When I open the paper, here’s what I read: Volkswagen is surreptitiously warming the planet. HSBC is laundering money from dubious sources. Servier is making money off of a health risk. The Carlton offers room service that goes way beyond the mini-bar. A minister, self-styled tax-avoiding Savanarola, proves to be overly fond of Swiss and […]

I’d like to start a conversation about gender issues in business. And in particular, why there seems to be a belief out there that women need so much special, “only-for-women” support in order to be successful leaders. When I read articles and look at the content of all sorts of courses aimed at women in […]

At the heart of the future… I invited Melissa, a senior expert from an international high technology company, to dinner four months ago. I’d always thought it was exciting to be at the heart of something that could make the difference in our developed countries: not economies of scale, not doing more with less, but […]

One o’clock in the morning. The crowd thinned out from the bar. I was putting my sax back in its box, after a few hours of jamming with the band, and it suddenly struck my mind how similar my musician and my consulting life can be (although with jazz, you get to bed later!). As […]

A few months ago, UBS (ex Union de Banques Suisses before it merged with SBS) made it hard in the international press by releasing a complete and precise printed Dress Code with an aim to making sure all of its personnel would match the corporate style and client-centered values in its attire. Everyone laughed at […]

“I have one hierarchical boss, two functional ones whom I hardly know, and I’m part of three or four Strategic Global Initiative teams, two of them operating remotely, and I sometimes wonder if in a near future I’ll still be able to find my way back to my own bedroom… Not to think about how […]

I WANT TO KNOW TO WHICH “CAMP” I BELONG! What is true in Asia is true everywhere: You inspire commitment and earn the loyalty of your leaders and managers by giving meaning to actions and building a strong corporate culture. This creates the “tribe” that makes the difference. This culture must be strong because when […]

Cooperation – everybody’s talking about it, but who actually does it? “We’ve been talking about adopting a horizontal and cooperative approach for a long time,” a branch manager of a French group based in South America told us. “Cross-selling, cooperation, working horizontally, exchanging best practice, managing change, joint development sometimes even with a competitor—no one […]

Welcome Y’s! “I thought it was a good idea for my mom to come to this interview with me.” The Netherlands, 2009. The recruitment manager in this large organization can’t believe his ears. The candidate who was just introduced into his office for an interview has not come alone. His mother is with him! “Well, […]