Frixon & Guérin" Duo in Conference at ESC Clermont BS
This Monday, we had the pleasure of hosting Jean-Michel Frixon, retired from Michelin and author of two books about his management experiences, along with Jean-Christophe Guérin, former Manufacturing Director of the Michelin Group. They chatted openly about their time at the French tire giant.
ESC Clermont Business School is committed to nurturing a generation of ethical and responsible change-makers. With a focus on humanity, the school recently organized an event dedicated to transforming managerial practices. The gathering, graced by the presence of Jean-Michel Frixon and Jean-Christophe Guérin, aimed to underscore the importance of human considerations in management.
From a retired worker to a management speaker, Jean-Michel Frixon shares his career journey in his debut book, “Michelin, Matricule F276710.” Reflecting on his time at the well-known Clermont-based manufacturing plant, Frixon provides a firsthand account of challenging work and sometimes strained relationships with “petty bosses.” This candid testimony about management within the company caught the interest of Jean-Christophe Guérin, who was the Manufacturing Director of the Michelin Group at that time.
Recognizing the importance of feedback and understanding the challenges ahead for progress and better working conditions, Jean-Christophe Guérin suggested to Frixon to undertake a nationwide factory tour. The goal was to meet executives, share experiences, and foster a dialogue for a more thoughtful consideration of human aspects in management. This Tour de France, covering 15 visited factories, provided Frixon with a unique opportunity to reverse roles and document his experiences in a second book titled “The Worker Who Whispered to Executives.”
This unique shared experience took center stage in the conference led by this “unlikely duo,” a term they playfully use to describe themselves.
The Unlikely Duo: What’s the primary lesson from this evening dedicated to transforming managerial practices? Beyond a typical conference on management and leadership, it unfolded as a genuine testimony, offering a deeply instructive experience.
Jean-Michel Frixon, who initially wrote the book to share his professional journey with family, expressed his surprise at the warm reception from the Michelin group. During the conference, he candidly admitted that he had expected a more reserved response.
He then emotionally retraced the remarkable twist that this story took before delving into the Tour de France of the Factories organized with Jean-Christophe Guérin. This experience not only enabled him to collect candid and firsthand impressions from both workers and executives regarding management but also resonated significantly with his overall testimony.
In conclusion, he stressed the importance of words and how they can build up or tear down, heal or harm. This served as a reminder of their significant impact on the paths of both personal and professional growth for colleagues.
Before that, a special meeting with our students: On Monday, November 16, Jean-Michel Frixon and Jean-Christophe Guérin visited the school for an educational session organized by Brigitte Nivet, overseeing the “HR Development and Mobility Support” major and the Specialized Master “”Human Resources Management and Managerial Innovation”.
During this exclusive event, about fifty students who had read J.M. Frixon’s two books got to ask their questions directly to the guests.
As a school, we feel a responsibility to our students, the future managers, and the companies hiring them. We strongly believe that, beyond technical skills, adopting positive managerial practices is key for engaging employees and ensuring long-term success for companies.
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