Eurotrip - Part 2 - Les Fontaines
So, at around 10:30pm local time I finally arrived at Les Fontaines, the Capgemini training center outside Paris. It’s a great looking facility…
Opposite the Chateau (pictured above) is a Forum with an auditorium, training rooms, reception etc. There are also several villas for accommodation and a gym with a pool. It’s all set in nice parkland with a lake. I didn’t see anyone that night. Basically, I went straight to sleep after a much needed shower.
The next morning, training kicked off. It was a consulting skills workshop that involved a mixture of in-class training and discussion followed by practical exercises in teams of six (that we stuck with all week). The whole thing was anchored around a single case study, with various consulting techniques applied to a sequence of presentations. The final case involved 8 hours of preparation on Thursday afternoon and evening, followed by presentations in full business dress the next morning. Throughout the week, the judges got tougher and the final presentations all faced differing surprise obstacles that occur frequently in the real world. We were really tested on our teamwork, consulting skills, and general preparedness.
A particularly great part of the training was the work with Capgemini’s truely distinct approaches. 90% of consulting methods are shared across firms, so it’s important to be very clear on what is truely different to be able to communicate that… to win the type of work we want and ensure we can apply the way of working that we wish to.
In addition to the training, it was an amazing fun week. We had people there from the UK, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, and France. I was the only US based perison except for one of the facilitators. The UK office had a couple of Aussies and a South African though, so I didn’t feel too unique as an Antipodean. All of these people were thrown together in the training and in socializing. The bar was open and free until midnight every night and they also organized a wine tasting, some team games, etc on various nights. When we had free time, I played petanque once or twice. The in-house chefs kept us pretty well fed with tasty French stuff as well. Souffle of this, and mousse of that.
All up, it was a great place to learn and a great place to be. I’m feeling pretty good about my company at the moment. Nothing’s ever perfect, but we have great people and a way of running the business that’s both effective and a pleasure to participate in.
I can’t wait to get back to Europe for a holiday before too long… or maybe to facilitate some training 
