A few thoughts on leadership

I have been interviewed by Jean-Francois Cousin, executive coach, for his monthly Hi! Managers article published in one of the leading English-language newspapers in Thailand, the Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/). My blog post for this month is the interview as it has been published.

Meet Peter Cauwelier, Essilor’s Executive Vice-President in charge of Asian Operations - 6 factories in 4 different coutries, 8000 employees, of which more than 4,000 in Thailand. Essilor is the worldwide leader in ophthalmic lenses with such famous brands as Varilux^â and Crizal^â, and enjoys a continuous and solid growth. Peter is from Belgium, arrived in Thailand 20 years ago, is married to a Thai, and speaks, reads and writes Thai fluently.

What are you passionate about, in Leadership?

What I love -when I discuss with my colleagues about their plans- is at first to understand their way of thinking and their objectives before offering additional insights or suggestions, rather than just review their proposals in details; I like to help them get a more complete picture, to explore new directions, so they make a more informed decision. In contrary, many people might dig down into an idea and tear it into pieces. I don’t think I bring as much added value if I only analyze and approve or disapprove. As leaders, I believe we need to make sure that we add value each and every time we talk.

Another thing I feel strongly for, beyond “setting a vision and goals”, is that good old fashioned way of rolling-up the sleeves, showing that I push myself -setting an example for others to do the same- and walking-the-talk.  At the end of the day, it’s all about what you get done. In this regard, one of my favorite books is “Execution, the discipline of getting things done” by Charan and Bossidy.

What are personal rules you have chosen for yourself as a professional?

One is to come in on time and … not to work too long in the evening. I want to set an example that it’s not because you work twice as long that you are more efficient. I have to admit though that I don’t really manage to stay away from my emails after 6pm!

Then, when you see managers working late again and again…

I think they should think about the way they manage their time, and make sure they find an optimum balance between the number of hours they work and their effectiveness, especially after 6 or 7pm. I found out a long time ago that setting time-boundaries enhances my concentration and effectiveness. Nevertheless, in certain situations (crises, urgencies …) working late is unavoidable.

Which career move was particularly beneficial to you as a leader?

A career transition that took me from managing our largest factory in Asia, with thousands of workers, to a newly-created functional job in North America, where I was all alone without subordinate… That was complete change, and I must admit it was difficult at the beginning: I had to prove myself all over again, in a different working atmosphere. I struggled but learnt a lot. And today I am very proud I demonstrated that I could do a good job both in running a very large organization and in a functional role working with peers.

Your advice to managers who are offered a functional job after an operational one?

People with a large operational experience may look at a functional job as a downgrading, if they measure their self-esteem in the number of people they manage. I remember a Thai manager who was initially wary of accepting such a career-move… and - just a while ago - he thanked me for having encouraged him to take-up the challenge. He recognized that this functional role was no less important than his previous operational job, and that he had grown a lot from the experience.

What are the toughest challenges you have had to manage so far? And what did you learn from them, as a leader?

The crises in Thailand -political turmoil or flooding- were tough challenges for us. We had to find out how differently we could operate, to continue to deliver our customers through the crisis. I learnt 2 major lessons: the importance of assigning everyone a clear role and sticking to it, and the necessity of communicating continuously in a context where unreliable information overflows. We reported twice a day with real-data and no interpretation or speculation. Another major confirmation from our successful crisis-management: put people first, at all cost, make them safe, and then they will help you take care of the business.

What would you like people to say about your work here, 10 years from now?

Not that I managed thousands of people, but rather that I lead and helped individuals to progress and made a difference in their career. I am delighted when colleagues tell me I helped them grow, sometimes through very strong challenge. A plant manager shared with me recently: “I appreciate that you were so straightforward and shook me up: it helped me grow”. Such ‘challenge’ and ‘shake-up’ is fine as long as you explain why, present options going-forward and follow-up.

Who is an inspiring role-model for you? And why?

I am not inspired as much by larger-than-life personalities or heroes as I am by looking at the people I work with, seeing what they do better than me, and learning from them; my colleagues are my role-models.

What advice would you like to give to Thai managers?

“Dare” a bit more at work, be more assertive, especially when you face disagreements or strong discussions. Don’t take these personally. Don’t think others don’t like or respect you anymore. Separate the professional discussion from the relationship.

And dare a bit more to step-out of your comfort zone. Companies need people with broad experience, and a more complete baggage -generalists who can adapt-.

What are the top-3 skills you would advise managers to excel at?

1.       Think 2-steps-ahead, define your priorities and focus on them -ensure 80% of what you do everyday is linked to your priorities-

2.       Follow-up, follow-up and follow-up; it’s all about what gets done. Make sure people dig to the bottom of issues, by deep-diving yourself when necessary

3.       Step-back and look for what people are not doing or seeing, then help them get the most complete view of things

Looking for Difficult Conversations in the Workplace !

At a recent regional seminar, a discussion developed around using coaching and communication techniques to address employee issues. An example of an unsuccessful application was when an employee came to see his superior to announce his decision to leave the company. The superior applied the different tools he had learned during the training programs, and although he rigorously followed the methodology, he did not succeed in convincing the employee to stay with the company.

The discussion then turned to the choice of encouraging, or even provoking, “difficult” dialogues rather than waiting for the need to arise (for example when an employee decides to resign or when another issue reaches a “boiling point” situation). Some in the discussion argued that there is anyway a gap between management and employee’s point of view, whether it is on compensation, incentives, workload or management itself. So inviting employees to challenge and discuss and debate about anything would create never-ending discussions. They reason that it is probably best not to open the door to debates around irreconcilable viewpoints.

I argue that these dialogues and conversations take place anyway. Probably amongst employees during or after work, either live or via text messages or social network sites. As management, we indeed have a choice. We can avoid these conversations reasoning that anyway the issues raised are inherent to the employer/employee gap and cannot be “solved”. And we handle issues as they appear. Or we can decide to actively participate and learn from these conversations. Indeed, there will always be a gap between management’s and employees’ points of view. But allowing the conversations to take place, and to participate in them, brings several benefits.

We can learn about what is going on, what is being discussed and what people’s concerns are, without having to go for elaborate surveys or questionnaires. We will create the perception that there is openness and that everything can be discussed (even if not everything can be “solved”). Venting and complaining will be part of the conversation. But some issues will pop up that can be solved in a satisfactory way. These examples will show both to the employees and management that progress is being made, even if the gap remains.

When an employee takes the courage of going to see his management to announce he is leaving, he already has made up his mind (and nearly in every case, he has already signed a contract with a new employer). At that moment, starting a conversation is too late, whatever the approach or tools employed. Although there is some discomfort in opening up conversations that will sometimes be difficult, I believe that over all it is a better approach than not doing so.