Creating a Winning Culture Through High Standards and Hard Work
Kaïs Ali Benali is the chief business officer at Biborg, a creative agency specialising in the gaming industry. With a proven track record in strategic business development and fostering strong client relationships, Kaïs plays a pivotal role in driving Biborg's growth and expanding its global footprint within the dynamic gaming landscape.
His deep understanding of the industry, coupled with his strategic acumen, enables him to forge impactful partnerships and spearhead innovative campaigns for leading gaming brands.
Kaïs is passionate about the intersection of creativity and business, consistently seeking opportunities to elevate Biborg's offerings and deliver exceptional value to its clients.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Kaïs> My first experience of leadership probably goes back to a work placement I did as part of my time at university. At the time, I was looking for a summer job and I came across this advert looking for students to help set up a website dedicated to promoting French gastronomy.
During my interview with the founder, he asked me for my point of view on his project - which he was just about to launch officially – his business model and any problems that I could already foresee.
I remember feeling very unsettled that someone with so much experience was inviting me to openly criticise the project he was launching. I ended up working with him for almost eight months. His day-to-day approach, his natural charisma and his kindness towards everyone in his team are all positive traits that I believe have greatly inspired the choices I've made in my career.
LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Kaïs> This is a question I ask myself every day in my position at Biborg. It's undoubtedly a mixture of values, references to people I admire to a certain extent and principles that you strive to apply and respect on a daily basis.
I've always hated the notion of power and hierarchy when it was used to impose a way of doing things or to grant oneself certain privileges to which others were not entitled.
Conversely, the notion of work and results are fundamental values that guide and punctuate my daily life. The role I play today requires me to have a certain discipline and to be good on the ‘battlefield’. I'm a great believer in the need to keep in touch with the operational side of projects so as to remain relevant in supporting teams with their day-to-day operations.
LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Kaïs> As I said earlier, I've always had a lot of trouble with the notion of power and hierarchy. At the same time, I've always been fascinated by entrepreneurship and the ability that some people have to create something from nothing.
I never wanted to be in a leadership position and even today that's not how I see things.
On the other hand, I really enjoy not taking orders from anyone other than myself and the discipline I impose on myself in order to ‘succeed’.
I don't know whether that's ‘in me’ or whether my role forces me to act in a certain way every day to try and create support and ensure that the people I'm lucky enough to work with are also happy to work for Biborg.
LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Kaïs> It's undeniably a mix of the two, and you probably also have to add context to that.
Some things are inherent in personality and others can be acquired over time. I believe that the notion of leadership necessarily implies constantly questioning yourself in an effort to improve the way you guide teams, with a deep attention to detail and a desire to get buy-in.
If certain aspects such as self-confidence, resilience, a form of emotional stability, empathy, human intelligence and ambition are concepts that are difficult to learn as such, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and management are, on the other hand, points that can undoubtedly be worked on more ‘easily’ and directly.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Kaïs> Loneliness.
As a leader, I feel that you often have to find your own answers to the challenges you face.
There's an element of restraint too in not always expressing 100% of what you feel, out of modesty but also for the sake of balance.
If, in the middle of a storm, the captain of the ship starts crying that everyone is going to sink, are the chances of sinking greater than if they keep calm and manage to calmly communicate to the teams that everyone is going to get through it?
I find it vital for anyone who holds a leadership position to know how to manage the apprehension of doubt and find the resources to overcome it so it’s never really entirely perceived by the teams.
Personally, I use the energy and confidence that the teams give me as a powerful remedy against my own doubts, in an attempt never to disappoint them.
LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Kaïs> I learn every day and that's a big part of the pleasure I get from what I do. Failure is structuring. In fact, it's fundamental. It's important for me to try as hard as possible never to make the same ‘mistake’ twice. I always try to address the problem with the intention to correct it.
Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to work with colleagues who also know how to bring certain points to my attention when they seem essential to them. For me, that's essential, because the biggest mistakes are undoubtedly the ones you don't see.
LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Kaïs> I think it's absolutely essential to be careful and considered as a leader. Transparency isn't necessarily good if it means always saying everything.
