Jean-Christophe Babin has time on his hands, or rather two watches strapped on his wrist. Even though they boast world-famous precision timekeeping, they have been no match for Jakarta traffic congestion on a Friday afternoon.
The TAG Heuer president and CEO shrugs and smiles in resignation at his lateness, before getting down to the business of discussing how he manages his time and his employees.
Tall and tanned, with the upright bearing of his military background and as a passionate sportsman, the Frenchman’s management philosophy is to have everyone in the right place and following instructions. Let professional, capable people execute a plan of action, he says, and then later step in to perfect it as necessary.
He compares his role as CEO to that of a coach of a soccer team, or an orchestra conductor, putting the right people in the right place for optimal results.
“As a conductor, you try to coordinate and put all the music together but you don’t play it yourself. You make it slower or faster, according to the market,” Babin said during a recent visit to Jakarta.
“I have a very strong team working together with me. We’ve been together for many years and we know each other very well. Sometimes we don’t have to meet and we know how we are working and understand each other.”
He says there is the tendency to “overestimate” the demands on CEOs, who have the luxury of the best in their fields supporting them. But while he is no fan of micro-managing, neither is he completely hands off in his management approach.
“I can be very hands on when it comes to a project,” said Babin, 52. “Basically, what I do is I give my OK on the brief, and my OK on the final stage. And then in between I don’t want to be involved ideally. People are very knowledgeable and capable. What is important is that we know the frame and the rules, and that we are all aligned. And we are all at ease with the final execution.”
It is that alignment of goals and interests that is crucial.
“If we are not aligned, then it becomes five or six loops to become a reality. I want to become involved in the crucial steps.”
The Geneva-based Babin has enjoyed a highly successful corporate career. After graduating with an MBA from HEC European business school, he worked at Procter and Gamble, the Boston Consulting Group and then had a charmed stint at the Italian operation of multinational German corporation Henkel. He was made the senior vice president of Henkel KgaA at age 39, the youngest ever executive in the company.
Since 2000, he has been at the helm of TAG Heuer, which has gained an increasing presence as a luxury sportswatch brand that is also reaching out to new consumers, including women, through his marketing and design innovations.
He says one of his most meaningful career experiences came not in a corporation, but during his time in the French navy, as the adjutant to the naval commander. He calls it a “privilege” to have been given the opportunity to be close to those in power without being cowed by the experience.
“When I got into the company it made me more easy-going, because I know that many people don’t reach their potential because they’re afraid of their bosses and that holds them back. But when I was in my 20s, I was traveling with Francois Mitterand, I was lucky,” he said.
Speaking up
“It surely helped me in my career to not be afraid of saying what I think or feel, although of course you must still be respectful. There should be no fear of anything [in speaking one’s mind] because at worst you can get fired.”
Babin says he wants his employees to express their concerns, and for him to learn what he can from them.
“I foster people being direct with me. Whenever I am there at the factories, and I am not there so much because I am traveling a lot, I will give people a couple of minutes,” he said.
“I can learn a lot from someone who has been making watches for 20 years or so, they tell you what could be better in terms of engineering, etc. You learn a lot from people when you sit down with someone without any discussion in mind and just listen to them.”
Similarly, in his Geneva office he keeps it “self service”, with his door open for when people have something to discuss.
Babin points out that he considers himself European today, because of his extended residences in various countries as well as his frequent travels. But he says his demeanor is not completely French because of his maternal Italian background.
The combination of what he calls the French Cartesian focus on logic and precision, and the more Latin and emotional Italian side, also influences his management style.
“It’s the magic of the blend,” says the father of five. “You combine tact with instinct. You can take things in stride.”
Babin also is refreshingly blunt about the many benefits of being a CEO. He says he is blessed to live in Switzerland, with its high quality of life.
“I drive in the morning, there’s no traffic, I am relaxed when I get to the office. I can switch from jobs to family to other activities in just a few minutes or hours. There’s no kind of stress,” he says.
In that sense, time really is on his side as the head of the company.
“I can easily take the day off, or leave the office at 2 p.m., get back home and work from there. Managing time is quite easy when you are in a position like mine.”
Name: Jean-Christophe Babin
Date and place of birth: Paris, April 6, 1959
Education: 1980: MBA from European Business School HEC
Experience:
1983-1989 Marketing & Sales, Procter & Gamble
1989-1991 Manager, Boston Consulting Group
1994-2000 Managing Director, Henkel Spa
2000- President and CEO, TAG Heuer
