This is one of the lessons that Alan Katz, Paris Bureau Chief of Bloomberg News, shared with the Women In Finance France community, in partnership with CFA Society France.
Twenty years of investigations into corruption and money laundering, facing CEOs, regulators and political leaders to shed light on a decisive subject, as it is a lever of daily impact and influence in our lives as leaders: leading demanding conversations, deciphering what is not said, identifying weak signals.
Several messages particularly resonated with our audience:
✏️ Preparation has no shortcuts. Writing your questions by hand, repeating them out loud until you make them your own: this is how you control apprehension when facing a CEO or a political leader. No tricks, work.
✏️ An exchange that goes both ways. If someone gives you their time, it is because they find, or must find, an interest in it. Arriving with recent information to share creates a balanced relationship.
🛗 The path to the elevator. Once the interview is over, everyone steps out of their role. This is often where the barriers come down, where Alan asks the tough questions and where the most honest answers come. On the importance of face-to-face meetings.
✏️ Insist, then shut up. Faced with elements of language, ask the question again and reframe with kindness. Then let the silence work: few people can stand it, most end up filling it.
✏️ Dig when you are told there is nothing to see. Stay curious, especially when everything seems to be going well. The weak signals are often already there, visible to those who know how to take a step back. One more question, an offbeat look: this is often where the anticipation begins.
Asking the right question, hearing what is not said, not giving up: journalistic reflexes which, for a leader, determine the finesse of their decisions and their ability to lead with impact ✨
🙏🏻 A huge thank you to Alan Katz for the generosity and frankness of his sharing, as well as to Kenza M. and CFA Society France for this co-organized evening!
Women In Finance France
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