jerusalem are still enduring a permanent struggle for peace, in the very sensitive climate that you all know. One place which shows the resilience of the Jewish people is the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

3) Pledge (or Promise) is the source of inspiration for future growth, and for radical optimism.
With such formidable legacy, and their demonstrated resilience, the people of Jerusalem could simply "relax" and take it easy. No way... They maintain the Promise alive, they hope for a better future, they discuss it, they negotiate it, and they all live the pledge of tomorrow's world. All inhabitants (Christians, Jews and Muslims) share a dream of hope, a vision of the future, and therefore ensure long-term growth and progress of the city. The "promise" may be different according to their faith... but hope and optimism are present, and one can feel it deeply anchored in Jerusalem.

Those three essential pillars of Jerusalem - Legacy, Resilience, Promise - are definitely worth considering when leading or managing any organization.

These pillars are key success factors of sustainable growth and development, that can last for millenars !

LEADERS HAVE TO LEAD...

Antony Jenkins CEO of Barclays at One Young World 2013

I watched in amazement the new CEO of Barclays at One Young World in Johannesburg.

All of you know about the trouble which the financial world has caused in recent years. The appointment of Antony Jenkins is no surprise after this turmoil... His vision about the need for change in the banking world, and the case for making the world a better place is fantastic.

You can watch him too on YouTube before reading this post via http://youtu.be/Vj0SknL-bac

His tone and speech in front of 1300 young leaders from 190 countries last week is truly inspiring.

Leaders have to lead !
Leaders of the corporate world cannot forego their responsibility. Leaders of today, the older generation, are powerful, and must use their power to play a lead role in transforming society, in solving the world issues, in making a difference for the world. Leadership is a privileged position to make the world a better place. Giving up is not an option for leaders. They must pursue an agenda which is right for the society.

Leaders need purpose !
Too often we have seen failures and crises created by the wrong objectives and goals of the corporate world. It is essential instead to define and achieve the right purpose, above business plans and financial profits. For example, Antony Jenkins has set a new vision and purpose for Barclays in January 2013: Barclays must be the "go to" bank, helping people to achieve their own goals. But he insisted on helping people "in the right way" ! This radical transformation of a 140.000 employee bank is amazing and inspiring, and certainly daunting too for its leader.

Leaders must be authentic and relentless !
These two personality traits are fundamental to meet the above requirements, to lead well and to define the right purpose. Leaders must be authentic because there are many strong opposing forces, that wish to stay in the old system, that wish to avoid change, that wish to make purpose-driven agenda fail... Being authentic is a must-have to stand firm against attacks and temptations.
Leaders must alos be relentless as the journey towards a positive agenda, towards making the world a better place, is very long and complex. Resilience will be key for leaders and even more for future leaders !

Antony Jenkins used a beautiful African quote to illustrate the need for courage and leadership in times of change : "When you are scared, you have to be brave. When you can't be brave, you have to be braver".

These are the words of the leader of an orphanage for babies with AIDS... Imagine her daily fight combat against fear, despair, misery and lethal disease... for orphan babies in Kenya. I think our little problems are in fact very very little compared to her leadership role, aren't they.

And Antony's last words to the 1300 young leaders were exemplary at the end: He did not tell them to "Go from here and lead"... but he told them instead "Go from here with me, with my fellow counsellors, and let's fix things together" !

Inspired and connected !

OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY ! SOME LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES

Paul Polman CEO Unilever - One Young World 2013

At the One Young World Summit (OYW) last week, more than a thousand young leaders gathered in Johannesburg to take action. Basically to change the world and make it better. You have read my earlier post about the humbling and astounding testimonials from dozens of those young leaders who are running projects across the world to solve issues of eduction, hunger, poverty, diseases etc

1.300 young leaders is a fabulous force that can really solve problems and transform our society.

There were also some fantastic calls for action from top leaders such as Paul Polman at Unilever, Antony Jenkins at Barclays, Richard Branson at Virgin, David Jones at Havas...

Let me reflect on the main topic of Paul Polman at OYW 2013 : "RESPONSIBILITY".

Clearly, in our volatile and uncertain world, leaders must act decisively, taking into accounts all complexities, and responsibly.

The pillars of this responsibility are the following:

1/ Acting together, playing a collective game rather than trying to optimize locally on your own. Paul quoted an African proverb in Johannesburg: "If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together." Partnerships are key to change the world and make it better - NGO's, governments, corporations must act as one, with a common vision and positive attitude.

2/ Acting as inclusive capitalists, not exclusive. Exclusion is a short-term game, bound to fail, because society cannot sustain inequalities any longer. People left out at the bottom of the pyramid will not endure social gaps any more, and violence and revolutions will arise. Best way is to practice and implement inclusion. Leaders must now exercise their power and influence responsibly for the long-term, by including all constituents (the strongest and the weakest), with an ideal of common good in mind.

3/ Acting now rather than waiting. As Paul said, "the cost of inaction is bigger now than the cost of action". He quoted the example of Food Supply Chain total waste globally, worth US$ 250 Billion per year... It is worth acting decisively and responsibly NOW rather than wait. Saving US$ 80 Billion "only" would be amazing, as this amount would allow to eradicate hunger world-wide !

4/ Acting through social media. The younger generation leaders (OYW, Global Shapers, G20 Young Leaders etc.) are digital natives. This is an enormous force, with no frontiers, no obstacles, no limits to communication and collaboration ! Social media enable thousands of young leaders to aggregate ideas and actions to change the world. Digitalization gives more power than ever to the younger generation to take control of their future. As Paul remarked: "The young people represent 50% of the world population today... but they will represent 100% tomorrow".

In summary, our responsibility of leaders is collective and we must then, according to Paul :

• Draw the future closer.
• Make the present reality (the world problems) a reality of yesterday.
• Show mutual trust and respect.
• Seek the common good for all, always.
• Have the greatest interest for the voices of the unheard...
• Work together !

This keynote speech was at least 30 minutes long, and you should have seen the crowd - Amazed, energized and ready for action. With frequent ovations and a lot of respect for a determined leader, who is transforming the Consumer Goods & Retail world, step by step.

Paul has also joined the B-Team recently, the group of World Leaders who are preparing a plan to change the world. Their mission is "to deliver a Plan B that puts people and planet alongside profit"... Watch the space online via http://bteam.org/

Inspired and connected !

1.300 YOUNG LEADERS GATHER FROM ALL CONTINENTS TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER

One Young World : Counsellor Kofi Annan and Co-Founder David Jones

It is very unusual to attend leadership conferences like "One Young World". Why is it so unusual?

For five reasons:

First, it is dedicated to young leaders aged 18-30 from all over the world. It is an impressive feeling when you get there and you are surrounded by inspiring, game-changing, beautiful young characters ! Aged 42 myself, I sometimes felt like a dinosaur... especially when instead of exchanging business cards the other person takes a picture of you with your name-tag so he/she can find you on Facebook...

Second, the achievements of these 1.300 young leaders are mind-boggling. I watched in pure amazement a 17-year old young leader, basically a teenager, get on stage to talk about his Education charity called Rwanga which runs 32 projects across 4 countries (Kurdistan, Syria, Iraq, Ghana) which he founded 4 years ago, when he was just 13, the age of my elder daughter ! This is truly humbling as well as amazing. This teenager is pure energy, and pure incentive to make the world a better place.

Third, you hear from the young delegates some things that you would not hear or believe otherwise, from 190 countries across the world... Personal extraordinary stories about poverty, child abuse, rape, hunger, disease, disability, slums... dramas against which many of these young victims have decided to stand up and fight. These 1.300 young leaders have only one dream in mind: Eradicate the problems of the world. Idealists? Certainly... but with a clear purpose and really action-oriented mindset.

