Why does a company director need training too? Because it's a job. Because it's a position. And few of them are prepared for it. Here's an analysis from Laurent Maisonnave, a specialist in corporate strategy.
A company functions thanks to a combination of human, financial, material and immaterial factors. The most important intangible resource, above and beyond everything else, is the skills of its manager, who represents the company to its employees, customers and other stakeholders.
His vision, legitimacy, know-how and interpersonal skills are essential to the success of his organisation.
Yet 85 % of business leaders do not make use of professional training. This was the finding of a Roland Berger survey in 2017, which has not been denied to date. This percentage is intriguing. Especially since everyone agrees that a company director must master technical skills as diverse and varied as :
Financial management
Accounting
Legal, tax
Management and leadership
Corporate strategy
Marketing
Project management
Communication
Business development
Add to that the soft skills that structure our professional posture. These are also known as soft skills or soft skills. Not everyone is born with these skills.
Every business owner is unique, and so are their training needs
France also has 4.5 million businesses. (Source: Insee, Ésane 2021). These include 4.34 million VSEs (with fewer than 10 employees), 160,000 SMEs and 7,000 companies with more than 250 employees.
Every company is different: its organisation and its teams of men and women are unique. So there are 4.5 million entrepreneursNo two are identical. Some are asset managers (owners), others executive managers (employees). And their challenges are different.
In short, there is little or nothing to guide you in your choice of position.
So how can the company director carry out this very special job, within the very special framework of his company? And how do they cope with the main sources of stress? Cash flow problems and bankruptcy. Especially if he's the owner.
As a general rule, his involvement is total. Sometimes too much.
Example :
This is the case of this manager, owner of his company in the north of France, specialising in very high precision measurement. He worked at weekends to deal with the administrative management of his organisation. He had forgotten about his wife and 3 children. The divorce proceedings brought him back down to earth. He realised that he didn't have to compensate for the shortcomings of his business at the expense of his personal life. So he trained himself and his colleagues, and reorganised everything. And he's seeing his family again.
Training is therefore a recourseeven - and perhaps especially - in the most difficult situations. Because training time is a time to breathe and take a step back. It provides an opportunity to exchange ideas, listen to feedback and hear other points of view. It allows you to strengthen your profession and rethink your posture.
Company manager: a profession and a position
By its very nature, the job of company manager is a cross-disciplinary one, covering the following areas 5 aspects of management or '5M'.
Man
Machine
Money
Marketing
Management (animation)
Above all, he asks us not to become a one-man band, i.e. an expert in everything. But rather a conductor. In other words, capable of writing, co-writing or following everyone's score.
Being a company director requires a wide range of skills
Some of these skills are :
- natural because they are linked to his personality
- acquired because they are enriched and consolidated by their professional experience
Other skills are to acquire because they are not suspected or neglected.
The role of the trainer-consultant
The aim is to train managers in the tools and methods that will enable them to think differently about the organisation and their own role...
This contribution can be enhanced by specific support within the company itself.
The aim is to apply the tools and methods, with the support of the trainer-consultant, to specific, sensitive issues, in complete confidentiality and frankly.
Example
When implementing the tools tested in trainingThis Loire-Atlantique business leader, who specialises in software for Industry 4.0, noticed :
"You didn't hesitate to challenge us and push us into analyses of the company and our business sector. We saw something different. Our ideas about the future of our company have broadened".
The leader's posture has a considerable impact on the company
Being an entrepreneur is a state of mind and an attitude which, as an individual :
- condition your behaviour
- impact your decisions
- affect the way you communicate
Collectively, these same states of mind and attitude also have an impact on the climate of your company, your personal credibility and the clarity of your business plan.
The manager is the reflection of his company. They are the driving force, but not the only one, of course.
The Anglo-Saxons call this "The Face of Business".
So how can :
- share your vision of the company?
- where do you stand?
- shift from "management by control" to "channelling energies"?
The answers can only be individual.
The starting point is the willingness to reflect on your professional practice.
Case study:
You find it hard to take time off work.
Stage 1 Ask yourself. This means agree to imagine yourself absent from the company.
Sample questions:
What happens if I'm absent?
How can I organise my business while I'm away?
Who can help me?
How can I protect myself?
Step 2: find solutions tailored to your context.
