Leading Without Regret

Microsoft was still a small company relative to what it is now when a headhunter reached out to me in 1992 and described an opportunity in software. Ten years later, moving from Paris to Singapore with the company was a humbling experience. After years of success in Europe, where I had both a network and an established reputation, I had to build a followership, learn a new environment and culture, and rally a new team. I went on a deep-listening tour with employees and customers as a way to do this. The experience of this transition reinforced for me the power of authenticity in leadership.

It’s easy to “complexify” things. The higher you rise in the ranks, the more exposed you are to various forms of complexity: strategic, organizational, even sticky heritage habits. You have to maintain a helicopter view and a fresh eye. Commit to being the ultimate chief simplifier, and lead by example. Once you can simplify the complex, more people will understand what their role is. It’s a great way to get more buy-in. The subject-matter knowledge and confidence that you gain in the process help others unleash their potential and be great at the things they want to do.

After I left Microsoft, I had to heed the advice I had given to so many people before. I reminded myself: “Don’t rush. Think about what you enjoy doing most, what gives you energy, and what type of legacy you want to leave.” At Microsoft, I had the chance to learn a lot from extraordinary leaders and take part in waves of technology shifts and disruptions that transformed industries. Now I’m broadening my impact with a portfolio of startups that are transforming the world with agentic AI.

If you have to fail, fail fast. Learn from it, and move on with more resilience than before. I chose to join Builder.ai as president and chief partner officer after Microsoft. The company’s promise was to enable entrepreneurs with no coding experience to translate their ideas into apps. It seemed like a revolution for businesses. While the outcome was not what we had hoped for [facing investor turbulence, the startup filed for bankruptcy in May 2025], I look back proudly at the efforts we took to save the company, and I embrace the hard lessons.

We must be able to unlearn what we learn. This is going to be a critical skill in this AI era. The worst thing you can do is fall into a trap of doing what has always worked, because that won’t guarantee anything. At the beginning of cloud computing, there were customers and partners denying that there was a wave coming up. They were comfortable in the way they were working. Then cloud computing took over. Today, like never before, it’s about embracing a zero-regret strategy, and having the courage to reinvent your business.

Rowing is my sport. I rowed when I was a teenager and as a young adult at a national level in France. One thing I did during my career transition was to get into great physical shape. I wanted to qualify for the worldwide rowing championship. I trained six days a week for an hour and a half. The finals were in Prague, and I placed among the top 20 in my category—a rewarding experience and one that took maintaining a balance between mental and physical strength.