Fourth, I was amazed by the presence and commitment of a fantastic panel of speakers - the "One Young World Counsellors" - whose names are the Hall of Fame of Leadership: Kofi Annan, Mohammad Yunus, Bob Geldorf, Francois Pienaar, Paul Polman, Ahmed Kathrada, Richard Branson, Jochen Zeitz, Lily Cole, Boris Becker, Antony Jenkins etc. All of them are very inspiring speakers, as they speak from the heart about their actions to make the world a better place.

Fifth, because One Young World took place in Johannesburg, there has been a special tribute to Nelson Mandela, a leader whose perseverance, charisma, intelligence and compassion helped to change the face of South Africa, and to end the infamous apartheid which still existed here until the 90's. The testimonials from personalities who know him well are really moving. It is not often that a Rugby World Cup champion, captain and living legend like Francois Pienaar cries on stage. It is not often that 1.300 people feel touched at the heart by the testimonial of Madiba's friends. It is not often that myself have tears in my eyes when attending a leadership conference.

 

The story of Nelson Mandela, given by his close friends, gave me the ultimate lesson of leadership, and is probably (so far) the peak of One Young World summit !

In my next blog post, I will share some of the best lessons of leadership from the One Young World counsellors… Watch the space and follow my blog. Also on Twitter: @jmliduena

One Young World : Inspiring and Connecting !

THE PERFECT CEO PROFILE FOR THE 21st CENTURY IS ...

INSEAD Essentials - Interview Polman / Liduena 

I recently interviewed the CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman, for the INSEAD Essentials 2013 conference held in Paris, organized by the INSEAD Alumni Association.

The theme of our conference was "How to make the world a better place - How to be radical optimists in the worst turbulent times".

In this context, Paul shared with me his views on who the CEO of the 21st century should be, and what leadership attributes he/she should have to succeed in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous).

The CEO of the 21st century needs to have 4 major skills :

i- System thinking : It is the ability to grasp the complexity of the issues of a VUCA world, and to boil that down to simplicity that can get translated into business models.

ii- Strong purpose : There are huge challenges that must be addressed by corporations, such as food security, poverty or climate change... and there are many skeptists around. Top leaders must be driven by strong purpose and convictions to fight skepticism and to overcome global challenges.

iii- Partnership building : The corporate world cannot solve the world issues alone. The top business leaders must build bridges and work together with NGO's and governments to invent and to implement the right solutions.

iv- Long term focus : The CEO must avoid the trap of short term focus (as often induced by quarterly reporting for financial markets), in order to think and to act with the longer run in mind.

Paul made the very interesting observation that the above skill set is more naturally attributed to the female population... and yet, most of current CEO's are still male. This is a real talent challenge that companies will need to address for the years to come. Let's think about that !

... to be continued.

INSEAD Essentials - Interview Polman / Liduena 

BE RADICAL OPTIMISTS... AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

Radical Optimism

As you all know, one of my intimate convictions is that each of us can contribute to make the world a better place !

Not by participating to the latest think tank on the topic, but by truly engaging oneself in action.

Business (the corporate world) is one of the key actors in making the world a better place, together with governments, NGO's, charities, universities, churches etc...

This is why I created in 2012 the first edition of an annual event : INSEAD Essentials.

Last year's was an enormous success with hundreds of participants and superb panel of speakers. You can watch highlights there: http://vimeo.com/59561402 and all speeches on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNlslO92BcA

The next INSEAD Essentials will be held in Paris on September 12th in the evening, and I can only encourage you all to register and attend. Early bird booking is now open until August 12th on: http://inseadessentials2-es2.eventbrite.fr/

The theme is of course again "How to make the world a better place" but also focusing on the leadership attitude to do so, i.e. "How to be radical optimists".

Radical optimism of leaders is certainly the number one driver of emotion, engagement and action into delivering a better future to the next generation.

