Where do you want to take your team to?

In an organization, the way a team interacts and works is a direct consequence of years of activity, practice and experience.
The specific characteristics of the team have slowly being defining and building: shared criteria, beliefs, judgments, accepted roles, common behaviours, attitudes.
Up to the unique style of communication, exchange, collaboration and work environment that exist today in the company.

There comes a time when it may be important to clarify and renew these practices and update the objectives, references, values ​​and behaviours of the team.
And it's not easy to do so from inside, because you are part of the system.

To change and improve team efficiency and results, coaching and mentoring can be interesting tools for the manager in that they allow to reflect on what is happening on a day to day basis.
Reflect on how it is being experienced by the executive.
Reflect on how it is being experienced by the team.

The coaching process allows to clarify where the executives and their teams are doing well and where perhaps they may need to adapt, change, improve their interactions and relationships.

Coaching accompanies executives in defining their vision, what they want for them and for their team, where they want to take it to...
 It facilitates the change and renewal processes of the team.
 It facilitates the executive's change and renewal process.
What about you?
Are you satisfied with your team?
How do you see it? Its motivation? What results is it achieving?

What do you want? Where do you want to take your team to?

Are conflicts acceptable?

  We generally think that harmony is desirable in any organization:
- The atmosphere is friendly, it's more comfortable for employees, there are no direct and open confrontations
- Managers' authority is not challenged, based on the idea that if you have no conflicts, leadership and command are being respected by the teams.
Avoiding conflict is basically positive...Up to a point...
It becomes a real problem when potentially important business issues, tensions or information that could be revealed, raised, debated, actually remain unspoken, silenced, and never subject to discussion ...
Then the corporate culture is one of superficial harmony...
In such a context, who might be willing to raise a hand, ask a question, raise an issue?

The company is paralysed by inertia and routine ....
What are the consequences or costs for the organization?
What critical commercial, operational, strategic, organizational issues remain in silence? And never appear in the light of day?
A somewhat political environment, a rigid management, a misconception confusing leadership with authority can shut people up and silence many ideas or initiatives of interest ... 
Businesses today cannot afford missing new development, improvement or innovation opportunities ...
As an entrepreneur or manager...
Say No to the sterile personal and political conflicts  ....
But say Yes to open debate, promote lively and productive discussions for the good of the company
...Even if they may create conflict!
How do you see it? Do you agree?
How do you handle conflict in your business?

Leadership: Are you enjoying yourself?

Working a lot with executives, I often wonder about Leadership...

What’s the difference between a manager and a leader?
How does it work? What’s so magical about it?

Of course, to act and have impact as leaders, entrepreneurs and managers need to have personal qualities and abilities, they need to have values, drive, ambition...
But beyond that, for me, there is definitely one common and indispensable condition for a true and powerful leadership to happen: 
Leaders have to enjoy being where they are.

Can you inspire people if you’re not enjoying being around with them?
Can you motivate them if you’re not yourself having fun and being ambitious about what you’re doing and achieving?

And it’s not just about having fun.
Enjoying being there means being aligned with your values, being coherent with yourself... it means caring about the others, the team, the customers...It means contributing to the world in a way that is totally yours, in a unique way.

And when you are really and ambitiously enjoying yourself, you are creating a context, a link, an energy, a space where people can feel inspired, attracted, motivated, energized... where people are able  to take risks, to go the extra mile...
Then you’re demonstrating leadership.

How are you in your current position? 
Are you enjoying yourself? Are you inspiring and motivating others?

Wise Leadership: The paradox of pushing

Too much force will backfire. Constant interventions and instigations will not make a good group. They will spoil the group.

The best group process is delicate. It cannot be pushed around. It cannot be argued over or won in a fight.
The leader who tries to control the group through force does not understand group process. Force will cost you the support of the members.

Leaders who push think they are facilitating process, when in fact they are blocking process.

They think that they are building a good group field when in fact they are destroying its coherence and creating factions.
They think that their constant interventions are a measure of ability, when in fact such interventions are crude and inappropriate.
They think that their leadership position gives them absolute authority, when in fact their behaviour diminishes respect.

The wise leader stays centered and grounded and uses the least force required to act effectively. The leader avoids egocentricity and emphasizes being rather than doing.

Lao Tsu: The Tao of Leadership