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Education
is
much more than school. Of course I have learned in the
different schools
I attended. But I have also learned on the job, from
my travels, and
from the people have helped me become the
professional I (think) I am.
Schools
I
return regularly to the little country village 40 miles
south of Paris where I grew up. Everytime I stop by the
elementary school.
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I remember when our teacher took a few kids in
his car to go to the next town and buy some
books. I must have been ten years old. I don't
recall what we bought, but I guess my interest
in books
Later, I
remember roaming the streets of Fontainebleau in
between classes. I used to buy Time and Business
Week at the local magazine stand, and go read
them in the park of the castle. My math teacher
during the last year before the baccalauréat
was delighted when she could give a C+ or
better. That wasn't very often, though. I have
always wondered how she would have taken the
news that I went on to become an options market
maker trading volatility all day...
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When I
was 15, I decided I wanted a MBA. I am
still not quite sure why. Too many
Business Week(s) at a young age, or the
proximity of the INSEAD campus ?
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At any
rate, my parents accomodated my wish and
enrolled me at IFAM, a French-American
school in Paris, from where I moved on to
the University of Hartford in New England
18 months later.
Jobs
When I
was 15, I also decided I would be an
entrepreneur sometime (that must have something
to do with the MBA obsession...). So, I jumped
at the first opportunity. After I left Bankers
Trust, I set up a small business importing
promotional items from Florida. Life as a
businessman wasn't quite I expected. Of course
none of what I had learned at school really
helped. I did try to get back into the
"corporate" world after a while.
However I have not stopped working more or less
for myself since.
People
It's
important to be grateful. Even if the people I
wish to honor do not know about it. So, here is
my chance.
In a
circumvented way, my father helped me understand
that people aren't always what they say they
are. My finance professor, Demir Yener, once
told me that I would regret my days as a
student. He was so right. My boss at Bankers
Trust, Alasdair Haynes, gave me a few clues
about the value of information: "Don't
believe a word of what you read, half of what
you hear, and make up your own mind". My
neighbor-turned-business partner-turned friend
Didier Pouchard helped me accept myself as I am
(and a few other things). My colleague-turned
friend Cameron Beard taught how to be demanding
on myself so that I could be with others. My
co-founder at access2, now my friend, Dermot
Mooney helped me understand that there is more
than money in life. With access2, Liam
Fitzgerald, our chairman, and John King, our
lawyer, taught me how to survive under the
scrutiny of a board. Lately, Luc Rouach, from
Smallworlds, has helped me become much more
focused in my work.
I know
the above reads a bit like an Oscar night
thank-you note, but what the heck. To all of
you, I owe you !
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Extra
curriculum
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Skills
It's
pretty difficult to talk about one's own skills. I mean, how
can you be really objective ? I guess you can't...
If
asked "What is it that you bring to the organisations you
work with?" I would answer "Clarity and order".
By this I mean a cognitive bent, an ability to grasp and make
order of complexity quickly, a strong task orientation and a
results focus.
Listening.
Thinking. Doing. Most of my work has revolved around these
three core things. I am not sure which one comes first -- as
they are linked, all worth more combined than on their own. My
parents are still not convinced I can actually listen,
but hey...
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Travel
Cultural
difference is a concept I encountered fairly early on in my
life. Having lived in America, England and Ireland, I feel my
understanding of the world we live in is richer, more
complete. I also visited parts of Africa (Morocco, Kenya), the
Middle East (Saudi Arabia) and South-East Asia (Thailand,
Cambodia) not to mention European countries . Every time I
pick up a few more things I was missing before...
Languages
I guess I
am what one calls "functionally bilingual".
Depending on circumstances, I will work, think, write (even
dream) in English. Although my mastering of the language is
far from perfect, I feel equally at home in English and
French-speaking environments.
I wasn't
born like this, though. My father made me. He brought me to
New York when I was 11, and was very forceful that we (my
brothers and I) should master the English language as soon as
we could. Given my own background, and the fact that one of my
brothers has been living in the United States for over 15
years, I guess he succeeded.
It's
funny how some things come more easily in English than in
French. Business stuff, for example. That may be because I
have spent most of my working life in English-speaking
environments. But there must be more to this.
A
not-so-positive side effect : because English is so widely
spoken, I have this idea that learning an additional language
(Spanish, for example, couldn't be a bad choice) would be a
waste of time. I guess I need to qualify this : it would be so
tough getting to a point where I can speak & learn another
language like I do French or English that it is probably not
worth it. Unless, of course, I have to live somewhere like
Thailand, where they speak neither French nor English. Sad,
huh?
Banks
and me
Both
banks I used to work for have now been taken over (Banque
Indosuez by Crédit Agricole and Bankers Trust by Deutsche
Bank) and more or less dissapeared. I have never really made
up my mind about what to think of that...
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