Cédric Parentelli: The Power of Authentic Leadership
This year’s Ambassador for the dss+ Leaders Making a Difference initiative, Cédric Parentelli, discusses his thoughts on why he believes teamwork, happiness and the ability to win hearts and minds are go-to leadership attributes.
Cédric Parentelli
Managing Director, dss+
Q.
Why do you feel it’s important to continue to share experiences that highlight the benefits and challenges of leadership roles?
Sharing both good and poor experiences, as well as the challenges we all face at some point in our journey, helps everyone to learn, develop and progress. Certainly, whatever leadership role you are in, you first need to win the hearts and minds of team members. If people understand what you are trying to achieve, why it is important and how it contributes to the bigger picture, they will be more invested in their role and feel a sense of fulfilment for the work accomplished. A happier and more involved workforce achieves much better results for the team, the department and, ultimately, the organisation. Leadership engagement plays a fundamental role in achieving this.
However, the ability to win hearts and minds doesn’t always come naturally. Leaders often start out with great intentions, but things don’t always run smoothly. Particularly if the time and effort aren’t taken to understand what makes a team tick, or what makes them happy in their role. Sharing our experiences helps us recognise that, even if we have the greatest intentions, people may see things in a different way. So, it’s important to continue to work on the personal skillsets that make us better leaders and be open to learning from different ideas and experiences.
“A happier and more involved workforce achieves much better results for the team, the department and, ultimately, the organisation.”
– Cédric Parentelli, Managing Director, dss+
Q.
You’ve led some large-scale transformation projects. What lessons can you pass on to others looking to take on such a role, and what are the critical skill sets required?
I’ve learned that taking the time to listen to people is the most essential skill set. We don’t always have to, or should, agree on everything with everyone, but giving the opportunity to allow people to express their opinions is key. Listening and understanding someone else’s position is vital to move a project forward. Team members need to have the confidence and space to express any concerns, frustrations and feelings. Helping to overcome any fears or just being present and listening is often all it takes.
The second skill is learning to be yourself and not trying to be someone you are not. Personality clashes within a team can occur, but if you are genuine and honest people will come to value who you are.
It’s also essential to acknowledge personal weaknesses. Large-scale transformation projects often present situations in which different countries and cultures are involved. I’ve found that apologising in advance for any actions or words that lack cultural awareness helps reduce any misunderstandings or tensions early. Don’t underestimate the power of being genuine and authentic when you need to diffuse tricky situations.
Q.
Where do you stand on learning from failure and how important is it for leaders to develop the right level of resilience to face the knocks and shocks they are likely to encounter?
Firstly, I’m not a fan of focusing on failure. I prefer to put the emphasis on learning fast from mistakes made. Just because something doesn’t work immediately doesn’t mean we should throw ideas in the rubbish bin and label them as failures. When you embark on any large-scale project, the roadmap should act as a guide not an exact blueprint. So when a process doesn’t go exactly as planned, we need to pause and take a breath. What can we learn? What ideas do team members have? How can we put things back on track? Sometimes, just a tweak or adjustment is needed. It’s not always about scrapping the project and starting again. But it is important to keep the end goal in mind, making small shifts and adjusting fast. A team will always be more successful if it is encouraged to focus on the ultimate goal.
“Success can’t be achieved without people.”
– Cédric Parentelli, Managing Director, dss+
In terms of helping to face the inevitable knocks and shocks, careful front-end planning adds enormous value. However, there must be a balance between too little and too much planning. When we embark on any business transformation programme or large-scale project, there needs to be room to adjust along the way. This is more difficult when we over-design plans or don’t plan enough. It’s about getting that balance right.
Q.
Is performance as a measure of leadership success still relevant? If not, how should success be measured?
Success can’t be achieved without people. There is no “I” in team for a reason. A good result is down to how you lead, empower, and trust the team. No one person has all the answers, and each project will have different objectives. As a leader, you may be able to articulate those objectives, but to lead a team you need to adopt an approach that builds on the strengths of individual team members, rather than pointing out weaknesses.
Personally, I have always found empowerment and trust much more effective than micro-management. That doesn’t mean you can’t give constructive feedback to individuals, but you need to do so in a positive way that instils the confidence to grow. Find a person’s sweet spot and encourage them to improve and develop their professional potential. This ability to mobilise and energise your team to meet set objectives is the true measure of good leadership. When a team is happy, they will support you even in the most challenging situations.
“When individuals have the same objective they no longer work in isolation, they work for each other. This is the most productive way to improve outcomes.”
– Cédric Parentelli, Managing Director, dss+
Q.
Finally, what key takeaways would you give to those looking to strengthen and improve their leadership skills?
One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to focus on teamwork. When individuals have the same objective they no longer work in isolation, they work for each other. This is the most productive way to improve outcomes. Also when mistakes happen, don’t play the blame game. A good leader will support individuals so they learn fast when things don’t go exactly to plan.
Giving a team confidence and empowering them to make decisions is a better learning platform than requiring them to cascade every decision up to the top. Equally important is being open to questions and debate that help them make the right decisions and take the right actions. This includes acknowledging when things are not working, taking a pause to understand why, and resetting before moving on. Having the courage to take such risks is part of the process for both leaders and team members.