I hope you had a wonderful summer. With September here, I’m excited about the « back to school » season – the perfect time to set the stage for thriving in the final quarter, learning from the past months.

In describing my work, I often use a metaphor: I help leaders spread their wings. Everyone has wings – some discover them early, often with support from those around them. Others may just need a gentle nudge. Are your wings fully deployed?

In this edition, we draw leadership inspiration from various fields: sports, the American Salvation Army, and Generation Z.

To ensure a smooth final quarter, are you charging your three batteries? Your mind, your body and your heart?  This is often the starting point in a coaching session. Most of the time it is the “mind” battery that my clients refer to. How do they recharge? Often, it is through meditation or reading a good book (NOT linked to work). However, in the professional arena, the other two are disregarded. And yet, they are just as important.

Here, I want to share some easy-to-digest gems for you to read, listen to, or watch..

The Enabling Leader with Léon Marchand from the Olympics

Discover the JOY of pushing your limits through the eyes of 4 times gold medal Olympic champion swimmer Léon Marchand.

“When I started competing, I was afraid of failing. Afraid of getting it wrong and not being up to the task. Through perseverance, movements repeated time and again, as I gained confidence, I managed to go beyond and make my dream a reality. And even though each start is a new adventure, I never forget what counts more than the final result, it is to enjoy the moment.”

How does this resonate for you as a leader? How and when do you find joy when leading? How do you stay motivated and ensure your team is too?  I would really be interested in getting your replies so that we can share these in our next edition. In the meantime I found this HBR article quite on-purpose. → Enjoy the read!

In this section, I encourage you to reflect on your leadership, and to put these tips in practice.

The authentic leader with J. Osborne from the Salvation Army

A special thanks to Dr. Ibrahima Fall for sharing a profound read on leadership by J. Osborne, an American Salvation Army executive. This text, dating back to 1989, offers timeless insights into authentic leadership. → Read the full text

A few excerpts:

💭 Reflect on which of these insights resonate with you the most and consider how you might apply them.

Here is a space where you will read about the journeys of leaders who have inspired me, like you. And I hope more people will look forward to hearing from you. 

The curious leader with Léa Gouider from the Generation Z

I met Léa Gouider in 2018 when I was heading the Talent & Leadership Development function at Nestlé Waters France. Our connection was re-ignited when Léa reached out a few months ago to “catch-up”. And we have been working together since.

What I find so inspiring about Léa is that she is extremely positive about everything. She has pushed me to develop my branding to heights where I would not have gone solo. She is a great partner in that she listens, challenges, sees the bigger picture and has the courage to step off the beaten track to craft her own track. She models what she asks of me and in doing so she empowers me to also craft my own track. Inspired? →You can connect and see her work