Welcome!

What got you here won't (necessarily) get you there?

' In today's VUCA world, to make a successful business, you need money, technology and people. Money is abundant. Technology is available everywhere. Leadership is in short supply. The good news: you can create a culture to attract good people and you can develop them.

Leadership is not the sole preserve of a happy few at the top. Personal leadership at every level and in every role makes a huge difference in an organization's performance and value. Purpose-led, effective, courageous, authentic leadership emerges at the convergence of outside-in leadership, dictated by external requirements, and inside-out leadership, inspired by a deep purpose.

When things get more complex, when events accelerate, it is essential - and somehow counterintuitive - to stop and think. At each step of a leader's career, new situations arise. They call for a new approach. A pause is needed.

I help leaders to run organizations effectively and ethically, using coaching, consulting, facilitating and mentoring techniques. I help executives, top teams and leaders to pause and decide how to best adjust their beliefs, behaviors, and practices with their organization's strategy & vision.'

Olivier S.E. Courtois

Download my latest whitepaper!

Leadership: The Power to Transform Lives

Our world will be radically different 10 years from now! How will you lead it? -

Who is Olivier?

30+ years of leadership experience on 5 continents.

Olivier has 30+ years of experience in leadership transformation with practical and theoretical background.
He has worked with High Potentials, Executives and C-suite levels in assessment and development projects.
He worked for several corporations including Center for Creative Leadership and Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm, synchronizing strategy and talent to drive superior performance for its clients.
At Korn Ferry, his last corporate position, he was a Partner, and Director of Korn Ferry Advisory Belgium & Luxembourg.
He was part of the Global C-Suite Development Practice and an EMEA co-leader of the Executive to Leader Institute.
He is a certified executive and team coach by Korn Ferry. He also has a vast experience in executive assessments.
Olivier has worked with leaders in and from the 5 continents. He is culturally sensitive, uses English and French in his interventions, and has knowledge of Spanish and Dutch.
Olivier speaks from experience. He has led, been led, advised leaders and has faced transformational challenges both professionally and personally.
He is known for his insights, energy, and authenticity.
Throughout the years, he has also developed a global network of professionals whom he knows personally to respond to your needs.

Olivier's Services

- Top Team Performance

Team diagnostics and improvement process using a blend of the best team models on the market. Olivier uses a team diagnostics measuring 11 criteria with a blend of online surveys and interviews. The team improvement process spreads over a 6-month to 12-month period.

- Executive Coaching

Olivier has more than 1,000 hours of coaching practice and deals with leadership questions 1,500 hours per year. He was certified by the Korn Ferry Institute and he is a member of EMCC. His approach is systemic. He considers the leader in his/her environment and works on personal, interpersonal and societal leadership. He works closely with the PBP network and is certified in their methodology (https://thepersonalbusinessplan.com/)

- Executive Retreats

With a thorough process, we support a leader in his/her transition into entreprise leadership. We help him/her define a leadership strategy away from the hustle and bustle of corporate life. Olivier believes in the power of a small development team and works with a few seasoned colleagues whom he trusts and knows personally to support the leader, from different perspectives.

- Future Executive Programs

We bring Senior Leaders and High Potentials together and facilitate a unique development process in complete alignment with your talent management processes.

- Leadership Seminars, Webinars & Keynote Speeches

Olivier has a very long and rich experience in facilitating workshops from one hour to several days. He also speaks in front of smaller and bigger audiences on leadership themes. He has done so with his own clients as via organizations such FTS-Global (https://www.fts-global.com/), People Smart (https://www.peoplesmart.fr/), CCL (https://www.ccl.org/) or EY (https://www.ey.com).

Olivier also uses digital technologies to provide on-line learning experiences (speeches, team or individual coaching, webinars)

- Diagnostics & Executive Assessments

Olivier has a long experience in diagnostics and executive assessments. His certifications and practice include: DISC, MBTI I & II, CCL Assessments, CCL Change Style Indicator, FIRO-B, Korn Ferry Leadership Architect, 360° Voices, Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential, Hogan, viaEdge(learning agility), Hay McBer Leadership Styles, Korn Ferry Executive To Leader Institute (ELI), Korn Ferry CEO succession practice, KSA (http://teamtelligent.com/)

- Leadership Culture & Change

Olivier works on change projects with direct clients and via change consultancies, on the process as well as on the behavioral sides of transformations. He is certified in the ExperiencePoint simulation.

