Stéphane Dubois,
Vice-Chairman, Human Resources, Food Packaging Europe
“About the work carried out by Krauthammer within the framework of the evaluation and training of our sales force (approximately 150 persons within Europe), I can only communicate my satisfaction with the advice and expertise provided throughout our “Sales Academy” programme.
Not only did Krauthammer listen attentively during the phase when we listed our requirements and then customise its training to our specific characteristics, but they have also shown great consistency in terms of the quality of the work delivered throughout the programme, which began 18 months ago.
The training content has been welcomed by the sales force as relevant and useful to their day-to-day work. This can most likely be attributed to the approach recommended by Krauthammer, which combines the “technical expertise” dimension with a more managerial element. Moreover, amid a context of fragmented sales forces from different backgrounds and social groups, Krauthammer has been able to take on board and transmit the company’s values. In this respect, its highly international culture has undeniably constituted an advantage.
In addition, I would like to emphasise that Krauthammer has demonstrated great flexibility in order to meet our changing needs over time.
I would therefore wholeheartedly recommend Krauthammer’s services to any company seeking to reorganise and re-energise its sales force.”
Stéphane DEDEYAN
General Director, Generali Proximité Assurances
Krauthammer has enabled me to detect the unexploited potential in the human capital of my company.
Their model is very powerful. It allows us to ‘decode’ inefficient situations, and construct solutions which work. Their approach is based on simple, practical tools which are both imposing, and easily memorable. No ‘lessons’ condemned to the bookshelf, thanks to the permanent commitment of their consultants to instill real change in their participants – thanks to their obsession with transfer into action.
On a personal level, my way of managing is more efficient and more serene these days. My collective management is based in a common language. I prepare better for key moments in my professional life – those for which the stakes are considerable. I experience these ‘consciously’ with the sense of gaining a real return on investment with respect to the time which I devote to them.
Fernando Perez Illana
Change Management Director, Atos Origin
Krauthammer helped us with an important challenge: aligning our sales force with the new Atos Origin development strategy, based on an added value offer for our clients, and converting our salespeople into respected advisors (client “family doctors”).
We chose Krauthammer from amongst several specialist consultancies and business schools because its approach was in perfect harmony with the needs we had previously detected. What convinced us in particular was its focus on behaviour, and how this can be changed through conscious effort, together with identification of the key factors for success in an advisory sales process such as the one we are aiming to develop.
Another decisive factor was the quality we observed in the Krauthammer team , a quality that, we soon discovered, was not only professional but also human. Their concern for maintaining a high standard in the training sessions, together with ongoing communication with us, was decisive in the successful completion of the project.
Finally, I would like to add that the ongoing support from Krauthammer at all stages of the training of our Account Managers, from detailed definition of training requirements and adaptation of the training model to suit us, not forgetting the follow-up between sessions until the final evaluation of the entire process, was a very valuable tool for achieving training of the highest quality, which has produced effects that can be perceived both by Atos Origin and by our clients.
Head of Portal Services, Bluewin
Since my last Krauthammer programme a while back I have been on other programmes, for example, I recently participated in a negotiation training following an American concept.
Every time I go on these programmes, I find myself thinking about the Krauthammer training, and sincerely want to thank and congratulate you and your colleagues. Like no other programme, Krauthammer managed to put across its content in metaphors which are present in my mind, or which I can call to mind, years after the training. Whether it be the neanderthal, the funnel, the power of silence, the last drop, emotional closure, the image of our negotiating partner, etc..no other training was able to anchor itself for me with the WHAT and HOW in such a way that I a) immediately understood it and b) find that it is still with me months later. I hope that your success continues and that your future is bright.
Marie-Françoise Kerhuel
Managing Director Editions Atlas
The individual coaching process seemed to me to be an interesting way of casting light on areas of progress (assessment) and of creating a personal improvement plan. The blend of theory and practice allowed us to understand better the sessions we had already completed (a deeper form of revision), and to practice whilst self-training (open questions). It also enabled me to make resolutions towards improved collaboration with my counterparts, particularly those in support functions. It enabled me to think about the ways in which delegatation and management style should be adapted to the different levels of maturity of staff. It prepared me to take on different roles. Coaching really helps us to change our attitudes, freed from an ‘intellectual’ vision of the world.
Pierre-Yves Legris
President of the Executive Board Groupe Legris Industries
My business experience has shown me that it is the managers who, day after day, through their actions and behaviour, transform a vision into concrete reality. But what can we do to act and behave in the right way? What can we do to progress, to improve? And where are my strong and weak points, in fact? The ‘leadership’ programme that I have just followed perfectly answers these questions, and helps me towards concrete implementation, by providing me with simple and practical tools which I can use on a daily basis. The training is delivered with a state of mind and a set of ethics which I share – this is indispensable, for a behavioural training, as far as I am concerned. Bravo, and thank you!
Pierre-Olivier Drège
Managing Director of l'ONF (Office National des Forêts)
The meeting with Krauthammer was decisive. A procedure based on a rigorous and demanding methodology with a clear method. The initial impression of ‘simplistic recipes’ dissolved immediately into the question: what am I going to do about this between now and next week, (the date of our next session). The method was embraced by consultants who were demanding, but who were always attentive, adapting their experience to the hybrid nature of our organisation - an EPIC (Public Industrial Establishment) is.
Pascal Rickenberger
President, OSRAM France
What most impressed you about Krauthammer?
