Isabelle Saladin, serial entrepreneur, founder of I&S Adviser, shares his experience. She has learned a lot in the United States. Episode 4 : the imperative of enforcement.
The Silicon Valley where I did my studies and where I started to work, taught me one fundamental thing : if the Americans are so powerful in terms of enterprise creation, it is because they are focused on the execution, that is to say, on the implementation of the strategy, where the French coming to the meetings to discuss on-going strategy. It must end the denigration of the execution of this side of the Atlantic, because it is she that ensures the success of a project. We want to show that we are capable of thinking, that is fine, but to execute the plan, it is much more effective.
“Adopters” and “thinkers”
It is thus during my studies that I am appropriate with this state of mind who is interested in the results obtained, and not how to achieve them. From my first internship, I was immersed in the bath : I was preparing the presentations and speechs of the founders of a start-up, and the only thing that my managers wanted to know, this was not where I was, or how I took, but what results I got.
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In this country of “adopters”, we do not discuss eternally, it is to get results. There, those who are progressing quickly professionally are those who do it with a lot of talent, and not those who think the most. So I learned to be efficient and malignant in how to implement the plans you asked me to run.
conversely, the through a lot of French people, including contractors, is to talk instead of act. This is what struck me when I came in France to the journals of the teams on behalf of american companies in which I worked : there were a lot of meetings and committees to discuss “how” to do what I had said, and nobody really cares to know if the result had been achieved or not.
Of the time, a plan, and indicators
I learned to always comply with the three points – and I apply of course in my company, I&S Adviser :
– a time for reflection, a time for analysis and a time for the execution, and especially to ensure that they do not mix ;
– stop an execution plan that includes a start date and an end date, and stick to it – the execution time is not that of reflection ;
– the implementation of performance indicators (the famous KPI) to measure the results obtained by applying the defined strategy, as I am throughout the execution phase.
Two other good practices are important :
– share the plan with the teams, so that they know what they have to do, when they need to do and in what timeframe ;
– structuring his business so that it is able to roll out the plan.
For example, when I created I&S Adviser, I first thought about how to implement this new business in France, realizing very quickly a “proof of concept” to validate the need from start-ups, SMES and companies in the CAC40 that I did not know. Once this step is completed, I advanced, and I went to the run to obtain results, without back.
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Books entrepreneurs
“The courage to say, is an asset in business” Entrepreneurs, if they stop to say : “I’m not doing this for the money,” “fear, an ally for the entrepreneur”
Develop a company does not request so or have a great product, or have a strategy brilliant : it must, first and foremost, it is the ability to execute on its vision. An entrepreneur needs to know to be an actor of his business and not just think its project. Then the French will become as effective and formidable a business as the Americans.