Many emblematic leaders from all horizons have accepted to speak about their engagement, their actions, and their optimism. Let us thank them:

Jean-Marc Liduena,

President INSEAD Alumni Association France and Partner Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Olivier Giscard d'Estaing,

Co-Founder INSEAD and author of "Espérez, 150 raisons !"

Sir Andrew Large,

Former Deputy Governor Bank of England and former Deputy Chairman Barclays

Monseigneur Dominique Rey,

Bishop Frejus-Toulon Diocese and Doctor in Economy

Bertrand Collomb,

Honorary Chairman Lafarge and Board Member Total and DuPont

Jacques Séguéla,

Co-Founder Euro RSCG and author of "Merde a la déprime"

Francis Morel,

CEO Les Echos

Antonio Horta-Osorio,

CEO Lloyds Group and Governor London Business School

Laurent de Cherisey,

Chairman Simon de Cyrène charity, and author of "Recherche volontaires pour changer le monde"




Barbara Kux,

Chief Sustainability Officer Siemens and Board Member Total and Unicore

Paul Marshall,

CEO Marshall Wace and Co-Founder ARK charity, author of "Tackling education inequality"

Bruno Witvoet,

CEO Unilever France (+ a video interview of Paul Polman, CEO Unilever)

David Jones,

CEO Havas and Co-Founder One Young World Summit, author of "Who cares wins"

Please register and attend the next INSEAD Essentials in Paris,
to be INSPIRED and CONNECTED !

INSEAD ESSENTIALS

MAKING CHOICES... HOW ?

Making choices ... A simple process in life ?

Have you often had to make choices in your life ? Personal ? Professional ? I guess so.

Lots of people have come to me to seek advice on both fronts, personal and professional, not necessarily on "which option to choose" but rather on the "how to make a choice"...

My job as a strategy consultant is indeed to help CEO's making the right choices, the right decision e.g. whether or not to acquire a business in China / whether or not to merge Marketing and Digital functions / whether or not to sell a low-performing brand / whether or not to invest in a new factory in Africa ...

So... do we know "miracle recipes" on the difficult challenge of making the right choice ?

Very often one jumps at a "process", with the belief that a mechanism can solve the issue and lead to the right choice. The best process is clearly the following :

1. Identify the decision to be made, practically and precisely (the more specific the better).
2. List the possible options and formulate them concisely.
3. Gather necessary information, facts and figures, quantitative and qualitative.
4. Evaluate the pros and cons of each option, using the above information.
5. Anticipate the probable outcomes of each option, and assess them too.
6. Observe the direction of your will, whilst evaluating the options (step often omitted)
7. Talk to trusted people and seek external advice, opinion.
8. Make your choice.

But this simple straightforward methodology lacks essential components, which I need to add to my decision making process, before coming to the right choice.

EMOTIONS : Sometimes, emotions can be in turmoil when considering a decision, when evaluating options... We can experience a wide range of feelings: Negative such as fear, confusion, anger, anxiety, stress, sadness... or Positive such as hope, peace, trust, love, joy, calm... Making choices in these circumstances requires to observe and interpret these emotions. We must discern the meaning of these feelings, and discover how they point to the right choice. Decision making involves the heart.

WORK : By no means making a choice is simple and therefore it requires work and commitment. One must be really engaged to achieve self awareness, to gather all information (not partial), to carefully evaluate the options and to envisage likely outcomes... Decision making involves the mind.

FREEDOM : Achieving the right choice emphasizes the notion of freedom. This means that a good choice requires to set aside pre-conceived opinions, personal and society bias, own preferences, social pressures, psychological strains etc... This is clearly difficult as the necessary detachment is not easy. This is where spirituality becomes an important ingredient in the discernment of choice. As Saint Ignatius points out in his Spiritual Exercises, achieving detachment in order to make a free choice can be found in prayer and spiritual life, and the feeling of consolation and peace is clearly one sign of God. Decision making involves the soul.

