You have over 15 years’ experience in consulting and coaching. What led you to this profession, and how would you define your mission today?
My path was forged as an HR Director at Bouygues Bâtiment, where I realised that sustainable performance rests on the alignment of purpose, talents and motivation. Our family expatriations (UAE, Gabon, Morocco, Canada) gave me invaluable cultural richness. Despite 17 moves in 14 years, I embarked on a doctoral programme and practically started a business in every country.
My mission today is to unlock potential by activating the right motivational levers. I restore the connection between the “why” (purpose), the “how” (action) and the “what” (measurement). With DynamiKMood©, the digital platform I developed, into which I integrated psychometric tools linked to Motivational Intelligence, we examine mindsets rather than behaviours—essential in the age of AI, where our humanity becomes our greatest asset.
In your work, how do you encourage the collective boldness that is also part of JFD’s DNA?
Collective boldness emerges when we create the conditions for everyone to feel free to express their uniqueness while contributing to a shared vision. I cultivate this boldness through a five-step methodology I call “LECAP”: Lucidity, Broadening, Choice, Action and measurement of Progress—because even in soft skills, results can be measured.
What makes this approach particularly powerful is that it overcomes resistance to change by drawing on a new way of understanding motivation. Boldness then becomes a natural, sustainable stance, anchored in collective Motivational Intelligence.
You founded Shift Maker Solutions. What was your ambition in creating this firm, and what differentiates it in human and organisational support?
My ambition is to offer an alternative to traditional transformation approaches, which often treat individuals through their behaviours rather than through their mindset. I want to put Motivational Intelligence at the heart of organisational transformation strategies.
What fundamentally distinguishes our approach is our ability to intervene simultaneously on three levels: strategic clarification, skills development and the activation of deep motivations. Thanks to our partnership with DynamiKMood© and our psychometric tools based on research from Louisiana Tech University, we precisely measure motivational levers and blockages within organisations.
We support the operational roll-out of transformations through to the embedding of new practices—even in particularly complex or resistant environments—thanks to Motivational Intelligence.
How can companies strike the right balance between technological performance and emotional intelligence?
The balance between technology and human factor is not a trade-off but a synergy. These dimensions are complementary when integrated within a coherent ecosystem. My method rests on three principles: view Motivational Intelligence as a performance amplifier; invest in developing emotional skills by linking them to individual motivations; and create experimentation spaces for these new ways of working.
High-performing organisations use technology to free up cognitive bandwidth, which they reinvest in high-quality human interactions. AI offers us this precious opportunity: to automate repetitive tasks so we can better value our human capital, creativity and relational intelligence—provided we prepare for it.
What barriers do you still observe within organisations, and how can they be removed in practice?
I see three major barriers in today’s organisations: fragmented transformation approaches; confusion between motivation and engagement; and the persistence of a leadership style that is often ill-suited.
To address this, I have developed a three-part methodology: establish an integrative organisation that breaks down silos; deploy Motivational Intelligence diagnostics to identify levers specific to each context; and develop transformational leadership based on excellence and knowledge transfer.
Our approach is concrete: we start with small-scale experiments that quickly demonstrate their impact before scaling them up. This pragmatism naturally transforms resistance.
What advice would you give a leader who wants to ‘shift’ their mindset to awaken their teams’ talents?
Cultivate your curiosity about the gap between what you think you know about your teams and their real motivations: personal considerations, development, care for others, enjoyment of work, sense of impact or freedom. Don’t limit yourself to “purpose”, which—while important—can mask other motivational levers.
To awaken talents, challenge your assumptions and explore beyond established roles. Create contexts where your people can express their strengths outside their usual zone, and support this flexibility.
Adopt “leadership through open questions”. Paradoxically, by stepping out of the expert stance you unleash collective potential. The most powerful transformation occurs when leaders understand that their value lies in creating the conditions for their teams’ intelligence to flourish fully.
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Laurence VANDEVENTER, Founder of SHIFT MAKER SOLUTIONS, and Member of the JFD Club
With over 25 years’ experience in Human Resources Leadership and Management consulting, Laurence Vandeventer has developed unique expertise in Motivational Intelligence. Founder of Shift Maker Solutions, she supports organisations in their transformation and performance journeys, drawing on innovative psychometric tools co-created under the DynamiKMood© brand.
A Senior Executive Coach and Certified Mentor Coach, she works with executives, managers and their teams to restore meaning, energy and leadership, at both individual and collective levels. Her approach—at the intersection of strategy and operations—delivers distinctive value in navigating complex change and revealing talent.
Committed to sustainable development, gender parity and inclusion, she is dedicated to “shifting” change and bringing talents to light.
