Together to bounce back: Dorothée Baude speaks to BFM on crisis management

Reactive Executive, a leading interim management firm, also had to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. Through his expertise, he has advised and supported companies in need, in order to enable them to continue.

Reactive Executive, crisis management through humility, wisdom and adaptability

Dorothée Baude hello, you are president and founder of Reactive Executive, one of the leading firms in interim management, and we wanted to know how you are managing the crisis? What advice, recommendations would you give to the companies, to the interim managers you support?

Hello Jeanne Baron, so first of all, let’s face it, the first thing to look at is its cash flow.

This is the sinews of war and the leader must do everything to preserve it.

We therefore make an inventory of our various suppliers, we only keep the essential suppliers and we separate ourselves from the others while maintaining very good relations with them.

Then, we do collection with our customers, with a little more rigor, because we know that not all companies are in good financial health and can stop paying you overnight.

Furthermore, I recommend a more directive management with its teams, benevolent but directive, to set the course and that will reassure them. Teams need to know that there is a pilot on board even more.

At Reactive Executive, we had anticipated the week before the announcement of the President of the Republic, and had therefore equipped all our employees to be teleworked.

Because I remind you that the objective of the manager is to ensure the safety of his employees.

And so Dorothée Baude how have you been operating since this announcement, since confinement?

Since March 16, we have had up to 3 videoconferences per day at regular times with the Reactive Executive teams. The goal of the leader and his managers is to motivate, give energy to his teams, give them achievable goals, congratulate them for success, even more than usual, because we feel fear among some employees, so they need to be reassured. And we also have to know how to thank them because our teams have to be in a good state of mind.

This crisis is also revealing because we have talents in the company which are revealed even more and therefore the manager must rely on these employees.

In fact, we really have two types of collaborators: those who collapse and those who redouble their efforts, who are full of ideas. So it’s really interesting.

Jeanne Baron, I don’t see the crisis as a defeat. We hear too many defeatist people. On the contrary, we must look at the benefits of this crisis because there are opportunities and the company must adapt. You have to accept the situation. You don’t control your life. There is a wisdom behind it all. We know very well that our whole life is full of trials. And honestly, you come out of it bigger, stronger, smarter and then it teaches humility.

It’s a real apprenticeship so there’s no point in stressing it out.

Very well, Dorothée Baude, so what do you recommend to leaders to avoid stress?

I recommend meditation for some, or prayer for others, to disconnect because what we are going through is hard, and harder for some than for others. So we have to manage to emotionally detach ourselves from all that for a few minutes a day.

Also, you have to stay balanced. For my part, the first 3, 4 days I was a bit in shock, I lived only for the survival of my business. I barely slept, I no longer knew what brushing or makeup was! And fortunately, after 4 days, I took a step back and I was reassured about my business. I had made all the decisions I needed to make.

So I recommend to have a balance of life, to play sports. 15 minutes a day is enough and it feels good. For my part, I do it at the end of the day and then believe me you sleep very well! Crisis or no crisis.

And honestly, Jeanne Baron, the most successful companies are those that have a leader who has a good life balance.

If the leader is in good shape, his employees will be too.

Be careful, we are all doubling our efforts now, but that should not prevent us from taking care of ourselves.

In conclusion, Dorothée Baude, what message do you have for us?

Do not be influenced by the negative, turn off your televisions.

It’s time to rethink your business, to innovate, to make decisions that are pleasing and others a little less but it’s time to move forward and not the other way around. We have technological means that allow us today so why stop doing business. You have to adapt to change and be agile.

At Reactive Executive we managed to sign two assignments in the first week of confinement. Of course, we feel that the leaders are affected and need to talk and it is up to us to be more attentive, empathetic, to advise them and then, like everyone else, we make real financial efforts. and that’s normal. We must be united.

So to conclude, let’s not stop working. There have been epidemics in the past and people did not stop working. Of course, we are confined but let’s create value and surround ourselves with good, energetic and positive people!

Reactive Executive:
120 avenue des Champs-Elysées – 75008 Paris 01 82 83 40 91
Reactive Executive website
Reactive Executive’s Linkedin
Reactive Executive Twitter