Now what...

You will tell me, as often in the hundreds messages I receive from this blog, that you don't know HOW to do... For instance, how to run this 8-step process, how to manage your emotions, how to find time to work out your choice, how to measure freedom and how to reach the peace of mind, heart and soul...

OK - let me share here a personal tip, which I truly recommend, but which is not the only way : Whenever I need to make decisions, confronted to a difficult choice or not, and at least avery 3 months, I go to a personal retreat, hidden in the powerful silence of the Monastery of Saint-Wandrille in Normandy. This place is a Benedictine Monastery founded in the 7th century, where the silence, the work, the meditation, the gregorian chant, the rule, the daily routine really help to find time and energy for your mind, your heart and your soul.

Be inspired... and make the right choice !

The Power of Silence ...

TALENT ... WHO HAS GOT SOME ? WHERE DO WE FIND IT ?

Unconventional definition of talent by a great man !

Talent is an ancient word that used to be a unit of weight or money in the Greek Antiquity - It represented about 26 kg of silver, i.e. almost € 13.000...

Today the world talent refers to a particular skill or competence that an individual possesses and uses in his life to accomplish things. It is quite linked to the parable of talents in the Bible, which explains that men have received talents (gifts) from God and therefore they must use them carefully and respectfully.

In the business world, one uses the word "talent" in the sense of "superior skill", which gives an edge, or some visible leadership amongst other people around — peers, direct reports, managers, clients, suppliers, shareholders etc.

In the modern corporate world, "talent" has often replaced the word "human resources", to show that the people of the company are really the unique asset, and thus the Chief HR Officer can call himself Chief Talent Officer... Sounds much better doesn't it... a bit arrogant sometimes.

Everyone can see now that all HR directors, departments, coaches, consultants are permanently seeking innovative ways to identify, recruit, retain, develop and enhance talent ! And they talk a lot about it.

Personally,  I am convinced that skills and competencies can really be developed and improved. Leadership can also be enhanced and improved through good coaching (not training, I insist). 

However, I do not believe that talent can be manufactured, developed or increased, especially in the business world. I fundamentally think that talent is a gift, an inner differentiating factor that you inherit with your DNA, your senses, your brain, your IQ and our EQ, and partly from your childhood education. 

Like David Ogilvy said, talent is most likely to be found among nonconformists, dissenters and rebels. This is why traditional HR approach and corporations face difficulties to breed talent. Very often, too often, the precious talents are discouraged because they can not really express their difference ; because they are not the same as all other "clone" managers ; because they behave and think in a lateral way ; because they are "out of the box". 

Sadly, corporations often let go their true talents, and then try to create - with heavy HR processes - their own "talents", which are merely clones with better performance appraisals, so called "High Potentials".

True talent is rare. I met one this week, Cédric Villani, who received the Fields Medal of Mathematics in 2010 (the equivalent of a Nobel Prize), aged 37 only, for his work in kinetic research and optimal transportation. This gentleman perfectly describes Ogilvy's definition, and comforts my belief that talent cannot be "made". Cédric Villani is definitely nonconformist, and he is pure talent — as well as very empathetic and a pleasure to work with I must say !

So now, think about it... You have some talent, definitely — as everyone has got such a gift. But what is it ? What is your talent ? Are you really using it at work, in your life ? If not... well, let's be a rebel or a dissenter then, and find a spot where all your talent will be revealed and appreciated !

Cédric Villani, pure talent, nonconformist, Fields Medal 2010

WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE...

Atelier Berluti - LVMH Journées Particulières

I had the privilege to be invited last Friday at the Avant-Première of LVMH Journées Particulières, with a visit of Berluti's Atelier Sur-Mesure in Paris, "dans les coulisses du rêve" - "Where dreams are made".

This was indeed a real moment of travel into PURE INSPIRATION and a journey into DREAMS and STORY TELLING.

