Which President to embody our values?

I often find myself asserting that the road to power is long and treacherous. I am not the first to say this. Nevertheless, it's interesting to ask why certain individuals have the talent, or should I say the determination, to never let go. To prepare for a major milestone - such as a presidential election - demands time, enormous personal investment, and exceptional sacrifices. Candidates for supreme power - whether in France, the United States, or anywhere else in the world - certainly have several common features:

• First, they want it. It may seem banal to say this, yet it is essential. A strong will is decisive here. Life is made up of choices, and this one is not neutral. Neither for the family circle, nor for oneself. From one day to the next, your life is no longer your own. It becomes public, and you lose your freedom. It becomes almost impossible to make even the smallest mistake. Our media-saturated society overlooks nothing. Any error costs dearly. But the social networks play an essential role when it's a question of openness. This is a new world order that must be taken into account.
• Next, they want it more than the others. It must never be forgotten that we are in a world of competition. It's not a matter of simply wanting it, but of wanting it more than the others. Everything is relative. 
• Then, they take risks to achieve their ambitions. The notion of risk is not neutral. In business, we know that it's important to know how to take risks and how to manage them. It's not a matter of "courting danger" but of making carefully considered decisions to opt for certain choices that - by construction - may lead to positive or negative outcomes in the event of success or failure. In politics, it's the same. The men and women who know how to take a stand - by defending their views - have a better chance of successfully convincing others. Of course, there is one condition here: to have an impeccable moral code. Although the law is always respected, in business, we speak of the "rules of conduct in business dealings". These provide a framework that defines what is permitted and what is not. Its relevance can be disputed but it's a framework. In politics, this framework is not defined by a board of directors, but by the collective consciousness and by morality.
• Finally, they make no compromise on the essential. Here again, this may seem obvious, but the latter has never been so important. We are speaking here of our system of values. Our system of references. What makes us what we are. It must never be forgotten that we are all the product of our past. We grow up following our own path, first in our family, then at school, whether a religious education or not, then at university, and finally when we enter our working life. Our friends, parents, professional relationships, our loves: these all make us unique beings. Without being entirely aware of it, we create our identity, our personality. We remain open, we are always ready to discuss, to exchange, to debate on a whole range of topics, but certainly not to compromise on the essential, to throw away the essence of our innermost beliefs. It is precisely this "essential" that makes all the difference.

We must not forget the essential: our values

I would like to pause on this point. Americans recently voted - surprising the entire world - for an unexpected candidate. A little earlier, the British decided to permanently withdraw their country from the European Union, at least in its current form. Soon, other countries will be called upon to express their choice, France in a few weeks.

To prepare for a major milestone - such as a presidential election - demands exceptional sacrifices [...] Life is made up of choices, and this one is not neutral.

So, at the time of an event of such importance, when the media spend more time inventing nightmare scenarios rather than informing, two simple questions should be asked:

• What really matters for us? Just what is our system of values that we were speaking of above? It is personal to us, but have we taken the time to think about it? In my opinion, this is the only solution, to avoid waking up with an enormous headache the day after the second round of the election!
• Which leader best embodies this system of values? Keeping in mind that when we define it, we tend to idealize it. We must therefore accept that we should turn towards him or her who comes the closest possible.

As for me, I mistrust dominant narcissists, who are omnipresent in today's society and who - even if they were right for the world of the past, by nature very paternalistic - are no longer appropriate now. On the strength of their overweening ego, that they don't always know how to handle, they regularly swerve off the road, in more or less controlled skids! We have often witnessed this in horror.

Towards leaders of the third type, a new generation better adapted to today's world

In my latest book, "Leaders of the Third Type", I deal with this question, and describe the ideal qualities of the leader of tomorrow.

Let us attempt to provide some responses to the first question, the second being more personal.

In affirming that I mistrust dominant narcissists, I am suggesting that in reality they are generally devastatingly seductive. They are almost always excellent communicators, who express themselves well, who master their body language, who know how to use scenic effects. They can speak about nothing for hours and hours. In their way, these seducers are primarily great manipulators. Intelligent, often funny, endowed with unrivalled rhetoric, they are attention-grabbing and paranoid, they leave nothing to chance. But they have huge weak points.

Tomorrow's leader is, for me, a man or a woman that I am proud of [...] He does not reject the other because of his difference, but offers a common reference base.

Their major weak point is that their individual person is more important than the group. To me, this is undoubtedly the most fundamental point. We need leaders who are capable of placing the general interest before their own.

General interest before his own!

Tomorrow's leader, in my opinion, is open to the world, capable of integrating diversity as an asset - without accepting potential excesses - aware of the importance of a collaborative approach - today's world is too complex to think that one can govern without the skills of others -, kind - we can perform well without being brutal - exemplary in action, giving meaning to the projects he defends, charismatic to embody his ideas but without wanting to weigh down and crush, courageous and resolute.

Tomorrow's leader is, for me, a man or a woman that I am proud of, who I could identify with, a person whose deeds will be measured, precise and respectful. He may wish to shake up the status quo and challenge the far too rigid systems of the past - this is rather a good thing - but without violence or excessive words, in line with a permanent, constructive dialogue.

But even if he seeks cohesion and sharing, he also knows how to make decisions and to implement them. He is not only a thinker, he is also very much a doer.

He does not exclude, he integrates. He does not reject the other because of his difference, but offers a common reference base, capable of federating citizens of all origins and beliefs around a collective project. The values of a secular, free Republic. 

Being interested in history, I like to regularly re-read the pages of the history of humankind. The United States, which voted recently, is a great country with strong values. I don't recognize myself in all of them but this nation continues to fire the imagination of many. It's the same for our British cousins. But I would like to conclude this article with France, as the elections will take place very soon. They will be essential for our future. The future of French citizens of course, but also that of the world. On these elections, will depend the future of Europe and the geopolitical balance of the world.

France has always been a model for the world. Over the last centuries, France has inspired revolutions around the world, in the United States, in Russia, and in many other countries. France is above all the land of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity". No need to say more to understand that our role - and therefore our vote - will have a quite particular symbolism.

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Mon nouveau livre :? Leaders du 3eme type : redonner du sens à notre engagement ?

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