Experience-Based Qualities for Leadership Development

Hello, welcome to the HEC Reskill Masterclass. The topic I will cover today is the following: experience-based qualities for leadership development. I'm Marc Beretta. I'm an affiliate professor and academic director for executive programs at HEC Paris. I'm a master certified coach, MCC, by the International Coaching Federation, ICF. And I'm also A-M-B-S-R, mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor.

Thank you very much for answering the poll, the LinkedIn poll. I will come back to this later on.

I would like to start by telling a story. Not so long ago, I was invited by a hospital to give a speech to medical doctors and medical staff there, on the night of leadership. The night before, I went to a restaurant and was absolutely amazed by the quality of the service. Two young women and one young man, smiling, welcoming, fully present.

I thought they were probably the owners of the restaurant, so I asked them, "Are you the owners?" They said, "We're not, the cook is." Okay, I thought. You know what? I have to give a speech tomorrow on leadership. I'm not very sure what I should tell. What advice would you give me? They told me, "One, in our organization, we give feedback. When the cook proposes a new dish, he makes some tests with us and listens to our feedback. Two, this builds trust among us. Three, because there's trust, we can share our vulnerabilities." I was speechless. Feedback, trust, vulnerabilities. Just guess what I told the medical doctors the next day.

You know, in most leadership books, we promote superheroes. But I can tell you, I have got 20 years of experience in coaching CEOs around the world. I've got more than 20,000 hours of coaching, and I have never seen a single superhero. They are just people, just like you and me, questioning, doubting, and sharing vulnerabilities.

Based on that, I decided to take all my notes and collect all my data around three questions. The first one is: what are their main vulnerabilities? The second one is: how do they overcome them? And the third one is: what are the lessons learned? This led me to the six leadership landmarks.

The first one, by far, is awareness. Awareness means having a global view of the situation. Awareness is wholeness. Let me give you an example. Arthur had just been promoted as an executive member, and his vulnerability was that he got angry very easily. What we did was work on types of personalities. During the third session, I saw tears in his eyes and he said, "Now I understand. I understand why I got divorced. I understand why I hate my neighbor." At the end of the whole process, he said, "I came to understand my natural modes of interaction with others, and therefore learned to detect when and how to act. My success is also highlighted by my family, who keeps saying that this coaching has changed my life, and therefore theirs." Awareness is wholeness.

The second one is agility. Agility means moving your body quickly and easily. It can be a strength, but also a weakness. Arnold wanted to change the company he was working with, but he wanted to champion himself first. He was the number two in the company. The number one of the company told me his main concern was loyalty. Being loyal is good, but he was too loyal and should improve his leadership skills. We worked on limiting beliefs, and what he told me at the end was: "I experienced a gentle transformation of myself conducted with benevolence and naturalness, with seriousness, but also a little levity that helps me better lead the transformation of my company today." Transform yourself first, then you can transform the company.

The third one is eco-friendliness. Eco-friendliness means doing the least possible damage to the human and natural environment. Depression is now the leading cause of disability, affecting 300 million people of all ages. Depression and anxiety disorders cost $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. According to the UN, if the world population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050, we would need three planets' worth of resources to maintain our lifestyle today. Wildlife populations have seen a devastating 73% drop since 1970. Something is not right. We can't wait. It's high time to take care of ourselves first, the people we love, and the natural environment.

The fourth one is being demanding. Being demanding means meeting high standards. Doreen was a very demanding woman. She wanted to make her managers go from being managers to being manager-coaches. The main issue was that the managers thought they were good listeners, but they were not. We worked on presence: being fully present has a positive impact on all qualities, including active listening. After several weeks, performance rose by 8% and satisfaction with team spirit rose by 27%. Being demanding is okay, but the problem is how you are demanding with others.

The fifth one is kindness. Kindness means being generous and helpful. Eileen was a super demanding CEO who wanted to engage her executive committee. The main concern was a very tense context. We worked on active listening to fully understand people’s constraints and objectives. At the end, she said, "I was able to transform a team that was initially divided and full of discord into an empowered team working cooperatively and constructively together." Kindness is key to retaining talent today.

The sixth one is CoVis – the ability to co-imagine the future. Kai was the head of a huge department in an international bank, with two teams working in two countries. We worked on understanding respective roles, fully understanding what each team member does and why. Kai said, "We have allowed the participants to propose optimization opportunities and develop a shared vision, thereby facilitating everyone's commitment to the team's new vision." Collective intelligence works if we trust and connect with each other.

The first step in leadership is to know, then to do, then to be. Leadership is a question of being. Behind each vulnerability, there is a strength. Behind each tragedy, there is an opportunity. Life is not easy, but it depends on us to see opportunities.

Now, I will come back to the Q&A part and introduce Daniel from HEC Paris. Daniel, whenever you're ready, you can join us.

Yes, I'm Daniel Brown, head of communications and research at HEC Paris, delighted to share the stage with you, Marc. Thank you. Share, I mean, you certainly have put into practice the importance of presence, one of the fundamentals you’ve been teaching these past years. Many points you discussed are in your book, Leadership Landmarks. Before we go into the questions, I’d like you to address the LinkedIn poll question.

Thank you very much for answering the questions. We can't cheat; people know. The main issue is applying what we know. About 50% say adopting a coaching style is important. Leadership skills and coaching skills are very similar. The second is empathy and kindness. The third is emerging collaboration – co-imagining the future. Five percent said results at any price. I won't comment.

When you talk about coaching, that's in the business world, right? Does it go beyond, like sports? Of course. Coaching was influenced by sport. Originated around 1860 at Oxford. A coach helps people move in the same direction. Later, applied to students. So yes, it applies in multiple fields.

Gail in Brittany asked, “We need a new kind of leadership. How urgent is it to integrate this leadership?” The risk is going in the same direction. I’m not Superman; I don’t have all the answers. But it depends on us to ask if we want to go in the same direction. Preventive action is better than reactive.

Celine in Paris asked, “Have you met people who just don’t understand what they need to change or cannot change?” Yes and no. People who are not aware usually don’t seek coaching. Most go to HEC or a coach when they feel the need for transformation. Knowing and not being able to do is possible due to psychological blocks. Psychology combined with coaching is helpful.

Moon in Ho Chi Minh City asked about cultural differences. I’ve coached people from China, the US, Brazil. The key is connection and trust. Human fears, doubts, and questions are universal. Leadership landmarks are quite universal but should be adapted to cultural nuances, like the Chinese perception of “change” as both opportunity and risk.

Ab Deman in Casablanca asked, “What impact could AI have on leadership?” One client wanted AI embedded in a special service within the company. Vertical structures from the 19th century don’t fit AI. Flexibility and small dedicated teams work better than spreading AI everywhere.

Brian in San Francisco mentioned more women are in senior management, though still only a quarter. Will this be a new leadership landmark? Yes. Women bring different perspectives. Self-esteem is lower, so reassurance is important. Women are more open to sharing vulnerabilities, building trust. Diversity complements leadership quality, not replaces it. Honesty and vulnerability foster trust, yet women can still be tough when needed.

In conclusion, leadership is about connection, trust, kindness, and adaptability. Vulnerabilities and challenges are opportunities. Collective intelligence, empathy, and presence are central. My next project is a book on management; we’ll invite you when it’s out.

Thank you very much. Enjoy the moment. Goodbye.