David Matthey-Doret

As a specialist in personal and organizational transformation, I make the link between economic performance, personal well-being and organizational effectiveness.

I joined Paradigm21 in 2019 after writing of a book on new organizational paradigms in Switzerland. My ambition is to build more conscious organizations and inspired organic leadership.

The biggest challenge I've faced in my evolution

Ending the schizophrenic posture of an NGO leader, who must be combative, stubborn, and relentless in political negotiations and with the authorities, but benevolent and empathetic in relations with its beneficiaries and employees. On a day-to-day basis and over the long term, the two postures blend together and lead to the development of forms of psychological violence towards those whom we must support, without realizing it. Very much related to this situation, figuring out how to let go of my dominant doer posture was also a big personal challenge.

A professional experience that has particularly influenced me

My position for seven years as director of an organization serving Indigenous Peoples around the world. The native representatives that I met almost daily, sometimes great chiefs of their communities, introduced me, often in spite of myself, to spirituality and allowed me to understand to what extent the dominant western society was failing in the management of its relationship with nature and in the relationships between human beings.

My most important values

Three values guide my life, both personally and professionally:

• Assertiveness: being myself, whatever it takes, and making my voice be heard. Develop the art of communicating a difficult message without passivity, but also without aggressiveness.
• Integrity: remaining intact and whole in my word, whether it is the word I give or the unspoken expectations of me. Be sure that everyone I interact with is on the same stage as I am and that they understand everything that is at stake in our exchanges.
• Sweetness of life: to create as often as possible moments of happiness, big or small, for myself and for others. Work, music, sports, nature, etc. This sweetness is found everywhere and depends on each person. You have to enjoy your life!!!
  Of course, I regularly screw up in the application of my values on a daily basis, and it is by becoming aware of my deviations from my principles that I evolve on my life path.

Where I see myself in 5 years

I do not project myself in the medium or long term, the years 2019 to 2022 (and the following ones without doubt) have shown us that the VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) is not only in human interactions, but also in the expression of the consequences of human activities and their management. Two certainties nevertheless: first my activity must allow moving the lines on the issue of climate change, and secondly, the gender issue, and particularly the place of women in all dimensions of society, is an absolute priority for me.

My favorite sport

Ving Tsun, a Chinese martial art, is part of the great family of Kung Fu. It allows me not only to express my violence in a controlled practice, but also to experience how to feel and control the energy of an opponent and have a perfect awareness of my body. I often refer to it as " guys' yoga ", because it allows men to develop an awareness of aspects that they are reluctant to approach with practices identified as more feminine.

My favorite series

Ted Lasso, an American comedy series, the story of an American soccer coach who finds himself in an English soccer team. How to coach when you know nothing about the discipline? A brilliant presentation of the coaching profession. And the punchlines that sting in every episode, my favorite is probably: I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts. I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts.