I’ve always thought I knew what management was about, without being convinced that I was a good manager. Quite young, in 2000, I was appointed content director at e-TF1. Anne Sinclair<\/a> gave me this chance. Everything was moving fast at that time: the internet was booming, promotions were rapid, and responsibilities were piling up. Suddenly becoming the manager of 70 people, I followed the advice of my superiors, read management books, and took training tailored for TF1. I learned from my mistakes, corrected some, tried to forget the biggest ones (without success), in short, I managed as best as I could. Then, by launching my startup and working as the International CDO for the Marie Claire Group, I refined my thoughts, better directed my actions, tried to become a less bad manager, if not a good one. All those years of practice convinced me of the need for a harmonious team dynamic for a company’s success. And the overwhelming responsibility of the one leading it. Nothing more commonplace. Nothing more challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020, I took the competitive exam for the Capes[1]<\/a> in Modern Literature. I had sold my company to the Marie Claire Group, and I was thirsty for something new. I wanted to try the profession of a teacher. My motivation was twofold: to reconcile my passion for literature with my desire to give back to France what it had given me by helping the younger generations. I know, it sounds a bit grandiose. But teaching is not done for the salary or recognition. It’s a vocation: the reasons for doing it often stem from a need for meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Capes easily in hand (2020 is a bit like 1968 at the moment: due to the COVID epidemic, only the written part mattered, and admission was easier than other years), I prepared myself to face the programs, the teachers’ room… and the last but not the least the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first year, I was assigned to a school in my neighborhood, the 7th<\/sup> arrondissement[2]<\/a> of Paris. The students were of a good level, respectful, aware of the challenges. Of course, some of them tended to make me feel like I was distant from their high-end environment. A certain social arrogance was sometimes evident. As a colleague said, “here, it’s Switzerland,” meaning, “it’s not real life.” That being said, I found the experience enjoyable. Despite the workload… I can hear you saying, “18 hours of class, vacations<\/em>“, etc. But as it took me at least an hour and a half to prepare a lesson and there were easily three hours of correction per week; do the math: 18h (class) + 27h (preparation) + 3h (correction) = 48h per week… Sure, I sometimes worked much more in the private sector – in terms of working hours. But there is a fundamental difference between being present in a company and being in the classroom: in front of thirty teenagers, you must juggle both substance (for example, the acquisition of a grammatical concept) and discipline. The mental load is heavy: it’s impossible to say (come on, let’s be honest!) like during yet another project meeting, that you’re going to check your phone, think about your weekend, take a break, in short, escape. No: being in the classroom is being on stage, live, for a mere five hours a day (I often did overtime), facing an audience consciously or unconsciously trying to destabilize you. You have to be present to the minute (thirty students are waiting for you), and the level of attention must be at 200% (at least for the teacher): check this one, correct that one, help this one, listen to that one… Exhausting. I often compare the activity to that of spinning plates in circuses. If you don’t attend to all the plates at the same time, the whole thing eventually collapses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second year, I was a substitute teacher, in underprivileged suburbs. There, I also discovered constant provocations, sometimes insults, even threats. We were far from Switzerland. The social situation of the students was sometimes disastrous. One of them, who confronted me physically before trying to strangle a student, an intelligent but lost boy, is now in prison. I admit that I sometimes feared that some verbal exchanges would end badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third year, a radical change: here I am assigned to a school in beautiful Rueil-Malmaison (where Jos\u00e9phine, Napol\u00e9on\u2019s wife had a castle). Charming and studious students, regardless of where they come from or their family