Leadership Without Storytelling
Commanding in the Army, facing reality with General Frédéric Gout
Hi all 👋
The more I move forward in my business, the more I accept who I am, what I do and above all the deep refusal I have to put myself into boxes and to put others into boxes. Boxes are reassuring, of course. They give us a sense of clarity and control, but they are also deeply limiting, because they trap us. They disconnect us from a very simple truth : we are all much broader than our job titles, much more complex than the roles we are assigned or assign to ourselves.
From Within was born from that need : a step aside. From my refusal to stay locked inside a financial world that loves technicality and models but sometimes forgets that behind every decision there are humans, tensions, trade-offs, courage or the lack of it.
Since last summer, I had in mind an episode with a General from the Army. Someone who has known fire. Someone for whom deciding is not an intellectual exercise but a heavy responsibility, sometimes irreversible.
I had the immense privilege to speak with General Frédéric Gout, Head of Human Resources of the French Army. An officer with a rich and dense career, from field operations to international, political and budget responsibilities within an institution that protects our country. I wanted him to speak not only about command but also about these very specific human resources : this invisible mechanism that allows an entire body to hold, to last and above all to transform without losing itself.
This discussion left me deeply thoughtful around questions of command, courage, pride and the silent responsibility that some choose to carry, while others prefer to hide behind processes or well-polished narratives.
Command
In the Army, as in our financial industry, there are no small jobs. Everyone contributes to the whole. And yet, we continue to glorify visible roles : those at the “front”, on stage, in the pitch, at the expense of back-office roles, support functions and those who work quietly in the shadows. The pride is the same, the meaning too. Glamour, however, is neither a condition for merit nor a sign of value. This is one of the observations General Gout shared when looking back at his time as an inspector.
What really struck me in this conversation was the place given to “Intention”. In the army, intention is not an empty word. It carries when the environment becomes unstable. In finance, it is the exact equivalent of an investment thesis. We find the same logic with mission-driven companies. When they act sincerely, intention truly shapes decisions, even in adversity. When it is “fake”, it shows very quickly. Failures almost never come from a lack of sophistication but from an intention that is missing or abandoned along the way.
Commanding, controlling, steering, correcting
In the idea of command, there is necessary control. Not designed to micro-manage, but to steer and correct when needed. And finally, to take responsibility for the outcome. How many recent failures could have been avoided if this chain had not been broken ?
FTX did not collapse because of a lack of intelligence or talent
Wirecard did not implode because of missing control tools
WeWork did not crash because of a lack of vision
In each of these cases, the same flaws appear : blurred intention, weak control, an inability - or a refusal- to take responsibility. In a slightly blunt way : silence, denial and the glorification of storytelling over reality. And the cost of silence is always massive : poor talent allocation, growing risks, loss of trust, destruction of value.
Courage and sedimentation
The General speaks about “Sedimentation”. This word deeply struck me. It says something essential : reliable decision-makers are not built overnight, there are no spontaneous heroes. That is not true. There are no credible leaders coming out of fast-track processes or prestige promotions. There are progressive responsibilities, digested mistakes, experience, repetition. Exactly the opposite of some patterns I still see far too often in our organisations.
And then there is COURAGE, managerial courage. The courage to say things honestly, to redirect a path when it is no longer right and often to expose oneself. It is a courage I deeply admire. It is neither comfortable nor always valued but it is essential.
Finally, there is this image the General mentioned: “the aircraft carrier moves forward”, even after a shock. The organisation continues out of necessity. It is a powerful lesson for our companies, which are too often paralysed by the unexpected or trapped in shock.
If you wish to explore all this further, here is the link to our conversation…
Preparing tomorrow’s war, not yesterday’s
I am writing this newsletter from the bottom of my bed… the ship still has to move forward.
If I take five minutes to summarise this episode, it speaks about scenarios, anticipation and preparation for the unlikely. About our ability to look at the world as it is, not as we wish it were: without fear, with confidence, but without naïveté.
That is exactly what I try to do every day in my work. And that is why this discussion continues to resonate with me, well beyond the hour of recording.