This is not just because of the sheer beauty (and price) of Berluti shoes, nor because of their 120-year old process of designing and making bespoke shoes... This is more a reflection on the meaning of TRADITION and HERITAGE :

• For instance, their master shoe-maker does NOT use 3D-simulation or Hi-Tech material and devices to measure the feet of the customer... He simply draws and take notes for hours, in 2D, on an ancient type of paper, and discusses at length with his client to best understand his needs, likes, dreams, desires, motivations, fears, etc... From this pure dialogue and exchange, the whole process of CREATIVITY and tailor-made manufacturing can start !

It calls for a profound reflection on how we best execute our work, and how we can deliver the perfect product to our customers... I believe that any great product (or service) is a blend of :

• Perfect understanding of client needs
• Story-telling to "market" the product/service and make it sound totally unique
• Creativity to give a sense of tailor-made and exclusivity
• Values and heritage to give a sense of trust and timelessness
• Search of excellence in all phases of work
• Enormous experience (15.000 hours practice to become a master in any job)

One can ask the question then : Am I doing all this in my day job ? Am I treating my clients as best as possible ? Am I offering the best approach and solutions to my client desires and needs ?

All good questions for today...

Let's be inspired by the way Berluti shoe makers INSPIRE their own clients and CONNECT with them, intimately and passionately !

http://www.lesjourneesparticulieres.fr/berluti/l-atelier-sur-mesure.html

IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS ? GET AN MBA !

MBA Happiness Index published by Forbes May 2013

This is just unbelievable !

I found out tonight this fantastic index, which should more often be used when measuring or ranking MBA performance, instead of the usual post-MBA salary, ROI, payback, etc.

The only problem is that the 12 surveyed business schools did not include INSEAD. Therefore, the results are probably quite underestimated : I think the happiness index during and post MBA would be much greater if it included INSEAD. No doubt post MBA index would be double digit !

More seriously, I believe that the Happiness indicator could be well considered for other rankings throughout society.

Indeed, amid the worst turbulent economic times ever faced in 2008-2013 (think sub-primes, CDO's, Jerome Kerviel, Lehman Brothers, Iceland, ... , Italy, Greece ...) I think that HOPE and RADICAL OPTIMISM are probably the best remaining tools to beat the crisis.

A virtuous circle of improved morale and restored growth must be achieved through a winning, radically optimist, mindset and attitude, from all leaders in the political, economical, educational and business arenas.

This is why the next INSEAD ESSENTIALS in Paris will be held on September 12th with the following agenda: "How to make the world a better place / How to be radical optimists amid the worst turbulent times".

Save the date !

WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT MARKETING REVOLUTION ?

28 May 2013 - Digital Marketing Conference Highlights

Tomorrow I will be speaking at the Park Hyatt in Paris on DIGITAL MARKETING.

Clearly, it is too wide a theme to be able to encompass all its subtle dimensions in less than 3 hours...

And as I will have only 10-15 minutes, let me share with you the highlights of my speech, i.e. the 5 TRENDS that are re-shaping marketing as we know it, and that all marketers should rapidly embark on:

Digitize all - from consumers shopping to advertising

Re-think marketing - in particular the relationship to your consumers

Go for big data - in data we trust (a Roland Berger textbook)

Open (your) data - share your secrets so others can enrich them !

Co-create content - ask your consumers to act as a tribe, and to work for you...

And of course, one needs to remember that Marketing in the age of Digital is only about :

Inspire & Connect !

See conference detailed program on: http://www.premiercercle.com/newsletters/md2013/4/

L'ART ET LA PLUME - THE CORPORATION OF TOMORROW

I will be participating to the 2nd edition of "L'ART et la PLUME" on Sunday 14 April, to facilitate and animate a round-table of top executives, coaches, consultants and authors...

The topic of my 3-hour intervention is challenging and ambitious : "Please, draw for me the environment, the economy, and the corporation of tomorrow" !

