I didn’t learn my first – and most impactful – leadership lessons in the corporate world.
It happened way before, at a catholic institution named Saint-Vincent Providence in Rennes, France.
I spent fifteen years there, from kindergarten to business school preparatory classes. It shaped me, nurtured my growth mindset, and filled my head with dreams and aspirations.
The Saint-Vincent school had started as an elite catholic school for boys in 1842. Over time, a breath of modernity expanded its horizons. When I joined as a four-year-old in 1970, the classes were now mixed-gender and religious education had taken a more subtle turn.
At Saint Vincent, I learned to appreciate how difficult the task was for teachers. What a challenging mission to transmit knowledge in a sticky and impactful way. Respect!
It was also the perfect place to experience various teaching styles and shape my perspective on which ones worked and which didn’t. Years later, I found similarities with leadership styles I encountered in the corporate world.
While many of the teachers only left me with vague memories, four types stood out to me:
The Tyrant
This style was still commonplace back in the seventies. Their modus operandi was close to: “Do what I say, or I’ll beat you with a stick.”
While such an authoritarian approach works for herding cattle, it provoked an almost allergic reaction in me and triggered a fight-or-flight response. These teachers created much resentment, and not surprisingly, my friends and I would retaliate by creatively finding ways to make their life impossible.
Our badge of honor at the end of the year was that we had survived and eventually escaped the tyranny. We owed any academic success to our sheer willpower and determination rather than the positive impact – or lack thereof – our teacher had.
The Encourager
While not as common as today, the encourager was growing back then. One of my physics teachers was fantastic at spotting strengths in every student and pointing them out. He quickly acknowledged that we were doing well and performing as required.
As importantly, he created a safe environment for us to experiment and fail, always encouraging behaviors centered around reflection, development, and learning.
Such encouragement helped me push my boundaries and grow a curious mind.
The Gamifier
I started learning German as my first foreign language at the tender age of eleven. Many French people learning German didn’t like it: hard-sounding, with complex grammar, and not widely spoken. I was quite the opposite. I fell in love with the language – or maybe it was my first German teacher: Frau Milbau.
So, what was so special about Frau Milbau? She made learning German fun! I’ll never forget our first classes with her. After explaining some of the basics, Frau Milbau split the class into three groups and taught us to canon-sing the song “Bruder Jakob,” aka Brother John,” or “Frère Jacques.”
After a few attempts, the results were surprisingly harmonious. I looked around. The whole class was charmed and now motivated to dive in and learn the language.
A few years later, my academic expertise in German eventually helped me get into my preferred business school more than mathematics or philosophy.
The Standard-Setter
I remember one person in particular: Mr. Guillet. He was my Physical Education teacher in the early eighties—quite a tough character, often grumpy, not afraid to tell you when things weren’t right.
Yet, Mr. Guillet always gave us a clear idea of what he wanted us to do by showing us. Whenever we’d fail at an event or training, he’d help us absorb the lessons and grow stronger. He’d be by our side, never missing an opportunity to remind us he believed in us, while holding us to higher standards.
Our field and track team achieved the best results that year, winning many medals and podiums in regional meetings.
Other than the clueless tyrant, the encourager, the gamifier, and the standard-setter taught me one major leadership lesson: the importance of establishing a growth culture.
Their focus was on helping us develop, learn, and be appreciative of the value of it. They accompanied us, yet let us find our ways to achieve excellence.
My engagement in these three disciplines – Physics, German, and Sports – skyrocketed as I felt more in control of my destiny, despite the inherent difficulties.
I was probably predestined to perform in these disciplines, but these teachers helped boost my success.
Although coming with radically different styles, each demonstrated essential leadership qualities I would later value in the corporate world.
These were my very first leadership lessons.
I trust you also have found that some of your teachers demonstrated strong leadership values and helped nurture your excellence in specific domains.
So reach out to them if they’re still around, and be thankful!