LEAD THE WAY

CERCLE DES DIRIGEANTS

LEADERSHIPACCELERATOR

PROGRAMBUSINESS

CLUB

You are Business Leaders.

You are decision-makers, managers and strategic actors, all combined in the same time and space.

You set corporate goals, communicate about the corporate missions and objectives, motivate the whole company and very often set the standards of the management models of your company.

Furthermore, you lead changes and reforms in the firm, manage growth, and several other eventual threats and opportunities.

CERCLE DES DIRIGEANTSBUSINESS CLUB The “Cercle des Dirigeants” targets Lebanese and regional leaders eager to apply high strategic schemes in their companies.

The “Cercle des Dirigeants” is an exchange platform with other people sharing the same interests and constraints. It’s an amalgamation between a Business Club and a training program designed to develop and coach the leaders in their vision.

This Business Club will allow Lebanese and regional leaders to meet in conferences, panel discussions and other various meetings to ensure a positive work dynamic and create synergies with Lebanese and international groups.

The “Cercle des dirigeants” Business Club is presided by Mr. Lucien Junior Letayf, CEO of Libano-suisse insurance company, and former Executive MBA member of ESA Business School and Harvard Business School.

A Business Club of dynamic and active decision makers, A Business Club with an international ambition A Business Club where Lebanese and foreign managers can interact outside the company.

During the year a lot of events are organized in order to meet, connect and network with peers:

AN HOUR WITH ...Access to international experiences through interaction with an International expert / leader, or sharing experiences with a CDD members

AFTER -WORK LEADERS GATHERINGSCasual monthly encounters in a friendly and informal spirit

THINK-TANK / EXCHANGE PLAT FORMWorking sessions between members around a topic raised by one of the members and which represent a common managerial challenge

To enter the highly selective Cercle the Dirigeants business club, the Leadership Accelerator Program is a must do… It will allow the Leaders to speak a common managerial language, have the same set of management values allowing them to have a common impactful goal.

THE STRUCTUREThe “Cercle des Dirigeants” training program allows participants to establish a new development vision of their company. This is made possible through a personal development of the leader’s personality and through a road map of all strategic questions related to the leader’s company such as governance, financial intelligence or the systemic approach of their institution.

THE OBJECTIVES Strengthen Senior Executives analysis and operational skills. Widen up the horizons of those attending the program by exploring, with the help of international specialists, themes and ideas that are likely to gain importance in the near future.

Get together Senior Executives in order to create a three-leveled network:On a national scale level, spinning links around a Lebanese common apprenticeship scheme.On a regional scale level, Senior Executives get together by enhancing exchanges.On an International scale level, offering to regional Senior Executives the chance to meet European entrepreneurs and prominent leaders willing to share their experience.

THE LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

MARIA KOUTSOVOULOU, PhD

Maria Koutsovoulou is the Scientific Director of the program and will lead module 1 on Strategic Leadership and module 5 on Systemic Approach of Organizations.Maria is professor of management and negotiation at ESCP Europe and ESA Business School. Her teaching areas are organizational behavior, leadership, consulting methods, conflict management and negotiation.Maria Koutsovoulou is a member of Mind-Lab (CNAM, Paris) and the International Association for Conflict Management. Her research fields are social process in negotiation interaction, decision making in an organizational context and social identity process in conflict resolution and negotiation.Since 1999, she has been working as a consultant on management and negotiation issues in various French and international organizations. Her main consulting areas are: Change Management (Chalhoub Group, France Galop, Yves Saint Laurent, CIH – Maroc, e-Laser, Emap)• Action-Training in Management and Communication (Chalhoub Group, GlobeMed Lebanon, Cora, Emap,

Palais des Congrès de Paris, France Galop, Ifcam, Solucom, eLaser)• Conflict Management and Negotiation (Emap, Palais des Congrès de Paris)• Knowledge Management (Vivendi Universal Publishing)• Team Building (France Télévision, Aéroports de Paris, France Télécom, CNRS, Ifcam, Palais des Congrès,

Yves Saint Laurent, Laser Informatique)• Management and Communication Quality Assessment (Port Autonome du Havre, C.E.A., CIH – Maroc,

Yves Saint Laurent, ADP)Maria Koutsovoulou holds a Doctorate in psychology from the University of Paris V with a specialization in social psychology, specifically the analysis of negotiation processes.