I truly hope that many leaders and managers of Paris and surroundings will be able to show up and attend.

The panel is just fabulous, with my friend Emmanuel Faber, Vice-President of Danone as well as Hugues Franc, Founder of Réseau Entreprendre, and other inspiring speakers.

The purpose is well aligned with my intimate conviction that the role of business is to make the world a better place.

We will touch upon, in a thought-provoking way, the issues of corporate social responsibility, diversity, sustainability, common good, employee first, ... in a comprehensive, inspiring and challenging discussion.

My objective at this roundtable is to stimulate optimism, in a period where the corporate world, the economy and the overall ecosystem seem all pessimistic, depressed, which leads us to the self fulfilling prophecy of FAILURE !

So, on Sunday, let's aim for radical optimism, radical realism, and radical enthusiasm !

More content will follow after the event, I hope with videos and podcasts...

See http://www.lartetlaplume.com/jean-marc-lidunea/ and http://www.lartetlaplume.com/dimanche-14-avril-2013/

The greatest strength of a leader ? HUMILITY

Looking after Others with Great Humility - Mother Teresa, a Great Leader and Nobel Prize

Many of you have been amazed by the recent decision of Pope Benedict XVI to renounce the papal throne in Rome. Basically he is stepping down from the top ministry of the Catholic world, a community of more than a billion people.

We do not know many leaders in the corporate world who would be capable, brave or clever to do the same when feeling that time has come. On the contrary, we most often observe a tendency of corporate leaders to hang around, to keep their top role as long as possible, to renegotiate retirement age upwards with the Board etc. It is not un-common amongst leaders to "keep going"...

Well, I do believe that the most important trait of character of a leader is HUMILITY.

The word is coming from the Latin "Humus" - Earth, or soil. This clearly shows the link between humility and being down-to-earth, pragmatic, close to the field, feet on the ground. The great leader of L'Oreal, Lindsay Owen Jones, who has been CEO for 18 years, used to say that the best people of L'Oreal had to be both poets (creative, imaginative) and farmers (pragmatic, humble).

A humble leader will listen to people and act for the others, usually focused on serving rather than being served. This is not obvious and easy in today's corporate highly competitive world. The notion of common good is often forgotten, but great leaders do demonstrate, incentivize and reward corporate responsibility. Clara Gayard, CEO of GE France says that today, leadership and power resides in the sentence "I share, I can". It is difficult to share without being humble.

One of the greatest humble leadership example in history is Gandhi, who was not the most arrogant person... and with great humility, empathy, and patience managed to change the British Empire and a country, India, which is now well over a billion citizens! In the corporate world of today, one could see the early retirement of Bill Gates as a bold move of humility, quitting his top job, and abdicating his entire wealth for the benefit of a Foundation seeking to eradicate diseases from the planet, e.g. malaria which kills millions in Africa every year.

More scientifically speaking, a recent study from the University of Buffalo pointed out that humble leaders were more liked (of course) by people, but also were more effective... And this is underlined by many research studies and articles from HBR. It seems that humility is really the only way for a leader to be truly authentic: Humility shows your Humanity, which is more appealing to other human beings, whom in turn would follow more easily such leader.

But what is the recipe to humility ? Well... if you have to ask :-) bad start...
I would say that a couple of attitudes and values do prove humility, and cannot really be faked or claimed:
- A real sense of others, and a passion to serve.
- Promoting and listening to others. Showing care.
- Accepting mistakes, acknowledging them, and learning from them.
- Tempering authority and desire to dominate.
Kathryn Schulz has written an excellent book on one of these dimensions: "Being Wrong" - which actually shows that denying mistakes is a real shame, missing both on authenticity and opportunity!

In a nutshell, humble leaders do create an environment which is supportive, inducing better relationships, team work, collective performance and inspiration... all geared towards success, a success with significance, as Dean Dipak Jain of INSEAD usually tells MBA students before they enter the corporate jungle.

