Empathy and relationships at the heart of leadership

A great leader listens, cares and creates the conditions for people to be the best version of themselves,?so they can?live constructive adventures, together.

This year marks my 29 years at? 玛氏食品 . It is also?the closure of a great 8-year adventure within the? Royal Canin Global Leadership Team as Global Value Chain Operation VP, and the beginning of my new? Mars Petcare journey as Global Technology Staff Officer. I feel grateful that this journey made me a better Business Leader,?more aware of myself and of others.?

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As I value rationality, reasoning and empirical analysis, I used to think?that leadership was the capacity to develop solutions and strategies?and to translate them into?precise instructions.?Experience taught me?that what makes?great leaders is their ability to pause, discuss and find solutions as a collective,?rather than?mostly?focusing on?providing guidance.?Understanding the points of strength and vulnerabilities of your teams?will help?empower?them.?Here are 4 takeouts on what this chapter of my life has taught me about leadership:

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Leadership is as much about?big ideas as?about doing the work: a good operating model and a good strategy are equally important

A good strategy cannot work without a good operation model. And a good operation model cannot work without a good strategy. The alignment between the global strategy set by the company and its operating model is key to channeling collective energy towards the same goal. In my role at Royal Canin, I?was managing the entire operating teams, including Procurement, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Supply Chain. For optimal coordination, everyone has to work towards the same goal and be able to understand each other, even if they are working in very different fields. A strategy that works is one that serves the Business Purpose, one that translates the strategy into every part of the operating model. The objective? Immediately turning strategic directions into clear and applicable operational guidelines.?

The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining

Identifying your operations’ vulnerabilities?when they are running fine?can become one of your best assets.?This awareness makes you ready to?go through?hard times?because you never know when they?will?hit. Crises?have the power to show us our pain points. Unfortunately, it is sometimes too late to do anything about it. However, your ability to reflect on the pain points of your Value Chain Operations will?help build?great resilience. Having been at Royal Canin for 8?years, I went through a variety of crises,?such as a generalized cyber-attack and the COVID-19 pandemic. They?both?taught?me?the importance of?thinking ahead of time?so that when a hard time comes, you have an action plan.?It?does not mean?that?you will exactly know what to do, but?it will ensure that?Associates know their priorities and?have developed?reactive capacity muscles.?Such?knowledge fastens decision-making, which ultimately accelerates the process of problem-solving and?creates?value.

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Leadership?requires to?take a step back?and?a close look…?at the same time!

Great leadership is about distancing yourself enough to make rational decisions, as much as it is about demonstrating empathy to understand?the needs of your experts. It means being able to take a step back on what your teams do, to get the bigger picture?of?their work and to be able to make decisions accordingly. It requires great analytical skills and focus. Gaining this perspective is necessary to make rational decisions:?considering?every element will make projects move forward in the best possible way. But this quality is just as important as being able to step into your experts' shoes to understand their daily tasks in a very concrete manner.?By doing so, it?allows you to value your work?and?it?will empower them. In other words, a good leader should be able to put on a suit in front of stakeholders, as much as to roll up?their?sleeves. Because it is only through understanding your experts’ needs that you can help them see the bigger picture.

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Humans remain at the center of digital projects

We can read a lot about AI and technology replacing humans in some tasks. But technology is showing us that humans will always benefit from?it.?With?COVID-19, human connection?remained?at the core of every business.?Humans?are the backbone of innovation,?digitalization is not here to replace?them. It is the collective force of people, that can make wonders. Our efforts require a strong team of humans and technologies to best concentrate towards our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.?

A great leader listens, cares and creates the conditions for people to be the best version of themselves,?so they can?live constructive adventures, together.

I had the privilege to learn from many great leaders in my 3 decades in Mars. They all made me understand the?timeless?values?of the?group?and?encouraged me to come up with my own way to put them in practice.?

Finally, I could not be more grateful for everything I?have?learnt?during?the 8 years I?spent?at Royal Canin, and for my amazing teams, who taught me so much throughout the years. You’ve made me a better professional, a better human, and a better leader!

?#ProudlyMars #Leadership #MarsPetcare