Philippe Warnery Looks at 3 Essential Tools that Every Leader Should Use

Philippe Warnery
4 min readDec 4, 2019

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Philippe Warnery Looks at 3 Essential Tools that Every Leader Should Use

When it comes to tools, architects rely on scales, laser distance meters, drawing storage tubes, and fraction calculators. Electricians rely on wire strippers, power drills, pliers, and of course, beloved labeling machines. Professional athletes rely on protective gear, performance equipment, weights, and sports drinks. What about leaders? They also need the tools to inspire, direct, and coach their teams, and elevate them to the next level.

While the list of leadership tools available is vast and growing, according to Philippe Warnery, a global strategic executive who has worked 25 years in Luxury goods, among the most vital for success are those that target effective collaboration, the ability to perform under pressure, and resolving potential blind spots.

Effective Collaboration

For leaders — both aspiring and established — the importance of effective collaboration cannot be underestimated. Indeed, the conventional command-and-control style of leadership has given way to a dynamic sense-and-respond approach where collaboration isn’t just helpful, but it’s the difference between success and failure; and in some extreme cases, catastrophe.

Philippe Warnery comments that each organization that disappears from the business landscape has a unique — and always painful and regrettable — path towards extinction. However, what all of them have in common, regardless of the sector, industry or marketplace, is a severe lack of collaboration. This doesn’t mean that people weren’t conversing. It’s that they weren’t connecting and fully exploiting their combined knowledge capital and resources.

Recommended Tools for Effective Collaboration

Two of the most popular tools that leaders can use to improve their collaborative capacity — and those of their colleagues — are the IHHP Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessment, and the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

The IHHP EQ Assessment helps leaders measure and develop their collaboration skills, alongside other crucial personality elements such as the ability to navigate change, promote innovation, and identify and support transformational leaders. The MBTI helps leaders identify their innate personality strengths (or “preferences” as some prefer to call them), and at the same time highlight potential weaknesses and areas of improvement. These insights can be used to improve collaboration skills, as well as many other traits and characteristics that support ongoing professional success.

Performing Under Pressure

When things go wrong — which is a matter of when, not if — leaders need to have the fortitude and the resources to stay cool under pressure, and make smart decisions that align with organizational priorities, relevant circumstances, and of course, fundamental ethics and values. Checking all of these boxes is extremely difficult; especially for relatively new leaders who need to make snap judgements to exploit opportunities or, just as often, avoid or mitigate potential disasters.

Philippe Warnery says that performing under pressure is arguably the most difficult skill for leaders to master. Leaders need to be extremely self-aware about their strengths and weaknesses, so they can proactively leverage the former and fortify the latter. Otherwise, if the situation is bad enough, they may not get another chance; at least not with their current employer.

Recommended Tools for Performing Under Pressure

Two highly regarded tools to help leaders perform under pressure are the IHHP Performing Under Pressure Assessment, and the Clifton Strengths Assessment.

The IHHP Performing Under Pressure Assessment is based on the core, research-validated view — one which many leaders will find quite liberating — that nobody performs better under pressure. As such, the assessment helps leaders understand and improve how they deal with things like criticism, stress, anxiety, and other pressure-triggers. The Clifton Strengths Assessment helps leaders identify when they’re at their best — and just as importantly, when they’re not. Organizations typically use this assessment as a team development tool, and as a way to establish that different people — including those doing the same or similar jobs — bring different strengths and perspectives, which is a benefit rather than a liability.

Resolving Potential Blind Spots

The most transformational leaders in business — as well as politics, academics, the arts, and every other space — aren’t those who exhibit flawless perfection. Rather, they demonstrate a remarkable sense of self-awareness that comes from being keenly aware of what they don’t know and aren’t good at; not so they can avoid these truths, but so they can improve upon them.

Philippe Warnery believes that what separates elite leaders from those that struggle to achieve their potential is that the former are interested and invested in leading themselves — which means they are constantly working on their blind spots so they can make a more valuable contribution.

Philippe Warnery’s Recommended Tools for Resolving Potential Blind Spots

Two excellent tools that can help leaders resolve potential blind spots include the Princeton MCG Leadership Blind Spot Assessment, and the Optimal Thinking Leadership Assessment.

The Princeton MCG Leadership Blind Spot Assessment helps leaders identify blind spots in four critical areas: themselves, their team, their organization, and their markets. The Optimal Thinking Leadership Assessment, which has been taken by hundreds of thousands of leaders worldwide, helps reveal potential weaknesses and blind spots. Of course, it also highlights strengths to augment and develop through further learning, training, and real-world application.

Not everyone is destined to be a leader. Philippe Warnery; however, says that by using these tools, leaders will be better-positioned to guide their teams successfully.

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Philippe Warnery
Philippe Warnery

Written by Philippe Warnery

Philippe Warnery is an entrepreneurial spirit that has been working in marketing/strategy for nearly 13 years. He enjoys marathons, family, and travelling.

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