LÉON LAULUSA, PhD

Leon Laulusa will lead module 2 on Financial Intelligence.Professor Laulusa holds a Ph.D. in Management (Paris-Dauphine University). He is a French Chartered Accountant and an Associate Professor in the Financial Reporting and Audit department of ESCP Europe Paris campus. He is an ITP alumnus of Kellogg school of Management-Northwestern University. His teaching encompasses financial accounting, audit, corporate governance, management accounting and control, management practices in China.Professor Laulusa is currently Associate Dean for International Relations at ESCP Europe.His main research interests span from international financial accounting to the impact of national culture on firms’ management.Alongside his teaching and research activities, Dr. Léon Laulusa advises top management in strategic performance and finance issues in international environment. Previously, he was part-time lecturer at HEC Paris, Paris-Dauphine University, the Institut National des Telecommunications (INT). He served as a Partner in the Audit practice and after in the Consulting practice at Deloitte France and was former Managing Partner of the Consulting practice at BDO M&G for which he led various projects and consulting assignments in finance and audit issues at both national and international levels, and more specifically in Asian countries on behalf of large listed firms and governmental organizations like European Commissions and World Bank.

WALID CHINIARA

Walid Chiniara will lead module 3 on Governance and Family Business. Walid is a Partner at Deloitte & Touche and leads its Private Wealth division in the Middle East. He is a corporate finance lawyer, a family business advisor, and an accredited mediator, specializing in managing inter-generational conflicts within a family business context. He has over 35 years-experience across the five continents and has dedicated the last 20 years to serving families in business in the GCC and the MENA region, advocating succession planning, devising region-specific tools, and protecting wealth in the hands of next generation family business entrepreneurs.Walid first introduced family governance to the region in 1997 and has since presided over the first virtual multi-family office in the Middle East, having served to date over 95 families in business, controlling in excess of US$150 billion.

THE EXPERTS

This workshop is the induction to the Leadership Acceleration program and the first step towards the final Workshop of the program dedicated to the Systemic Approach of Organizations.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon the completion, attendees should understand:

• the nature of their links and relationships with their partners and shareholders

• their motivation as Strategic Leaders • their Leadership profile (their strengths and their

working areas)• their capacity to effectively communicate in different

contexts

PROGRAM

DAY 1 Fundamental functioning of leaders’ behavior in organizational context

• Introduction to the workshop• The best team game• Personal and collective communication profile • Strategic decision making and leaders capacity to

discernment

DAY 2 Strategic Leadership: Leader’s motivation and style

• Personal leadership profile• The leader as a part of a team : Belbin profile• Conclusion of the workshop

THE COURSES

The courses are extremely interactive, with a hands-on approach tailored for each new group of participants, and designed to invite in-depth sharing of personal experiences and active participation by faculty.

MODULE 1STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP:PERSONAL DYNAMICS

Managing effectively complexity: this is one the main objectives of the Leadership Acceleration program. Why complexity is important? Because complexity is a core part and the DNA of every organization.Why leaders should not be afraid of complexity and mostly should not ignore it? Because complexity when it is mastered leads the organization to sustainable success and development

In the current business context companies function more than ever as complex organizations and are in fact open systems within highly changing internal and external environments.Their success and sustainability require Strategic Leaders, in other words Executives, able to effectively manage complexity in the short and in the long run.

To fulfil this ambitious objective we propose as the starting point of the journey to this mastery to explore the personal dynamics of the Leader: the knowledge of yourself.

This workshop aims to allow participants to explore their personal dynamics in their role as Strategic Leader. During two days, participants will be involved in highly interactive sessions and at the completion of the workshop will come up with personal diagnosis concerning their motivations, the perceptions of their organizations, and their personal strengths as Strategic LeaderWe will also explore participants’ ability to create their network, to be smart decision makers and to perceive the hidden face of the relations that link them to their shareholders.

