Pencil Stubs and Metro Rides for the Boss

“What he places above all: “Intellectual honesty.” The kind that creates duties more often than rights. As a boss, he must set an example. Like Bonaparte at the bridge of Arcole or Joan of Arc before Orléans. He must be at the forefront of his troops, the symbol of the firm and the virtues that have allowed it to rise to the top ranks globally by itself. If he travels by plane, it’s in economy class. In Paris, he takes the metro, lives in a small apartment in the 17the arrondissement, and has lunch with his tray at the canteen of the offices on Avenue de Breteuil, like any secretary or maintenance service agent.”

““How can you refuse an engineer who comes to you asking for money to buy a device he considers indispensable,” explains a member of his staff, “if you are in a comfortable office, where the carpet, furniture, and master paintings on the walls cost several times the price of the equipment being requested?” Asceticism is both a guarantee and a safeguard.”