François Bloch, CEO BRD Groupe Société Générale: “It is extremely important to be open to new ideas that can come from anywhere in the organization, not just from managers”

“The solution to the current crisis depends on all of us, on the way we think about ourselves, but also on those around us. It depends on our discipline and solidarity, especially on how we protect ourselves and others from the virus. Through an extraordinary mobilization, we will make the year 2021 better than the current one, coming out of the health crisis and thus allowing the recovery of the Romanian economy,” François Bloch, CEO BRD Groupe Société Générale told The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“Crisis situations often come unannounced. That is why it is important to anticipate and plan, to think in advance, to create suitable solutions for a possible crisis situation, to know how to use, in such situations, the lessons learned in previous situations and to have a strong team, which you can rely on at any time. It is also extremely important to be open to new ideas that can come from anywhere in the organization, not just from managers.”

What leadership skills do you find most useful in the current changing work environment?

There are six: anticipation, planning, creativity, flexibility, professionalism, and delegation.

Crisis situations often come unannounced. That is why it is important to anticipate and plan, to think in advance, to create suitable solutions for a possible crisis situation, to know how to use, in such situations, the lessons learned in previous situations and to have a strong team, which you can rely on at any time. It is also extremely important to be open to new ideas that can come from anywhere in the organization, not just from managers.

Which are the empowering mindsets for building the sense of meaning & purpose, both for employers and employees, to keep each other engaged in reaching the business objectives in 2020 and in the next year?

Whatever the context, we should keep in mind that we are a bank, a key institution, with a huge “footprint” in the country’s economy and society, on which depend thousands of jobs, business development, be they SMEs or large corporations, or the realization of various civil society projects that we support. The bank helps people to collect their salaries, to pay their utility bills, to buy with a card, to save for their children’s education. That’s why we have a huge responsibility to our customers that we either credit or keep our savings safe or to whom we offer payment services. This responsibility is actually the main motivation that a banker has in his activity – to make things better for the client and for the company.

What should be a CEO’s and leader’s power message on business resilience conveyed to peers, partners, and employees for 2021, in order to enhance the trust and commitment?

 The main message should be about commitment: to customers, partners, institutional stakeholders, employees. Difficult moments have always been overcome through collaboration, professionalism, and mutual trust between all these categories. The Romanian banking system is robust, well capitalized and, despite all the difficulties, we remain present and support our customers.

Which are the current concerns of a CEO / leader in 2020? Which are the hopes for 2021?

The main concerns are, of course, related to overcoming the crisis, preserving the company’s financial fundamentals, and securing the future. It is a complicated period that our generation has never met before. The solution to the current crisis depends on all of us, on the way we think about ourselves, but also on those around us. It depends on our discipline and solidarity, especially on how we protect ourselves and others from the virus. Through an extraordinary mobilization, we will make the year 2021 better than the current one, coming out of the health crisis and thus allowing the recovery of the Romanian economy.