Audience: Leaders
Overview: Leadership Philosophy & Organizational Transformation go hand in hand
By: Cynthia Kyriazis, Chief Experience Officer, The Culture Think Tank
Read Time: 3 Minutes
Frédéric Oudéa – not a name you’ve heard before? Me either.
But I ran across an interview with him entitled, “A Culture of Conviction: An Interview on Organizational Transformation with the former CEO of Societe Generale.”
I learned he is the former CEO of Societe Generale, and became the longest-serving bank CEO in modern European history, and has now departed to become the CEO of the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi.
In the interview, his thoughts and philosophy on leading through difficult and less difficult times were inspiring.
Below are just a few that resonated with me and the culture he helped create…
“I also believe that setting the direction to work together and behave was important in my CEO role. It was important to me that this way of working—the culture and the behaviors we demonstrate—was consistent with my personal values. I also tried to make this constant over time, during both good times and times of crisis.”
“I always tried to lead with conviction and build a way of working together that made it comfortable for employees to participate and contribute so that they could use their skills and knowledge to serve clients in the best way possible. The financial crisis was difficult because of the changes in spirit required to recover from it.
“We needed to build a way of working together that made it comfortable for people to participate and contribute.”
“…I’m particularly proud of one fact: nine out of ten Société Générale colleagues say they feel they can go to a colleague for help.”
His viewpoint addresses many of the things we talk about when it comes to improving organizational culture.
Be open, lead with compassion and empathy, and model what you want your culture to look like. And most of all, support employees in what they love to do…and watch the returns grow from a well-treated customer base.
I hope this CEO’s outlook has inspired you, and for more thoughts, you can read the entire McKinsey interview A Culture of Conviction: An Interview on Organizational Transformation with the former CEO of Societe Generale.
Cynthia Kyriazis is the Chief Experience Officer at The Culture Think Tank. Her experience includes executive coaching, consulting, and training. Book a 15-minute chat to discuss your people, performance or profit challenges.
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