situation (some lived in foster care). Happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I loved it, whether in Paris or in the suburbs, what makes this profession beautiful: seeing the spark of understanding in a student’s eye. Participating in the intellectual and moral development of an individual is of tremendous strength. Recently, I was walking around the 7th<\/sup> arrondissement school and met a former student, now in the 11th grade. I was her 8th-grade teacher: I remember giving her two books at the end of the year because she had written a beautiful text. The now high school student came to greet me, assuring me that it was thanks to me that she chose literature as her specialty because I made her love literature. Forgotten: the modest salary, untimely remarks, administrative pitfalls. Only the happiness of having modestly contributed to the education of a young and bright mind remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, I have returned to the business world, in the private sector, at @perpetual, where we help managers and their teams function better. And it’s no coincidence: leading classes has made me progress more than ever in terms of management. Recruiting and leading teams would not have been enough to claim to be useful. I feel much more legitimate because I attended the training of the most demanding management school in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching… teaching boils down to a few key concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge, from the beginning of the school year, is to define the roles of each and what the class should aim for. Students must understand what is expected of them in terms of behavior, workload, and the quality of their work. It’s a long-term and reciprocal mission: the lessons given must live up to these expectations, and the expectations must be reiterated and reworked. Students are experts at recognizing a poorly prepared, poorly constructed, or poorly mastered lesson. We talk about a “contract” between the student and the teacher. If the teacher, like a manager in a company, is not up to what he asks, the mechanics are broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regularly, “class life” hours are scheduled. It’s a privileged moment: students express what works and what doesn’t in a class. As a group and towards the teachers. And believe me, there is nothing more openly honest than a class given the floor… If the teacher is not ready to receive the feelings of his students, trust is broken. In the business world, feedback is often complex to make work. Perpetual is a consulting firm present in New York and Paris, a privileged position for comparison. If Americans willingly accept feedback, the French are reluctant on this point. The feedback is often confined to a quickly conducted annual interview. In middle school, it’s two or three times per trimester. And there’s no escaping it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know a class is functioning well when the acquisition of knowledge is done by the class itself. The verticalization of knowledge is effective up to a certain point. If you want knowledge to remain anchored, it’s through a transversal circulation of knowledge and the students taking charge of the problem that it happens. A functioning class allows students to teach each other: with their words, their images, and even their methods. The teacher can then occasionally fade into the background. This phenomenon is very powerful. In business, it’s called delegating. A concept often mentioned, rarely applied. Yet, if the manager shows how to do something and entrusts responsibility, he will promote autonomy and efficiency. In the end, the person to whom he has favored this way of working will pass it on to others. It’s “empowerment,” which combats the compartmentalization of ideas and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These three elements implemented in a class create a productive atmosphere. Students and the teacher then become a “group,” united by a method and common goals. In business, other elements come into play to ensure team cohesion; Perpetual has developed its consulting offer around their optimization. Whether it’s a class or a company, the audience is different, but the approach is the same: in front of mature adults or restless teenagers, the key is always to prioritize a deep understanding of what makes organizations move forward: the interaction between individuals for collective success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n J\u2019ai toujours pens\u00e9 