From Curiosity to Leadership: Why My Story Still Shapes How I Lead
If you want to understand how someone leads, ask where they’re from.
I was born into contrast.
One side of my family was profoundly intellectually curious, analytical, and in love with ideas. My father was a biologist and a chemist. He also taught me the value of asking questions, even the ones adults sometimes can’t answer.
The other side? Pure entrepreneurship. Shoemakers before World War II. They built a business from nothing. They sold in the mornings when people passed by on their way to work. No fancy pitch decks. Just intuition, hard work, and presence.
These two forces shaped me early. One taught me to think. The other taught me to act.
And both taught me to lead.
Where complexity begins.
I didn’t grow up in a business hub. I grew up in a small village in Belgium. But from the beginning, I was fascinated by how things worked, people, systems, and value chains. Not just the what, but the how.
That led me to study engineering and applied mathematics. I wanted clarity. Logic. Predictability.
But business isn’t linear. Leadership isn’t theoretical. You don’t scale teams with formulas. You scale them with trust. With timing. With the courage to step in or to step back at the right moment.
And that’s where it gets interesting.
Leadership isn’t a title, it’s a posture.
Some of my earliest leadership lessons didn’t happen in boardrooms. They happened on the football field. Or in a Latin classroom, reading Julius Caesar stepping into battle to shift momentum with his presence.
What I took from those stories wasn’t heroism. It was a responsibility.
Leadership is not about always being in front. It’s about knowing when your presence matters, when your silence matters, when your courage becomes contagious.
In Germany, I learned the phrase “lead without authority.” That has stayed with me. If you can only lead because of your title, you’re not leading. You’re managing.
The best leaders I’ve seen influence without hierarchy. They hold the room with calm, not volume. They shape direction through questions, not commands.
That’s the kind of leader I try to be.
Global business is local trust, scaled.
As my career progressed, I stepped into larger roles. First as CEO of a country-level insurance company, then as a global executive overseeing international portfolios.
The complexity grew, but the lesson stayed the same: people move results.
I’ve worked across cultures, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, US, Indian, and Emirati. And I’ve learned that trust doesn’t scale through systems alone. It scales through cultural fluency.
What works in Frankfurt may not work in Paris. What inspires in Dubai might alienate in Boston. Understanding this isn’t optional. It’s core to execution.
Strategy doesn’t fail in design. It fails in delivery. And delivery happens through people.
Curiosity is the constant.
Whether I’m launching an AI-driven insurance product or stepping into a post-merger integration challenge, my mindset hasn’t changed: start with curiosity.
Ask questions. Understand what drives this business, this market, this team. Don’t assume. Don’t impose. Learn.
I’ve launched digital transformations that cut lead times from 90 days to 24 hours, not because of grand plans, but because of listening, iterating, and aligning smart people around shared intent.
Execution is not about speed. It’s about precision. And precision comes from seeing the whole field, not just the metrics, but the mood. Not just the outcome, but the culture that enables it.
What I believe now.
Today, I lead internationally with a clear focus: aligning performance with purpose, not as buzzwords, but as execution levers.
I believe:
Real leadership starts before the title. Learn to lead without authority, and you’ll lead better with it.
Cultural understanding is strategic. Global operations fail when local dynamics are ignored.
Emotions drive outcomes. AI can optimise. But humans still decide. Presence, timing, and trust are irreplaceable.
Curiosity is a superpower. Don’t lose it as you rise. Use it to connect dots others miss.
Execution beats intention. You are what you build, not what you imagine.
I’ve led teams across borders, turned around businesses, and built new ones. But at the core, I’m still that boy asking questions. Still, that grandson watching his grandmother sell shoes before sunrise.
Leadership isn’t something you become one day. It’s something you live through tension, transition, and trust.
If you’re navigating complexity at the top, remember this:
Your systems matter.
Your numbers matter.
But your story, your real, human story, is what brings it all together. And that’s what people follow.
François Jacquemin
P.S.: Want to watch the video version of this article? Go to https://www.francoisjacquemin.com/covered/who-am-i-