By ENGIE - 27 January 2021 - 10:28
Leadership is above all a state of mind. We all have it within us - you have to believe in it and allow it to develop!
“Leadership and management are two very distinct things,” explains Seth Godin, an American entrepreneur and marketing specialist. “A manager asks you for a job - a leader engages you in a project or mission”. Do you see the difference? We do too. At ENGIE, our community of leaders grows each day, emboldened by a programme designed to bring out talents.
BOOST is a programmed aimed at accelerating the development of employees that will hold key managerial functions within the Group, through the assertion of their leadership. Under the attentive guidance of a Talent Director, each Booster is provided with personalised development paths for an 18 to 24 month period. “I was able to work on empowerment and responsibility-awareness” explains Myriam Akhoun, Sustainability Solutions Director at ENGIE Impact APAC in Singapore. Although she “never directly managed any teams”, following some training, Myriam quickly became manager of some 15 employees. “This programme is driven by Boosters themselves” explains Igal Madar, who was become a member of the community this year. A person who joined ENGIE as a developer is today head of the Trading Clients activity. “I left ENGIE to create my own company, and I came back to provide the Group with my acquired experience. This type of entrepreneurial spirit is recognised in the company”.
This programme also has a collective dimension. It allows to generate collaborative engagement within teams and fosters a culture of boldness. “We also learn from our mistakes; it is one of the Booster community’s firmly held beliefs” points out Igal. “We are all prepared to take risks!” At ENGIE, soft skills are recognised and encouraged, as collective intelligence and internal networks become the driving force behind the company's operations. For Vincent Gailhaguet, Talent Director, “it’s the opportunity to strengthen our managerial practices and to develop inclusion, diversity, open-mindedness and boldness within our teams”. What is on the agenda? Personalised training, mentoring, changes in functions, but also more unorthodox measures that sometimes take place outside of company property. “A Booster was invited to participate in a theatre group to learn how to express their emotions and generate greater impact through communication” explains Vincent. “Another joined their building’s chaotic board to experiment with conflict management. We also have a Booster that opened a Twitter account that aimed at interacting with 50% of their clients”. All these talents make use of their leadership skills, all while asserting their ambitions and values.
At ENGIE, we are not scared of pushing the limits. “We aren’t looking for the next Steve Jobs, rather individuals that are willing to bring out their best for a team” indicates Vincent. “Our commitment to collective intelligence and diversity will be the key to a successful energy transition”.
So, are you ready to take on this adventure with us? Standing out and being yourself - this is (also) what ENGIE is all about!