Inside The Edge
About
The Executive Chair
The one question you always want to ask a successful person in a senior leadership role is “How did you get there?” In developing your own career, you learn more from hearing what worked – and didn’t work – from senior leaders and hearing their wisdom than from any other source.
We are embarking on a series of interviews with leaders who exemplify success for us. In their words are insights that can give you direction for moving your own career forward.
To read a summary, written by Michael DeVenney, of the past 12 interviews this year - click here.
| Maurice Guitton - Be Prepared to Put in the Time |
Bluteau DeVenney and Company (BDCO): What did you do to move to a leadership role?Maurice Guitton (MG) I started very young. Back then things were not like they are today. Nowadays everyone wants the big job right away, but years ago you had to get experience in smaller roles and slowly make your way up the ladder. When I graduated from university, I wanted to be in research and development, but I was told that I would need about twenty years experience in manufacturing before I could move into research and development. I accepted that and began my career at a ski manufacturing company in Europe. I started to move into higher management roles within the company until they decided to expand into North America. At that time they approached a number of us at the company to see if anyone would be willing to relocate to the United States to lead the development of the North American business. I was the only one that was willing to go. I accepted the job without any hesitation. I was only supposed to stay for a year or two, but I enjoyed it so much that I stayed for ten years. I then went back to France and was asked to lead another organization owned by the company. I stayed there until I was asked to move back to North America for a CEO position of a new company, which is the position I am in now. In moving to North America both times, I took opportunities that other people weren't willing to take. I took those opportunities knowing that it was going to be a challenge, but also knowing that it would ultimately advance my career. (BDCO): What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of?(MG): If you want to become a leader today, you have to be prepared to put in the time. You are constantly facing new challenges and globalization is stronger than ever. Ten years ago I was working less than today. I was still working hard back then, but with today's technology and advancements everyone has access to the same information at the same time. In order to be successful and stay ahead of your competition, you need to have great ideas and you need to be prepared to put in many hours of hard work to see those ideas through. (BDCO): What experience helped you the most in your career and why?(MG): My father and brother had a mechanical engineering business, which I worked at growing up. That experience helped me in many ways in the business I am in now, particularly when it comes to developing and building new products, or fixing any of the machinery. (BDCO): What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership?(MG): I have credibility with my employees. I am open and honest, and I expect them to be the same way with me. If there is a problem I like to know about it so that we can fix it as quickly as possible. (BDCO): What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role?(MG): I can't believe how fast the world has changed. I knew it was happening, but it is not until you are in a leadership role that you see how much these quick changes affect your business. (BDCO): What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role?(MG): Throughout my career I gradually climbed the corporate ladder, having increased responsibilities at each level, and now I can finally appreciate how it feels to drive a company. It is very satisfying to have the full visibility of the company, the market, and the customers, and be able to assess and measure the company's success. (BDCO): What is the biggest challenge you face in achieving results in your work?(MG): Selecting the best people to work for you. When you get those people you need to make sure that you provide them with best training and education so they full understand the business. Sometimes being completely honest with your employees can be difficult. If someone is not doing their job correctly, you have to be honest with them. However, you then have to help that person understand what you want. You have to make sure they understand their individual goal and the goal of the company. That is a challenge all managers have - getting the right people and training those people properly. Leading people is the most challenging part of driving a company. Also, globalization. New products are being created worldwide and new ideas are being developed every day. It is the smartest and fastest countries that succeed. Countries with lower direct labour costs can also pose a huge threat. We constantly have to be ahead of the curve, developing the most innovative products and producing them as economically as possible. (BDCO): What is your greatest opportunity/goal for providing value for your organization?(MG): The market for aircrafts is going to grow tremendously in the next 25 years. As many of the smaller countries around the world grow, they are going to need their own aircrafts. In addition, many of the aircrafts in use today are getting older and will need to replaced in the coming years. There is going to be greater opportunities for new aircraft products and we have to be smart to develop the right products in order to take advantage of this growth. (BDCO): What added support or capability would help you most in delivering on your goals?(MG): We have to do a lot of research and development, but we can not be the only contributors. We need financial support from the government to assist us in creating better products. Also, as I mentioned before, finding the right people is crucial. We need more technical experts in the field who are knowledgeable on the latest technology, and willing to upgrade that knowledge and training every year in order to keep up with the technological advances. That is very important in our industry. Think about where you are now in your career and what you can take from Maurice's observations. We would love to hear your comments about what are your key takeaways from our conversation with Maurice. Tell us your progress – we want you to succeed. ______________________________________________________________
Since 1988, Composites Atlantic Limited (CAL) have been present in both national and international markets. CAL is a leader in the design, testing, certification and manufacture of advanced composites for the aerospace, space, defense, and commercial industries. You can find out more about Composites Atlantic at www.compositesatlantic.com. |