MODULE 3GOVERNANCE AND FAMILY BUSINESS

This workshop will celebrate Families in business in the region and will discuss their importance and their sustainability in the hands of future generations.

We recognize that running a Family business and protecting its underlying legacy in an evolving globalized economy presents new challenges and new opportunities.

In our region, family businesses are characterized by distinct core competencies that can result in unique competitive advantages.

This workshop is designed to highlight such advantages:

It will focus on your own experience as owners and/or executives within a family controlled business. It will explore the specialized knowledge and the skills unique to the effective governance of a Family business as well as address the underlying elements that secure the survival of business families and their legacies.

It will further introduce the concepts of Family governance and corporate governance enabling you to differentiate between their roles and the interaction between them.

Finally, and building on their separate roles, it will present the various elements comprising a Family business system. It examines the fundamentals of succession planning; the preemption of conflict and the management thereof within a Family business context.

Upon Completion, attendees will have a better understanding of:• The specific challenges of the business, Family, and

ownership group• The unique dynamics of Family business• The role of governance as a key competitive advantage

of Family business• The various roles and responsibilities as well as the

division of such roles of the Family, shareholders, directors and management

• How to Leverage the core capabilities and minimize the vulnerabilities of Family business

• The role and impact of globalization and the legal system on Family businesses

It is intended that this workshop be interactive. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and are expected to share their experience with the peers.

MODULE 2FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING INTELLIGENCE MODULE

As a business leader, analyzing, interpreting financial statements, investing, is an essential assignment. This will allow you to understand the impact of your decisions on financial matters and to find levers of action in order to increase or to maintain firm’s financial performance. Financial accounting intelligence module is designed to give you financial literacy.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESThis module will provide a thorough foundation in financial accounting with a business and management›s perspective. You’ll learn how to effectively decipher financial data in order to make better decisions and to be astute to identify drivers to improve profitability or return of your firm. You will explore the appropriate analysis for better investments decisions through the different valuation models.This module will demystify numbers, explain key concepts, and train you important frameworks and fundamentals.

CURRICULUM

ANALYZING AND DECODING HISTORICAL FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND ITS MAIN RISKS IN RELATION WITH THE FIRM’S STRATEGY• The translation of business model to financial

statements• Financial statements insight: balance sheet, income

statement and cash flow statement: their meanings, what’s behind the figures and the main questions to be asked when analyzing the key financial figures

• Business decisions’ impacts on profits vs cash • Business operating risk and profits • Strategic uses of financial analysis (working capital,

profitability and return, risk analysis )

EVALUATING OPPORTUNITY AND VALUE CREATION• Assets-based valuation methods• Earnings based valuation methods• Discounted cash flow approach to valuation• EVA approach

APPROACH• lecture and concept sharing in French and in English;• application with cases studies; emphasis on real-life

examples • participants could bring his financial statements for

discussionsbusiness and action-oriented learning and class discussions.

MODULE 4GLOBAL CORPORATE STRATEGY

Global Corporate Strategy is about formulating a link between the global vision-mission-goal-action and implementing the action to gain competitive advantage over the competitors both locally and globally. When this is done between HQ and subsidiaries for global companies it becomes a complex exercise for corporates. For this the corporation needs to assess the global and the local environments in which it is operating, take into consideration the industry dynamics find its resources and develop its competencies. Some of these competencies can then be converted to winning capabilities that will not only focus on the customer needs, but also evaluate competition and make choices. A choice involves risk especially in ever-changing national and international environments.

The risk becomes higher as the world of the modern corporations is being transformed. With the world becoming ‘borderless’ an imperative for corporations is to operate globally. Consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, outsourcing and network effects are becoming names of the game, be it the airlines, beverages, cement, telecom or the luxury industry.

Within this context, the study of global corporate strategy encompasses any problem or opportunity, in the areas of finance, production, marketing, information technology, and human resource management. This course draws from both the external and internal environment, the macro and micro economies of the firm and the exogenous and endogenous variable that are the drivers for the strategy making process. In addition to providing an understanding of the important general issues that face business managers, this module also provides students with specific and practical knowledge about how business is conducted in the region, and how western companies operate in this environment.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESObjective of the course entails understanding the following questions for each session:

1. How do we analyze the both the external and internal environment? Which strategy tools and fundamentals of strategy are interesting to understand and analyze the global corporation? Discussion on the pros and cons of frameworks of strategy process, strategy implementation and strategic actions related to global competitive strategy. Discussion on role of the state and competitive advantage of nations

2. Discussion and application of tools of strategy such as industry analysis, diversification, competitive

strategy, growth strategy, value-chain analysis within the context of the cement and the luxury industry. How does one define MNCs?

