Amongst lawyers, responsiveness is recognised as a quality. It’s true that companies are often faced with unforeseen situations that need to be remedied quickly, obstacles that need to be removed promptly, deals that need to be closed by … yesterday.
However, reactivity should not be confused with haste, nor should it overshadow the imperative need to take the time, as often as necessary, to act efficiently.
Indeed, how many ‘urgent’ situations today could have been avoided yesterday if the necessary time had been taken beforehand to think through the situation, define the procedures, organise the implementation, anticipate any difficulties and set aside the time needed to avoid being ‘caught out’.
But beware, preparation has its limits, both the good and the bad: the quest for unattainable perfection. But also the illusion of control by chance and the Black Swans. Finally, the ubris of omnipotence.
I can’t find the author of this sentence, but it seems relevant: Unable to act in the present, he was obsessed with mastering the future.
What we seek to do, as entrepreneurs, managers and people in positions of responsibility, is to act in the here and now in the service of a desirable future.
Because what we do now already defines the type of trajectory that will lead us to an elsewhere and a later.
While we cannot control the future, we can control what depends directly on us. But we have to know how to distinguish between the two.
Taking a step to the side
Martial arts teach us that the instinctive reaction to constraint, by applying a symmetrically opposed force, is rarely successful. If you fight a force with the opposite force, the greater force will mechanically win.
What do you do when you don’t have the advantage of force? You activate other qualities, in particular discernment, which helps you to take that small step to the side that may give you a tiny but sufficient advantage not to take the full force of the opposing force.
It’s by letting go that we can gain more room to manoeuvre in the face of a situation that appears difficult or blocking.
In business, even though it may seem counter-intuitive at first sight, if you really want to save time, you sometimes have to ‘know how to lose time’ by taking this step to the side, which can prove very fruitful.
Thinking about contract management is one such tactical step.
From the management of major property and industrial projects, through the traceability of commercial relationships to clear up potential disputes, to the search for new growth drivers or ways of avoiding the throes of economic warfare, thinking about and organising your commercial relationships is a strategic challenge.
Managing energy
This is all the more true when it comes to energy supply.
But what solutions can be found when French companies realise that they do not have control over a number of crucial factors?
Earlier, we mentioned the Arabelle turbines, whose patents are held by foreign companies. At the beginning of the summer, we learned that uranium exports to Niger had been halted (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2024/07/10/uranium-la-filiale-d-orano-au-niger-en-grande-difficulte-financiere_6248347_3212.html).
On 4 July this year, the Senate enquiry commission published a report detailing a series of recommendations aimed at guaranteeing stable and affordable prices while supporting an energy transition. In particular, it reaffirms the ‘absolute need for long-term energy planning’, the extension of the current nuclear fleet and the construction of 14 EPR2s (https://www.sfen.org/rgn/enquete-sur-les-prix-de-lelectricite-de-la-pertinence-de-pousser-le-nucleaire/).
All this in a climate of uncertainty fueled by the prospect of the American elections.
If I were one of those companies that didn’t want to suffer the consequences of the current economic war, I’d take the time to organise myself to free myself from the markets by investing in everything that gives me room to manoeuvre and independence.
It’s more than a technical skill. It’s a state of mind. A mindset so cherished by those for whom independence is one of the supreme values.
Of course, a war chest can contribute to this. But independence can exist without a war chest. It is the non-negotiable part of freedom. But it comes with a price. Skin in the Game.
Many people sell solutions for anticipating future events. But do they apply these solutions, which are products designed to be sold, to themselves?
Sovereignty begins with oneself.
