Florence Mosnier states: One does not have to prove legitimacy. It is enough to live up to it

The courage to speak your mind – that is Florence Mosnier’s motto. We spoke to the IPPAG Managing Director about her own legitimacy, intuition and the ability to listen in order to: listen.

Florence, please describe what your profession is.

Florence Mosnier: „For 15 years I have been the General Manager of the IPPAG Cooperative: an organisation that brings together product media companies from around the world. I coordinate the groups exchanges, work with our Board to set common goals, and collaborate closely with our members and partners to achieve them.“

What do you consider to be leadership competence?

Florence Mosnier: „The Leadership ‘motto’ that I, and all our members stand by is: ‚A true leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way‘ – a quote from John C. Maxwell. I think that says it all.”

What is the best piece of professional advice you have ever received?

Florence Mosnier: „Don’t misidentify some of your key characteristics as negative or detrimental just because they don’t fit the standard… or what you / people think is ‘right’. For example: I’m not the best at planning ahead, I’m often more ‘last minute’ which means I use intuition, improvise and act quick. A mentor once told me that’s where I do my best work: and that it’s actually a strength! So rather than constantly giving yourself grief for what you’re not ‘doing right’: lean into, use and own what defines you, and got you where you are.

Also, simple and applicable: listening to listen, rather than to answer.“

Comfort Zone or Danger Zone – Where do you feel more comfortable? Where do you achieve more?

Florence Mosnier: „Definitely in the comfort zone! At the same time, in the past few years I’ve learnt and experienced both personally and professionally that ‘everything you’ve ever wanted lies on the other side of ‚fear‘. I think if you don’t challenge yourself and periodically push your boundaries, the comfort zone risks becoming a boredom or inaction zone. So a little danger: but step by step and within reason.“

From your point of view: What should women look for in their career planning to prepare them for a top position?

Florence Mosnier: „I think it’s important to not be afraid and to speak up. There’s a reason you’re in a room, at a meeting, or being featurd in an article. The legitimacy is already established: you don’t have to prove it, you just have to live up to it. And to do that: you need to speak your mind, push when needed, but also know where to stop.

I’ve very often been the only woman or the youngest person at the table. If you let people put you in a corner: they will. So you have to claim your space.“

What are you particularly proud of when you look back on your career so far?

Florence Mosnier: „I think the highlight of my work for IPPAG is when I have the opportunity to bring our members and partners together: and I have been able to do this in fantastic locations over the years: India, Poland and Guatemala were the three most recent. Every time: it’s an opportunity to raise the bar, to curate every minute of my participants experience, and create something truely unique and unforgettable. 

What makes me proud is then seeing, beyond the event itself, the impact the talks, exchanges, thinking, feeling all have further down the line. Sometimes it’s simply small things that re-surface even years later. That’s when I know my job has been done well.“

Do you have a talent problem? If so, what challenges do you see in recruiting and retaining them?

Florence Mosnier: „A lot of IPPAG company owners struggle to recruit younger staff. And there’s also always been a long-standing debate on the merits of hiring within or outside of the industry. From my perspective and concerning Sustainability: we are fortunate to have people in all countries who personally care about the topic, but they often lack the complex technical knowledge to address it. It’s very challenging. 

That’s where we identify a gap and why we are pouring efforts into narrowing it. It’s a learning curve for everyone, at all levels within our member companies.“

Keyword New Work: let’s talk about digital and location-independent working, job sharing, mentoring and work-life balance at IPPAG in specific.

Florence Mosnier: „I think in an organisation like ours: ‘dematerialised’ collaboration is quite intrinsic, and hugely beneficial. Our members were already working long distance and collaborating between countries and regions by fax back in the day!  We now have the advantage of having wonderful tools to frame and facilitate all this. 

We’re headquartered in Switzerland, I am originally from the UK, but live in France, and my two closest work colleagues are in Mauritius and Denmark… My Board is spread between Guatemala, the Netherland, Poland, Switzerland and the US.

But no matter how good our shared platforms and collaborative tools are: I am never happier than when I have people physically in a room with me. It’s a big part of what I do: I am trained as a coach and workshop facilitator: and that’s when IPPAG’s ability to create synergies really comes to life.

I think that over the years I have personally found a very good balance: I am happy to have periods working remotely, in close touch with my key colleagues, but on my own terms; combined with very intense moments every few months where we are all together.“

What motivates you every day?

Florence Mosnier: „Having a long term view I think. Sometimes things appear to be moving very slowly or to be stuck. But when I look back and take some perspective: it’s easy to see how far things have come, and more importantly to have faith in how far they can still go: that motivates me.

And finally I love that IPPAG gives me the opportunity to interact with people from so many different countries and cultures. That has always been very valuable to me: it’s a real eye-opener and it’s important to stay connected to the idea that my worldview is not representative and that I’m here to create and promote a shared one.“