References & examples of projects

Herunder a sample of my most recent projects:

Coaching

The MD of a major Global Industrial group, one of the key executives of the global association (Geneva), with the next CEO of a major airline in the Middle East, with the COO of one of the major global aerospace companies, with the CEO of a global FMCG company, with the MP of an Investment Fund, with the GM of a German investment bank.

Executive assessments and 360°

C-level in real estate, Senior Executive in a Belgian bank, top management of LifeSciences company, top management of a Danish industrial group.

Facilitation of LD programs

Strategic Account Executive leadership program (global program for global industrial player) in Europe, Asia, US and Latin America, High-Po development for major FMCG company in Europe, Middle East and China, LD of executives in a major French bank, High Potential development in a Consulting firm ...

Change projects

A change project with the Executive Team of a Swiss Industrial group, the transformation of a business model in a Global FMCG group, change of a service industry after M&A, HR transformation project in a major Financial Services company with global footprint ...

References available, confidentiality permitting.

Olivier's Vision, Purpose & Values

Vision

I believe that purposeful, ethical, and effective organizations or networks are the most powerful lever to transform the world into a thriving, inclusive and human place. Creating and leading those organizations requires leaders and people with intelligence, energy, and ethics.

Purpose

I guide leaders through a journey of transformation to unleash their full potential and augment their positive impact on their organization and society.

Values

I value freedom, continuous improvement, learning agility, ethics, authenticity, openness & respect.

How does Olivier operate?
Olivier's leadership point of view

" ... There is no developed leader in an underdeveloped self ... "

Personal and professional challenges have helped Olivier shape a compass for life. A compass that he endeavors to use for himself and to share with others. Strong agility and resilience help him to serve his clients timely and effectively.

Leadership development is closely linked to the strategic orientation of an organization as well as by its culture. But it is, first and foremost, intimately linked to the person. There is no developed leader in an underdeveloped self.

Each stage of leadership development requires a different blend. A first time leader, a middle manager, a VP or a CEO have different needs. What they have in common, is the need to pause while things accelerate and complexify.

Leadership development starts with Personal Leadership: it focuses on exploring traits, drivers, beliefs, values, experiences, leadership behaviors, potential derailers.

It continues with Interpersonal Leadership: how does the leader build trust, connect with, impact, inspire, convince, support, challenge, his or her internal and external stakeholders?

Finally, it focuses on Societal Leadership: how do you use your leadership to serve a greater cause? How do you serve your different stakeholders? Starting with your own organization. How do you help your organization define and/or achieve its purpose? How do you meet shareholders’ or funders’ expectations? How do you bring value to your employees? And how do you impact and serve society?

Tools & methodologies

" ... I am not dogmatic when it comes to tools and methodologies. I use what suits the situation, and the leader or the organization ..."

Olivier uses multiple models, tools and methodologies. He is certified in several of the most commonly recognized instruments.
He places the person at the center, but has a systemic approach and carefully considers the interdependencies between the individual, and its context like organizational culture, role, org charts, strategy, stakeholders and markets. Olivier can navigate from individuals to teams to systems and vice versa.

Leadership development aims at accelerating the learning process along the 70/20/10 line:

10% of learning comes from theory. It is, therefore, essential to focus on the relevant theory.
20%, from meaningful conversations. Proper leadership development, needs to ensure those conversations are set up properly.
70%, from practice. As we know, 10 years of experience sometimes means 1 year of experience repeated 10 times. Leadership development must guide towards the right experiences and help make the most sense of them. To accelerate experience rather than repeat it.

Cultural diversity and languages

Olivier has worked on 5 continents with leaders of all cultures.
He has taken part in different Diversity & Inclusion projects. He energizes and inspires beyond cultures, races, religions or genders.
He has developed a global network of reliable professionals across borders.
Olivier intervenes in English and French.
He also speaks Spanish and Dutch and has a basic knowledge of German.

Get in touch

Olivier S.E. Courtois
Brussels, Paris, London

+32 497 469 516