[Zoom] Interview with Nicolas Tourneur, HR Director at NTO Conseil

1. In your opinion, what are the 3 invisible friction points that slow down business growth without the leader even being aware of them?

• Misalignment/disconnect between their vision and its operational implementation
• Too few sponsors or too many detractors
• Decision-making slowed down when overly centralized

The first friction point is the gap between the leader's vision and its day-to-day operational translation within the company. The strategy is often clear in their mind, but it gets diluted or distorted as it cascades through the organization. The second is internal alliance dynamics. I see too few engaged sponsors, or conversely, silent detractors who slow down execution without ever openly opposing it. Finally, I'd say that excessively centralized decision-making by the leader ends up slowing down the entire machine, creates dependency, and prevents the organization from gaining autonomy and speed. By wanting to move fast but deciding alone, you create a significant number of friction points for yourself.

2. When you launch an HR restructuring mission, where do you start? What are the first technical steps of a good HR audit in your view?

I always start by scoping the audit. That means defining what we want to examine, but also what we choose not to address right away. Naturally, the broader the scope, the less possible it is to go in depth quickly.

For me, among the essential first steps, it's about listening extensively, reading past documentation and deliverables, and comparing viewpoints between company members. All while maintaining a real bird's-eye view. The classic mistake would be to dive too quickly into operations and get lost in the details. Particularly because I distinguish a functional HR audit from a legal audit conducted by an employment law attorney.

3. You spent years refereeing football matches. Among the reflexes you developed — decision-making, neutrality, pressure management — which one helps you the most today in tense HR situations?

Managing emotions, without hesitation! Knowing how to hear, receive, sometimes absorb, without losing control yourself. In HR, as on a pitch, if you let yourself get emotionally carried away, you sometimes lose your clarity and your legitimacy. Emotional control is a key skill in tense contexts.

Of course, this armor is temporary — I think it's essential to force yourself to reconnect with your emotions in a second phase, and even with help if possible. Otherwise you become a robot, which would be ineffective for these roles.

4. You now coach regional referees. What parallel do you draw between supporting a referee on the pitch and supporting a leader in structuring their company's HR department?

In both cases, everything starts with empathy and a very low-key posture. I believe the coach must initially make the effort to adapt and put themselves in their coachee's shoes. It's the only way to then be relevant in the approaches and language you use. I think you have to accept working in gray areas — meaning not just helping enforce the rules, but above all the spirit of the rules. We spend a lot of time identifying risk zones, anticipating potential slippages, and adjusting the expected posture according to context.

5. You work in direct contact with leaders. What do you tell them to show that HR is not a support function but a strategic lever that impacts margins, productivity, and retention?

I start by trying to demonstrate my value very concretely and as quickly as possible by solving their current problems. Primarily those creating mental burden they can't shake off. Then, once trust is established, it's through coaching them, helping them make decisions, and always absorbing part of their mental load. I can play a shielding role.

Next, I build my credibility with the people they truly listen to, so that these people become natural sponsors of the HR approach.

Finally, I set clear indicators from the start of the mission to measure the real impact on performance and retention. That way we can concretely track whether our actions are having an impact or not.

6. As a referee coach, you teach people to perform in high-pressure environments. What coaching lesson do you directly transfer to the way you support HR teams?

Mainly the ability to distinguish what is truly important from what isn't, and by extension, to consciously choose what to focus on in the present moment. I also emphasize self-awareness a great deal. That means understanding your biases to avoid pitfalls and leveraging your areas of excellence.

I believe the HR Director is a catalyst for the company, but also for their own teams. Especially because HR teams often don't have their own HR to support them. So it's up to the HR Director to make the effort to switch into "coach mode."

7. You often talk about discipline, resilience, and solidarity — values from your refereeing background. How do you reinject them today into the way you help companies build an HR department that lasts?

First, through the posture HR adopts in every interaction, which must adapt to the context and the people involved. Then by clearly positioning HR as guardians of the legal framework — rules aren't obstacles, they're reference points that prevent constantly reinventing the wheel. Finally, resilience is indeed central to me. In this profession, you need to know how to protect yourself to endure. Especially if you want to remain relevant and proactive during high-pressure phases — hypergrowth, M&A, restructurings. I think the key is successfully identifying and intelligently managing peak times and quieter periods.