3. What do ‘organizational structures’ mean for international firms? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using those structures in today’s hyper-competitive international arena?

4. How does one ‘manage change’ with people in this globalization regime?

5. How do country managers manage business in emerging markets? What are their challenges and opportunities?

TEACHING METHODSThe approach taken to deal with these queries will be managerially-oriented. We will use a combination of theory and case studies to build on and probe your contextual familiarity, analytical abilities and debating skills. To be an effective manager in an international environment you have to be aware of your own orientations, your values while learning to listen sensitively to others. This methodology will attempt to maximize your learning experience. In-class discussions and exchanges will be a critical part of the course.

PROGRAM

DAY 1 | SESSION 1

Introduction: Strategy Tools / Globalization & Strategy Imperative / Competitive Strategy / Value-chain analysis

Topic: Role of Environment

In Class Discussion Cases: Example: Play it safe at home, or take a risk abroad?

DAY 1 | SESSION 2

Organizational & Strategy Imperative

Topic: Organizing International Operations

In Class Discussion Cases

DAY 2 | SESSION 3

Managing Change

Topic: Managing change with People

In Class Discussion Cases

DAY 2 | SESSION 4

On the Move: Managing Business in Emerging Markets

In Class Case: Example: Where to launch in Africa?

MODULE 5SYSTEMIC APPROACH OF ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations are the stage of influences exerted by numerous internal and external elements.

Leaders, surrounded by a multitude of external (shareholders, partners) and internal players (Boards, heads of departments, managers) must take irrevocable decisions in a context requiring responsiveness discernment and great complexity management capacity.They must ensure sustainability and long-term performance and act in a reasoned and strategic way through an approach that integrates all the key elements of their organization.

In this purpose, their ability to take challenging decisions, to demonstrate discernment and to fully understand their own organizations are absolute musts for corporate performance and successful Leadership.

This workshop aims to initiate participants to the systemic approach of organizations, an approach that mixes hard and soft elements, that gives an exhaustive view of the organization and that allows to establish successful plans of action.

After the presentation of the systemic approach framework, the participants will proceed to a diagnosis of their organizations and construct their plans of action. Moreover, a co-development session will allow them to work on their discernment ability and to step back and perceive the reality of their main challenges.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESUpon completion, attendees should understand: • Their organization as a dynamic system• The equal importance of all the key elements of their

organization • The subjective bias embedded in their decisions and

perceptions of their organization• Important strengths and weaknesses of their organizations • The way to leverage the strengths and improve the above

weaknesses

This workshop is intended to be interactive. Through the approach of co-development, participants will share their experience with the peers. Case studies and simulations are also part of the pedagogical approach.

ADMISSIONCRITERIACEO of a Lebanese or regional corporation Obtaining at least 2 endorsements from previous CDD members

APPLICATIONPROCESSFill in the application form on: http://cercledesdirigeants.esa.edu.lb/Meeting with members of Cercle des Dirigeants

DAY 1

STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING AND PERFORMANT ORGANIZATIONS’ KEY ELEMENTS Decision making process: decomposition of a multidimensional process Strategic decision making in organizations Introduction to the systemic approach of organizations Examples of successful and failing organizationsSelf-diagnostics through the 7S systemic approach

DAY 2

CO-DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS AND PLAN OF ACTIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND PERFORMANT ORGANIZATION Co-development session (or a different way to consider your professional concerns and challenges)Plan of action based on the 7S approach applied to participants’ specific organizations Key words: Systemic approach, environment, complexity, values, structure, organization, decision, subjectivity, interest, shareholders, stakeholders, performance, sustainability, leadership

AN AMAZING STUDY TRIPWhen images speak more than words….

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