In fact, humility is both "inspiring and connecting" ... A great fit with this Blog !

ARE YOU ADDICTED ?



Too many uses - Too much time ?


Are we all becoming smart phone addicts?

I have myself an iPhone, an iPad and a BlackBerry - to be mobile, connected, inspired and reachable... And I spend a lot of time on those devices every day, for my job, with my family, for my social and societal activities, and of course for entertainment and news!

Is that too much? I bet you that you sometimes ask yourself the same question.

Actually, in the corporate world, a new health concern has been raised throughout scientific studies: CPA - cell phone addiction, which is a behavioral addiction as severe as certain substance addictions. CPA is pretty similar to credit card or gambling addictions...

You might have experienced it yourself on your BlackBerry, with the "red light symptom" as I call it - once the red light is flashing, you have a compelling, compulsive need to look at your email inbox! You can't help it.

A study has looked closely at this impulsiveness, within 2pools of business-school students in the USA (191 people in total). On average, each student receives 110 text messages a day, sends about 113 SMS a day, consults its smart phone 60 times and spends 7 hours using it... This is just amazing, and frightening too: And this is our future business leaders!

The big question is: Do we really need that? Are we obliged to get be so connected in the "Now World"? Well... Dr James Roberts, who led the study and published it in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, asked the B-school students that question. And their response was rather unanimous: Not being able to use the smartphone would seriously damage social life, according to the respondents. And intuitively, we would share the same feeling wouldn't we...

Now, when am I definitely considered a smart phone addict? There are 10 symptoms identified in the good article attached from Digital Trends website: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/top-10-signs-of-cell-phone-addiction/

Is it too late? Is the CPA a disease we cannot cure? Certainly not. I bet you will soon find the nearest CPAA: the Cell Phone Addicted Anonymous association to help out :-)

More seriously, as for all addictions, the best remedy is anticipation, prudence, prevention. It is our duty as parents and responsible leaders to lead by example, to limit our own smart phone consumption, and to incentivize younger ones to "calm down" on cell phone use. 

Easier said than done though, isn't it.

So one word of conclusion: Now that you have read all this and thought about it, just switch off all your mobile devices, your laptop and your television... and go talk with your colleagues, your wife, your children or your friends, whoever is the closest... DO IT NOW.

WHAT YOU MUST OFFER TO YOUR EMPLOYER




Be Number One

 A while ago some of you wondered why I blogged about "what you must demand from your employer" (see post below)... For some people it should be the other way round, as it is employers who demand stuff from employees when recruiting !

Well, I still believe that if you do not demand the Three L's (learning, leadership, love) you will be sad and depressed at work.

On the other hand, everyone has to bring something to the table, both employer and employee. So what the employee must offer to the employer is also 3-fold : Your success in the job (or your best storyline for a recruitment interview) is based on 3 words :

CREATIVITY

The world is moving fast; information flows super fast; ideas are emerging and fading rapidly; only the great ideas survive, move the lines, and shake the trees. Innovation is key in such world, and creativity is the fuel for growth. You must become and remain leading edge idea generators.

ADAPTABILITY

The world is changing on a daily basis. On September 14^th 2008, all MBA graduates fancied a job at prestigious Lehman Brothers. On September 15, none of them, Lehman was vaporized... So, more than ever, you must adapt to (instant) change, you must seek change, you must love change. Change is your best ally, when you can cope with it. Actually you must become agents of change, take command of change… Change should become your daily bread. Those who resist change will soon become out of job.

CAPABILITY

Needless to say, life is going to equip you with leadership ammunition, management toolkits, best practices etc… Everyday at work is a learning day! Your capability will become deeper and broader as you get older, the only trick is to figure out how and when to use it in your next move. And remember: in today's world pure strategy is meaningless ; only strategy with good execution, based on real capabilities, will succeed!