A wide range of tools
Systemic approaches, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Design Thinking, Scorecards… My work relies on a wide range of tools—many of which come from the human sciences—that I continuously adapt to meet the specific needs of my clients.
What techniques do you use most often?
There are several, but it all starts with a very simple foundation: active listening – to truly understand my client's situation. I do this by following my A.D.R.I. process, which is resolutely impact-oriented and therefore relies on specific goals, such as the GROW model (Goal, Reality-check, Options, Will).
Most of the time, I combine this listening with systemic techniques, such as PRO (Personal, Role, Organization), which I was trained in at INSEAD, and which helps me dig into my client’s challenges and connect the personal, professional, and organizational dimensions they share with me.
I may also, depending on the situation, use more intuitive techniques such as visualization, metaphors, or tools inspired by art therapy. It all depends on the context and the dynamic we're in with the person I'm coaching.
Where do these tools come from?
I am constantly learning, reading, and observing.
Some tools stem from recognized methodologies, such as positive psychology or design thinking, which I use in their original forms or adapt to my clients’ needs. I also sometimes create and discover new approaches by testing a different method with my clients that our discussion triggers. It’s a blend of proven and reputable tools, personal experience and expertise, and occasionally research and co-creation with my clients.
And what if a tool doesn’t work?
It’s simple: I adapt it or move on to something else. My role is not to impose a framework but to find what resonates best with my client.
For example, some clients prefer rational approaches, so I can rely on statistical tools, benchmarks, dashboards or scorecards. Others need creativity to unlock a situation, and in that case, I propose exercises like drawing, introspective writing, or role-playing for example.
The essential thing is that the tool serves the client’s work. If something doesn’t work, we adjust, explore, and keep moving forward. Once again, I’m not an expert in every technique, but I master their essentials. Above all, I stay attuned to what my client experiences when we use a tool. This allows me to adapt and, if necessary, revisit certain fundamentals—drawing on my own research, support from my supervisor, or discussions with peers who are experts in specific techniques.
What do you think is most important for a tool to work?
Never forgetting its purpose.
My goal is to help my clients achieve their objectives in the best possible conditions, regardless of the tool. I do my best to ensure that each technique, each approach, has a real impact. And if it doesn’t work, again, we try something else. What matters is helping my clients move forward, at their own pace, with what truly resonates with them.
And even more important, over the course of my coaching engagements, is that my clients also, and above all, develop sustainable skills that they can use long after our collaboration. In other words, that they develop the ability to create the tools for reflection and introspection they need, and that their teams will need.
What role does artificial intelligence play in your work?
I certainly use it. It’s a fantastic tool for efficiency when used properly. I’m even more convinced of this given my story which led me to create and lead Wave.ai, an AI dedicated to professional coaching, which was later acquired by Alan.
I use AI in a hybrid approach. For example, I can use generative AI tools to analyze a 360° feedback more quickly or model scenarios arising from a decision a client has made. This helps me be more precise and efficient in my work. But ultimately, what matters is always active listening and the insights I gather from the dynamics of our conversation.
How do you maintain this diversity in your practice?
I am in a constant state of learning, experimentation, and adjustment. This is what makes my work so exciting.
Each client, each CEO and founder, brings me the opportunity to discover something new, to seek a fresh and unique solution tailored specifically to them—one I might never have considered before. And all of this is driven by a continuous sense of joy and fulfillment in my practice.
There are no moments more rewarding than feeling and hearing that I’ve truly helped my client realize their potential, feel better, and be well.
Can you give us more specific examples of tools and use cases?
Certainly, here are 10 among many others:
1. The PRO Approach: Personal, Role, and Organization
Case example: I worked with a founder who was exhausted by his responsibilities as a leader and father. Using the PRO approach (Personal, Role, Organization), we explored his current personal needs, redefined his role as CEO, and identified the priorities he needed to focus on. This included delegating more responsibilities to his N-1s in line with the company’s growth stage. This approach allowed him to regain perspective, refocus on the essentials, and rediscover the energy and clarity of the leader he was.
2. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Case example I worked with a CEO who was very stressed about presenting a controversial project to her Board. We worked on having her rely on visualizing a past situation where she had excelled under pressure, reactivating that emotional state to approach her meeting with calm, precision, and confidence. The project was adopted.
3. Transactional Analysis
Case example: I worked with a technical CEO frustrated by what he perceived as the "passivity" of his team. By analyzing his communication style, he realized he often adopted an authoritarian posture (Parent–Child). By adjusting this to an Adult–Adult approach, he unlocked a surprising level of autonomy and engagement from his collaborators, establishing a much more constructive and effective dynamic for both him and his team.
4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Case example : I worked with a CEO struggling to negotiate a strategic partnership with high financial stakes. Her stress derailed her analysis, interpreting every disagreement as a personal failure and focusing only on negative details. By exploring her limiting beliefs, she was able to reframe those disagreements, work through them, and successfully close the partnership.
5. Systemic Approach
Case example: I worked with a CEO facing recurrent tensions between two departments. To take a step back and analyze the situation, we mapped out on Figma the interactions and interdependencies between the two teams and the other departments. This helped her identify clear dysfunctions in decision-making processes and communication, which she then resolved by implementing new weekly, monthly, and quarterly inter-team rituals.
6. Art Therapy
Case example: I worked with a CEO going through a strategic transition and preparing her personal exit from the company she had founded, while the company was in a prolific phase and she was seen as essential for the future. A challenging exercise where the emotional and rational aspects intertwined. She began by drawing her current situation, her transition period, and her post-exit state. The drawing helped her pinpoint key issues, and she developed her “transition plan” through a very precise writing exercise, clarifying the why, how, and expected actions for herself and her teams.
7. Written Feedback
Case example: I worked with a founder who was surprised by recurring oral feedback about his lack of listening. He didn’t understand. By adopting a practice of 360° written feedback quarterly, he turned this misunderstanding into a powerful realization of the change areas that he needed to work on, benefiting his team, his own development, and ultimately the performance of his company.
8. Positive Visualization
Case example: I worked with a CEO before a major fundraising round. He had a difficult history with this process, feeling he had always failed at it and not negotiated favorable terms. By visualizing the ideal pitch scenario—from walking into the room to receiving the enthusiastic reaction of investors—he was able to manage his stress and deliver a performance that, a few weeks later, led to the successful closure of his Series C under terms that were ideal for him.
9. Neurosciences
Case example: I supported a CEO who often reacted impulsively to negative feedback, which affected his relationships with his team. Using principles from neuroscience, we explored how his brain shifted into "survival mode" in these moments. Through simple practices, such as mindful pauses to interrupt these reflexes and a symbolic gesture to refocus, he gradually learned to calm his reactions. He now responds with greater composure and relevance, strengthening both his leadership and the dynamics within his team.
10. Time-Blocking
Case example: I worked with a founder, mother of two and head of a company with several hundred employees, overwhelmed by her schedule and the multitude of scattered tasks, both personal and professional. By starting with a blank slate, reassessing her priorities as CEO, manager, individual contributor, and mother, she completely reorganized her weekly rhythm, dedicating time to her key responsibilities and regaining clarity, efficiency, and a much better work-life balance in just a few weeks.