Even before I became familiar with the training, I was positively struck by Krauthammer’s methodology, and the way in which they transmit information. Today, looking at the training programmes we put together, I am impressed by the rigour and competence of the corpus of Krauthammer consultants. I have never seen a consultant who was not at the highest level. The continuity of profiles is truly exceptional.
What in your view creates the uniqueness and added value of our approach?
There again, I would say that first of all, this lies in the persistence of the consultants, their rigour in both their methodology and in their follow-up. Next is the impact of the support material and pedagogical tools at our disposal: booklets, offsets, memo cards...Finally, what comes to mind is the unusually high response levels to the programme development survey we ran with Krauthammer. We succeeded in transforming this training programme into a corporate project. New entrants to our company, as well as established employees all apply the attitudes they have newly acquired through the programme. I have never seen such take-up and it’s a pleasure to witness.
How did Krauthammer revolutionise your professional practice and attitudes?
The training programme really helped me to take a distance and to observe myself more. I came to a better understanding of essential points such as delegation, and how to put them into practice with my colleagues. It’s the first time I have seen that. The content inspires me. Now I know why I listen, and that helps me to go even further. The training gives me the chance to step out of the ring, out of the ‘aquarium’, and to take a vital step back from things.
To what extent did the performance of Krauthammer surpass your expectations?
I succeeded in motivating all my colleagues on this project. Like a relay race, top management handed over the baton, the employees grasped it and are still running today with relish and motivation. My colleagues still come to see me regularly in my office to tell me how happy they are with the training programme we installed!
Which indicators of excellence do you find in Krauthammer?
The top level of the consultants! Unlike other organisations, where the quality of consultants can be variable, Krauthammer consultants have lived through what they communicate, before applying it. They don’t sell a point, they live it. Therein lies all the difference.
Why would you recommend Krauthammer to a professional contact or a friend?
I recommend Krauthammer because I am confident about the quality of the organisation and because I have the feeling of recommending something good to someone.
Anne Flierman
Vice President of the Management Board, Maastricht University
For all of our staff with a Management or ‘leidinggeven’ (leadership) responsibility, irrespective of whether this is in an academic or non-academic capacity, we are investing in a Management and Leadership programme following three basic elements of Strategy, Process Management and Coaching. This programme is now in its third stage.
A major objective of the initiative has been to optimise interaction between people and departments, between academic and non-academic staff, as well as fostering a better understanding of what the jobs of each entail.
300 to 400 people are involved in the programme across our faculties:
General Sciences, Arts and Culture, Economic Sciences, Medicine, Health Science, Psychology and Law.
Without wanting to be too bold, I would say that whilst it is not unusual for a university to invest in leadership training, it is perhaps more rare to involve everyone with project supervision responsibility.
Reactions? The non-academic staff, more used to being exposed to training and coaching, viewed the chance to join the programme as a privilege. Many of the academic staff were equally enthusiastic – especially those from the Economic and Business Administration faculty. One of our Associate Professors in the department of Management Sciences even invited a Krauthammer training consultant to her class. It is hard to say who was more nervous about the combination!
On the other hand the programme is obligatory and naturally we meet resistance. Where we do, it is based on the feeling that personal development of this type is irrelevant to academic activities, and furthermore, demands time (in this case, 6 days) which could be more profitably spent elsewhere - for example, in submitting articles. To this, we answer that the subsequent time gain, especially when translated into good staff coaching, will justify the time expenditure. To those who argue that they have already been on a training, we answer that it is vital to keep up. Others ask for ‘evidence’ that the concepts are sound. To this, the best we can propose is experience, and refer to example behaviour from colleagues in such areas as culture and leadership style.
Two major ‘agencies’ were considered for this project. Our request was that both should be tested over one day with an extremely critical group of university professors, including the Dean of Economic and Business Administration. After this, I wanted the staff to make the decision for themselves.
We selected Krauthammer because the company was very convincing in both presentation and performance, and displayed a good fit with our organisation. Their consultant confidently mastered our three fields of strategy, process management and coaching, and could be trusted not to get into trouble with a group of such critical professors. In terms of the Krauthammer philosophy, I observe a distinction in consistency of approach, and in the depth and extent of elaboration of the Human Capital Development model. I appreciate the fact that their trainers are fully embedded in their organisation, as opposed to the freelance proposition one meets elsewhere. Furthermore I had a positive experience of Krauthammer from my time as City Manager of Arnhem, when I attended Krauthammer’s Top Management programme at Lauswold. People at Arnhem are still talking about the programme Krauthammer ran there in 1999 – you made a big impression there
What I already see and appreciate is the level and amount of discussion the programme generates, both in terms of strategy, and in helping people to be aware of how they act, interact, and affect others
On a personal impact level, in my dealings with Krauthammer I have been impressed most by the way in which their consultant approached the issue of open questions. And I use what I have learnt both at work and at home, by the way. For example, when the kids want to go into town and we are discussing whether they should be back at 12.00 or 1.00 am, I find the ‘what do you propose’ solution very effective. I have also benefited personally in the areas of dealing with criticism, interaction with people, and keeping a discussion going – these things have developed from being tactics, to attitudes. Also very natural for me now is to ensure that people interact as a team.
I suggest that you keep to your philosophy and your business model, and certainly that you retain tailor-making. As far as this University is concerned, you succeeded.
