Philippe Delpal, President of BNP Paribas Vostok Bank, CEO of CETELEM Russia, points out that one of the key elements of his leadership style is bringing emotion into a team and bringing the team together. He also explains why "leading by example" means you should show not only your strengths but also your weaknesses, and shares his view that hiring top stars may be not the best solution.
1. Why do you think that leading by example does not always mean that you should always have the final word?
Leading people, leading staff is something very complex. Leading by example it's one way. But you need also to be modest because I can not name anybody without any default or drawbacks. It's an illusion to believe that you will always be an example. I never pretend than I am an expert in everything and that I am a unique example. In professional life I'm trying to set the example and especially in key points like ethics, transparency and other values.
2. What do you mean by bringing emotions and bringing the team together as key elements of your leadership style?
Leading staff it is for me bringing emotion, trying to gather common team which is willing to fight against the market, to develop a common business. In recruitment I try to avoid so called "top-stars", because they are unable to work in the common projects, to learn, or they are not angry enough now to fight.
3. How in particular do you show your team that you will not have a final word in everything?
You have to recognize that you are a leader of organization but you are still a human being.
For example every topic related to marketing is closely linked to the consumer philosophy the consumer perception. I am not Russian. I know by definition that I will not have the best opinion on this issue. So I always give marketing team a sort of "carte blanche" - to develop concepts, to take decisions: it is their job. I just need to understand what they are doing but I don't take final decision.
4. How do you help your team to be creative?
You need to find way in the organization to accept an initiative from your managers even if you are not sure that it is a right initiative. You have to make sure that people have the capacity to develop the project from the beginning to the end.
5. Can you name an example: how your people developed by themselves a winning concept?
We are building BNP Paribas banking branches in Moscow in St. Petersburg, in Nizhny Novgorod, we are new on the market. As of today we have opened 12 branches in Russia, we will have 20 at the end of 2008. In the beginning we had a lot of discussions on the design of the branches. I decided to let people express themselves. And I am impressed by the result. One of my direct competitors told me: "Philippe, I think you have the best branches in Moscow". I'm really proud of that, but I'm proud for my team.
6. Can you give me an example of how you show people that you are not perfect?
One of my key weaknesses is the fact that it is difficult for me to have a positive feedback towards people. I know that I can be more accurate to give "OK, bravo, congratulations, well done, etc". So I am trying always to compensate that and I've used to say: "Try to take me as I am" and don't be disappointed because you don't have a big bravo each time you are doing something right.
Prepared by Liza Barzova, Good2Work Intern, on November 6, 2008
