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After a colorful departure from the consulting firm, Christophe left for a company that was the world leader in classified newspapers. He went there to work for the VP Internet and set up new business models. “Everything was to be invented and I kept moving around the world during this period”. This only lasted 18 months because the company listed itself on the stock market on the day of the 2001 crash, which led to a restructuring. In any case, Christophe took the opportunity to forge a real international dimension and develop his ability to move things forward in a multicultural network. I know exactly what he’s talking about. It’s anything but easy to learn. But once you understand this, there are many environments and situations to which you can adapt effectively.

After this experience, he left by chance to work at the Caisse des Dépôts¹. First, he was very resistant to the idea of working in a large French-style administration. “I beg your pardon, but I’m not asking permission” was a somewhat disruptive philosophy for this type of administration. Christophe was finally convinced. He arrived without a defined position, which allowed him to create it. Any luck? He stayed there for seven years, meeting a mentor who helped him to develop personally, exercising management and discovering all the mysteries of public institutions, public/private relations in France and the successive frameworks in which action can be taken. “The laws of gravity are stronger than any effort I could make”: understanding the frameworks for Christophe was particularly structuring. What he had to do, he had to do in the sense of gravity. This too was a more than essential lesson for anyone who wants to create in this world.

It’s by recounting this experience to me that you finally realize that from diverse and varied experiences, there are few technical things to learn. “What we are learning is more about being able to be something, to actually refine our behavior”.