savoir en quoi consistait le management\u2026 sans \u00eatre convaincu d\u2019\u00eatre un bon manager. Assez jeune, en 2000, j\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 nomm\u00e9 directeur des contenus de e-TF1. C\u2019est Anne Sinclair qui m\u2019a donn\u00e9 cette chance. Tout allait tr\u00e8s vite \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque : l\u2019internet \u00e9tait en pleine \u00e9bullition, les promotions \u00e9taient fulgurantes, les responsabilit\u00e9s s\u2019accumulaient. Devenu soudain manager de 70 personnes, j\u2019ai suivi les conseils de mes sup\u00e9rieurs hi\u00e9rarchiques, lu des ouvrages sur le management et suivi des formations calibr\u00e9es pour TF1. J\u2019ai appris de mes erreurs, en ai rectifi\u00e9 certaines, ai tent\u00e9 d\u2019oublier les plus grandes (sans y arriver), bref, j\u2019ai manag\u00e9<\/em> comme j\u2019ai pu. Ensuite, en lan\u00e7ant ma start-up puis en travaillant en tant que International CDO pour le Groupe Marie Claire, j\u2019ai peaufin\u00e9 mes r\u00e9flexions, mieux orient\u00e9 mes actions, essay\u00e9 de devenir un moins mauvais manager \u00e0 d\u00e9faut d\u2019un bon. Toutes ces ann\u00e9es de pratique m\u2019ont convaincu de la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 du fonctionnement harmonieux d\u2019une \u00e9quipe pour la r\u00e9ussite d\u2019une entreprise. Et de la responsabilit\u00e9 \u00e9crasante de celui qui la dirige. Rien que de plus banal. Rien de plus difficile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n En 2020, j\u2019ai pass\u00e9 le concours du Capes de Lettres modernes. J\u2019avais c\u00e9d\u00e9 ma bo\u00eete au Groupe Marie Claire, j\u2019avais soif de nouveaut\u00e9. J\u2019avais notamment envie de tester le m\u00e9tier de professeur. Ma motivation \u00e9tait double : concilier ma passion pour la litt\u00e9rature avec ma volont\u00e9 de rendre \u00e0 la France ce qu\u2019elle m\u2019avait donn\u00e9 en aidant les jeunes g\u00e9n\u00e9rations. Je sais, cela sonne un peu grandiloquent. Mais prof, on ne le fait pas pour le salaire ou la consid\u00e9ration. C\u2019est un sacerdoce : les raisons de le faire rel\u00e8vent souvent d\u2019un besoin de sens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capes facilement en poche (2020 est un peu le 1968 du moment : compte tenu de l\u2019\u00e9pid\u00e9mie de covid, seul l\u2019\u00e9crit comptait, l\u2019admission \u00e9tait plus facile que les autres ann\u00e9es), je me suis donc pr\u00e9par\u00e9 \u00e0 affronter les programmes, la salle des profs\u2026 et la classe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La premi\u00e8re ann\u00e9e, j\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 affect\u00e9 dans un coll\u00e8ge de mon quartier, le 7e<\/sup> arrondissement de Paris. Les \u00e9l\u00e8ves \u00e9taient de bon niveau, respectueux, conscients des enjeux. Certes, quelques-uns avaient une f\u00e2cheuse tendance \u00e0 me faire comprendre que j\u2019\u00e9tais loin de leur monde. Une certaine morgue sociale se r\u00e9v\u00e9lait parfois. Comme disait une coll\u00e8gue : \u00ab ici, c\u2019est la Suisse \u00bb, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire : \u00ab ce n\u2019est pas la vraie vie \u00bb. Cela \u00e9tant, je trouvais l\u2019exp\u00e9rience plaisante. Malgr\u00e9 la charge de travail\u2026 Je vous vois venir : \u00ab les 18h de cours, les vacances<\/em> \u00bb, etc. Mais comme un cours me prenait au moins une heure et demie \u00e0 pr\u00e9parer et qu\u2019il y avait bien trois heures de correction par semaine, faites le calcul : 18h (cours) + 27h (pr\u00e9paration) + 3h (corrections) = 48h par semaine\u2026 Certes je travaillais parfois bien plus dans le priv\u00e9 \u2013 en terme d\u2019amplitude horaire. Mais il existe une diff\u00e9rence fondamentale entre la pr\u00e9sence en entreprise et celle en classe : devant trente ados, il faut \u00e0 la fois jongler entre le fond (par exemple l\u2019acquisition d\u2019un concept grammatical) et la discipline. La charge mentale est lourde : impossible de se dire (allons, soyons honn\u00eates !) comme pendant une \u00e9ni\u00e8me r\u00e9union de projet, qu\u2019on va regarder son t\u00e9l\u00e9phone, penser \u00e0 son weekend, s\u2019absenter pour prendre une pause, bref, s\u2019\u00e9vader. Non : \u00eatre en classe, c\u2019est \u00eatre sur sc\u00e8ne, en direct, la bagatelle de cinq heures par jour (on fait souvent des heures sup\u2019) face \u00e0 un public qui tente consciemment ou non de vous d\u00e9stabiliser. Il faut \u00eatre pr\u00e9sent \u00e0 la minute pr\u00e8s (trente \u00e9l\u00e8ves vous attendent), et le niveau d\u2019attention doit \u00eatre \u00e0 200% (celui du prof, au moins) : v\u00e9rifier untel, reprendre une telle, aider celui-ci, \u00e9couter celle-l\u00e0\u2026 \u00c9reintant. Je compare souvent l\u2019activit\u00e9 \u00e0 celle des assiettes tournantes dans les cirques. Si l\u2019on ne s\u2019occupe pas en m\u00eame temps de toutes les assiettes, l\u2019ensemble finit par s\u2019\u00e9crouler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La seconde ann\u00e9e, j\u2019\u00e9tais TZR, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire rempla\u00e7ant. A Nanterre puis \u00e0 Asni\u00e8res. L\u00e0, j\u2019ai \u00e9galement d\u00e9couvert les provocations constantes, les insultes parfois, voire les menaces. On \u00e9tait loin de la Suisse. La situation sociale des \u00e9l\u00e8ves \u00e9tait parfois d\u00e9sastreuse. L\u2019un d\u2019eux, qui m\u2019a confront\u00e9 physiquement avant de tenter d\u2019\u00e9trangler une \u00e9l\u00e8ve, un gar\u00e7on intelligent mais perdu, est maintenant en prison. J\u2019avoue avoir parfois craint que certains \u00e9changes verbaux se terminent mal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La troisi\u00e8me ann\u00e9e, changement radical : me voici affect\u00e9 dans un coll\u00e8ge de Rueil-Malmaison. \u00c9l\u00e8ves charmants et studieux, d\u2019o\u00f9 qu\u2019ils viennent, qu\u2019elle que soit leur situation familiale (certains vivaient en foyer). Le bonheur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oui, j\u2019ai ador\u00e9, que ce soit dans le 7e, <\/sup>\u00e0 Nanterre ou \u00e0 Rueil, ce qui fait la beaut\u00e9 de ce m\u00e9tier : voir la lueur de compr\u00e9hension dans l\u2019\u0153il d\u2019un \u00e9l\u00e8ve. Participer \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9volution intellectuelle et morale d\u2019un \u00eatre est d\u2019une force consid\u00e9rable. R\u00e9cemment, je me promenais aux abords du coll\u00e8ge du 7e<\/sup> et ai rencontr\u00e9 une ancienne \u00e9l\u00e8ve, maintenant en 1\u00e8re<\/sup>. J\u2019\u00e9tais son professeur de 4\u00e8me<\/sup> : je me souviens lui avoir donn\u00e9 deux livres \u00e0 la fin de l\u2019ann\u00e9e, car elle avait r\u00e9dig\u00e9 un joli texte. La d\u00e9sormais lyc\u00e9enne est venue me saluer en m\u2019assurant que c\u2019\u00e9tait gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 moi qu\u2019elle avait choisi la sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9 lettres, car je lui avais fait aimer la litt\u00e9rature. Oubli\u00e9s : le salaire modeste, les r\u00e9flexions inopportunes, les \u00e9cueils administratifs. Seul subsistait le bonheur d\u2019avoir modestement contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 la formation d\u2019un jeune et brillant cerveau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aujourd\u2019hui, je suis revenu dans le monde de l\u2019entreprise, dans le secteur priv\u00e9. Chez @perpetual, o\u00f9 l\u2019on aide les managers et leurs \u00e9quipes \u00e0 mieux fonctionner. Et ce n\u2019est pas un hasard : mener des classes m\u2019a fait plus progresser que jamais en mati\u00e8re de management. Avoir recrut\u00e9 et dirig\u00e9 des \u00e9quipes n\u2019aurait pas \u00e9t\u00e9 suffisant pour pr\u00e9tendre \u00eatre utile. Je me sens beaucoup plus l\u00e9gitime car j\u2019ai suivi la formation de la plus exigeante \u00e9cole de management au monde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n L\u2019enseignement\u2026 de l\u2019enseignement tient en quelques concepts-clefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n L\u2019enjeu, d\u00e8s la rentr\u00e9e, est de d\u00e9finir les r\u00f4les de chacun et ce vers quoi la classe doit aller. Les \u00e9l\u00e8ves doivent comprendre ce qu\u2019on attend d\u2019eux, en termes de comportement, de charge de travail, de qualit\u00e9 des rendus. C\u2019est une mission de long terme et r\u00e9ciproque : les cours dispens\u00e9s doivent \u00eatre \u00e0 la hauteur de ces attentes et les attendus rappel\u00e9s et retravaill\u00e9s. Les \u00e9l\u00e8ves sont experts dans l\u2019art de reconna\u00eetre un cours qui est mal pr\u00e9par\u00e9, mal construit ou mal ma\u00eetris\u00e9. On parle de \u00ab contrat \u00bb entre l\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ve et le professeur. Si le professeur, comme un manager en entreprise, n\u2019est pas \u00e0 la hauteur de ce qu\u2019il demande, la m\u00e9canique est rompue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n R\u00e9guli\u00e8rement, des heures de \u00ab vie de classe \u00bb sont planifi\u00e9es. C\u2019est un moment privil\u00e9gi\u00e9 : les \u00e9l\u00e8ves s\u2019expriment sur ce qui va et ce qui ne va pas dans une classe. En tant que groupe et \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9gard des enseignants. Et croyez-moi, il n\u2019y a pas plus ouvertement honn\u00eate qu\u2019une classe \u00e0 qui l\u2019on donne la parole\u2026 Si le professeur n\u2019est pas pr\u00eat \u00e0 recevoir le ressenti de ses \u00e9l\u00e8ves, la confiance est rompue. En entreprise, le feedback est souvent complexe \u00e0 faire fonctionner. Perpetual est un cabinet pr\u00e9sent \u00e0 New York et \u00e0 Paris, une position privil\u00e9gi\u00e9e pour comparer. Si les Am\u00e9ricains acceptent volontiers le feedback, les Fran\u00e7ais sont frileux sur ce point. Le retour est souvent cantonn\u00e9 \u00e0 un entretien annuel vite exp\u00e9di\u00e9. En coll\u00e8ge, c\u2019est deux ou trois fois par trimestre ! Et pas question de s\u2019y d\u00e9rober.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oon sait qu\u2019une classe fonctionne bien lorsque l\u2019acquisition des savoirs se fait par la classe. La verticalisation de la connaissance est efficace jusqu\u2019\u00e0 un certain point. Si vous voulez que les savoirs restent ancr\u00e9s, c\u2019est par une circulation transversale des connaissances et la prise en main du probl\u00e8me par les \u00e9l\u00e8ves que cela passe. Une classe qui fonctionne permet aux \u00e9l\u00e8ves de s\u2019enseigner entre eux : avec leurs mots, leurs images et m\u00eame leurs m\u00e9thodes. Le professeur peut alors ponctuellement se faire oublier. Ce ph\u00e9nom\u00e8ne est tr\u00e8s puissant. En entreprise, cela s\u2019appelle notamment d\u00e9l\u00e9guer. Un concept souvent cit\u00e9, rarement appliqu\u00e9. Pourtant, si le manager montrer comment faire et confie une responsabilit\u00e9, il favorisera l\u2019autonomie et l\u2019efficacit\u00e9. A terme, la personne chez qui il a favoris\u00e9 ce fonctionnement le transmettra \u00e0 d\u2019autres. C\u2019est \u00ab l\u2019empowerment<\/em> \u00bb, qui combat le cloisonnement des id\u00e9es et des comportements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ces trois \u00e9l\u00e9ments mis en \u0153uvre dans une classe cr\u00e9ent une atmosph\u00e8re productive. Les \u00e9l\u00e8ves et le professeur deviennent alors un \u00ab groupe \u00bb, uni par une m\u00e9thode et des objectifs communs. En entreprise, d\u2019autres \u00e9l\u00e9ments<\/a> sont en mis en jeu pour assurer la coh\u00e9sion<\/strong> d\u2019une \u00e9quipe ; Perpetual a d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 son offre de conseil autour de leur optimisation. Classe ou entreprise, le public est diff\u00e9rent mais l\u2019approche est la m\u00eame : devant des adultes m\u00fbrs ou des ados agit\u00e9s, la clef est toujours de donner la priorit\u00e9 \u00e0 la compr\u00e9hension profonde de ce qui fait avancer les \u00eatres humains et les organisations : l\u2019interaction entre individu pour la r\u00e9ussite collective.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAND THEN…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
FIRST, I DISCOVERED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SOMETIMES, I WAS AFRAID<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
OFTEN, I LOVED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ABOVE ALL, I LEARNED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Clarity and alignment are indispensable.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Accepting feedback is necessary.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Knowing when to step back is essential.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nLa meilleure \u00e9cole de management au monde : la salle de classe !<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ET PUIS\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
D\u2019ABORD, J\u2019AI D\u00c9COUVERT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PARFOIS, J\u2019AI EU PEUR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SOUVENT, J\u2019AI ADOR\u00c9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SURTOUT, J\u2019AI APPRIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ET DONC ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
La clart\u00e9 et alignement sont indispensables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Il faut accepter le feedback<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Il faut savoir s\u2019effacer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n