The answers: They depend, on the one hand, on the number of staff available and, on the other, on emotions.
Support for company managers through training
Support through training aims to support and develop the skills of the business owner. More specifically, it aims to complement their existing skills and ensure that they have the key competencies required for their business.
Skills that can be grouped into 3 categories :
1 - Entrepreneurial skills
2 - Interpersonal skills
3 - Self-management skills
1. Entrepreneurial skills
With them, the leader is able to :
- Creating an inspiring vision
- Developing a sustainable strategy
- Creating and adapting your organisation
- Stimulating innovation
- Managing economic, social and environmental performance
[Training]
Corporate strategy: analysis, diagnosis and deployment
2 key points:
- define a strategy based on the company's strengths, taking into account all internal and external factors
- learn how to deploy this strategy and mobilise teams to apply it
[They're talking about it]
"Training that provides a 360° view of the different business strategy methodologies. Excellent for getting started in this type of business!"
"The many practical case studies help you put the concepts into practice".
"Interesting and useful, the objective of the training is achieved."
2. Interpersonal skills
With them, the leader knows :
- Say things freely, without emotion
- Communicating your vision
- Stimulate, inspire and help employees to grow
- Deciding and asserting your decision
[Training]
Have you ever felt a gap between your words and your intention? Whether it's in a speech or in everyday interpersonal relations...
This course will give you the keys to :
- adapt your words to the profile of the person you are talking to
- develop your assertiveness
- strengthen your power of conviction
- express yourself with ease and get round sticky situations
[They're talking about it]
"I really appreciated the course, which gave me the language and attitude I needed to optimise my communication to suit the person I'm talking to.
"Good balance between theory and practical application. The concepts are well explained and accompanied by concrete examples."
"The training enables us to get to know each other much better and to have all the keys we need to move forward and communicate effectively.
3. Self-management skills
With them, the leader positions himself personally in order to :
- Be clear about your convictions, motivations, obstacles and values
- Coping with difficult situations by setting an example
- Accepting the different timeframes of your profession
- Protecting yourself (self, health, family, relationships...)
[Training]
Getting to know yourself better to develop your potential
Dare to be yourself and move forward!
Some key points:
- identify your personal resources
- moving towards greater authenticity
- escape from judgement and its limitations
- develop your charisma to open up opportunities
[They're talking about it]
"A course that provides tools for self-knowledge and self-improvement. Quality teaching content with exercises and interaction between participants."
"Very interesting tools for getting to know yourself better. Enriching exercises".
"A very rewarding course, perfectly delivered with great teaching skills and great energy."
The objective of support through training is clear: to harmonise the performance of the manager with that of the other stakeholders in the company.
Building the business owner's training project
Generally speaking, training for company directors offers a number of advantages.
- Taking a step back from your business
- Exchanging ideas with other managers
- Develop a more global vision of your business
- Be a source of inspiration for new dynamics
Of course, traditional problems will also arise.
- Who can replace the manager during training?
- How do you find the time to train?
- Which course should I choose? For what budget?
- And other, more personal obstacles.
We need to find answers to these questions.
Like anyone else, a company director needs support in drawing up a training plan. The trainer-consultant provides this support.
Who should you talk to about building your training project?
At ORSYS, SMEs are in contact with specialised advisors. More specifically, they have a dedicated contact person who answers their questions, helps them find the training courses that correspond exactly to their needs and helps them obtain the best funding.
As for financing training, there are solutions.
Here are some of the devices that can be used:
Le tax credit for executive training
Applies to all training costs incurred by company directors that fall within the scope of professional training.
Training insurance funds
- FAFCEA (training insurance fund for heads of craft businesses)
Who benefits craft companies that are members of the FAFCEA?
- AGEFICE (training insurance fund for commerce, industry and services)
Who provides funding for training courses for self-employed business owners/managers and their spouses or partners?
The OPCO (skills operators)
Which finance companies according to their training needs
Developing the skills of your employees is essential to the growth of your business. It's one of the things that every entrepreneur needs to be vigilant about. But it is important not to neglect it. A company director's training project requires a form of acceptance beforehand: that of reflecting on his professional practice or imagining himself absent from the company. These are the first signs of taking a step back. Freeing up your time, drawing up the programme and planning the training courses will follow naturally from this.
