While Pierre Peyret of Comitatus accompanies their client on the financial part of its strategy, the manager implements it and will have to take corrective actions to optimise the defined strategy.
For the manager, a complex and intangible part is also to be achieved: involving his employees in this strategy.
Fears, obstacles, motivations, ambitions of the people will be his daily life and as many factors of failure, delay, absenteeism, stress, conflicts.
And for the manager, all his energy will have to be concentrated on these human resources to succeed in this challenge, these objectives, and the application of the strategy.
In this respect, I accompany the manager in this critical deployment phase, the aim being to achieve the objectives within the timeframe imposed, within the budget, in compliance with schedules, and to ensure customer satisfaction.
Beforehand, I ask the manager to formally inform his team that he is being supported in this success. I will therefore present my background and know-how and the manager's motivations for being supported.
Why this formal aspect: Each time, I can verify that the employees' view immediately changes!
In fact, seeing their boss trying to optimise his success by relying on an external consultant who will seek out the collective intelligence of the employees is not that common in France!
Then comes the time to listen to the members of the CODIR (Management Committee), which has been set up by the manager and with my approval.
I receive each one individually for an hour to listen to them. I listen to their work life, the issues, the roles, the interactions, the daily life of the employee without ever being interested in anything other than their work life. This was done in complete confidentiality, as the interview would not be given to the manager.
The second surprise for the employee is that the manager's coach is interested in him, in his life, without judgement, without passion, and this at the request of the manager !!! and not in his profitability, his objectives, just in him and his professional life.
Then comes the phase of elaborating the behavioural profile of the employee, with the support of my computer tools, a profile that is done in confidentiality, and in a time for oneself.
At the end of this phase, I send the employee their profile so that they can make it their own. Generally, after a period of surprise, a phase of serenity arises in the employee which confirms the validity of the approach.
The employee always looks forward to our second meeting so that we can discuss his or her reading. I explain the aims for him and his comfort; then I give him a reading of his profile in space and in his environment.
It was a new surprise for him (or her) to become aware of his (or her) importance, his (or her) motivations, his (or her) power to act and to take action.
At the end of this individual feedback, the employee becomes aware of his or her value and influence in his or her environment and then recognises his or her boss as a man who cares about his or her employee, the importance he or she expects of him or her, his or her added value as a man (male or female, of course), and his or her relevance as a major player recognised by his or her manager.
Then come two new phases. First, the behavioural profile of the company is presented to the manager, followed by a collective presentation to the Executive Committee.
This behavioural profile submitted to the manager gives him many readings that he does not expect!
This opens up new possibilities:
as to his ability to "lead" his company other than in "suffering" and conflict,
If he knows or imagined the energies of his employees, the awareness of the driving forces of each person and of the group opens up new and unexpected horizons.
But let's look further, the company profile will enable him to communicate on the values of his company both internally and externally and give him a very strong and unique sales pitch involving the employees on the common values.
This new environment thus created becomes strategic:
for the hiring of new employees and for their integration,
in order to keep the same values or to find other, complementary values, energies and driving forces.
The future of the company and both individual and collective success are at stake.
Finally, this tool gives us the optimal integration of employees in the context of external growth. Indeed, the fear of absorption considerably slows down the development of companies and it is very frequent to see the company's resources leave for other climes.
So what is left of the value and future of this acquisition?
If the accountant, the lawyer and the banker are involved in the acquisition, what about the resources and skills in the face of change and the unknown?
And what is the reaction of those who absorb this new entity, and who know that any external growth operation often results in organisational changes?
And this is how, in the majority of similar situations (and without being accompanied by companies like Comitatus during the acquisition operation) or at the end of a year of takeover, the financial and human balance sheet is catastrophic, because the resources are no longer there.
Beyond our expertise, the constitution of a CODIR becomes preponderant following a "Delegated Process" tool.
This tool allows :
the writing of the company's "Vision and Ambition",
to let everyone know where the company is going, when, how, at what speed, what the projects are and how everyone is involved in them,
to "give power" to everyone under the authority of the leader, of course.
This is how Collective Intelligence is born, a source of profit, time, energy, competitiveness, recognition and projects, and each time I see absenteeism disappear, staff and union conflicts eradicate themselves.
Moreover, if we see productivity increase, we have to admit that working time is decreasing!
This is how parity, systemic and SUCCESS are born, without forgetting individual and collective well-being.
Written by Gilles Colliat, director of Carpe Diem Facilities – Team coaching and team building solutions for your company.