Context is king to this extent and very often forces you to show reserve. There is necessarily an element of acting in the sense that certain positions are undeniably linked to the role and function.
Nevertheless, as in all acting, you have to give it your all if you want to be credible.
LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Kaïs> I've never had any mentors though I'm sure I could learn a lot and develop my ‘leadership’ further.
I’m a very instinctive person and find the answers to my questions in books, podcasts or documentaries. I’m fascinated with the winning culture of professional athletes and real champions for example.
The combination of high standards and hard work to get there, attitude towards adversity, ability to go beyond their own limits, are concepts that inspire me enormously and somehow help me in my day-to-day life. Equally, I don’t mentor anyone other than trying to do my best as a manager.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Kaïs> This is one of the most difficult questions to answer.
Inspiring confidence that a result or an objective will be achieved and putting everything in place to succeed without leaving anything to chance.
Communicating a clear direction with a precise vision of what success is, while remaining alert and attentive enough to make the right decisions at the right time. I'm also learning to put things into perspective with time and a sense of priorities.
At the end of the day, we’re lucky enough to be independent and to work in gaming. Failing is ok and consequences almost always somehow manageable. I find it important to be able to free ourselves from this kind of mental load that could at times inhibit us. I see each project, each pitch as a match that we can either win or lose and I try every time to put everything in place so that we win. Sometimes we lose and that's part of the game.
It's an opportunity to reflect on what we could have done better or simply differently. In my leadership position today, I have this responsibility to ensure that we don't make the same mistakes twice.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Kaïs> My mother and grandmother were the first ones to open my eyes on this topic almost eight years ago.
They were indeed very surprised at the time at the number of women we had in our teams. I was quite adamant about the fact that I made no distinction of sex, gender or any other kind when I received CVs and despite multiple arguments felt pretty convinced that I was right. With time, and a tiny bit of reading, I’ve realised how wrong I was and that my very passive attitude on the subject would do nothing to bring more diversity into our company.
I then started to dive a little deeper into the topic to understand what could be done to truly foster an equality of opportunity.
In January 2023, we set up a taskforce with five active members in order to tackle these challenges related to DE&I.
We felt we had a responsibility to advise our clients on these issues – such as the hyper-sexualisation of women in video games, toxicity within certain communities, hyper-representation of white male influencers in certain activations, etc.
It also enabled us to reflect on the challenges we faced internally – a very unequal ratio of women to men, under-representation of women in management positions to name but a few.
I'm very proud to be part of this taskforce and to have the ability through my position to enforce some of the measures we as a group decide to put in place.
LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?
Kaïs> A company's culture is fundamental to its ability to stand the test of time. In the 10 years since I joined Biborg, our culture has evolved enormously, while remaining the same in some respects. Covid-19 has also had a profound impact on our culture as a company, forcing us to deal with issues that we had never had to deal with before. The famous post-covid-19 world. We're still in the middle of it, yet five years later.
Today we’re a team of roughly 30 people, spread over four offices in two different countries.
When you think about it, it doesn't make any sense, but at the same time it's our reality. We all spend more time seeing each other through a screen than we do IRL. We have no choice but to adapt, and we're all doing our utmost to find the necessary resorts to keep that human connection that is vital to our company culture. Sometimes it's as simple as taking the time to chat for five minutes with your colleague via Google Meet, just as you would if you were sitting next to each other.
Fortunately, we also have special occasions when we can all get together. The seminar we hold every year over a long weekend in September is a unique moment for example. Our end-of-year party as well, to celebrate the end of our financial year and all the great work everyone has done! These are all founding events that allow us to spend time together outside our projects and get to know each other a bit better.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Kaïs> As I said above, I get a lot of my inspiration from reading, listening to podcasts and watching documentaries. Interviews with great champions such as Zidane, Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Arteta are incredible sources of inspiration to me. The anecdotes they tell about the key moments in their coaching careers.
Zidane's famous half-time speech in the 2017 Champions League final and its impact on the final result. The documentary series ‘All or Nothing’. Phenomenal examples of the impact and true meaning of what it is to be a leader. I don't have a unique source of inspiration and will rarely gravitate towards works that directly address the subject of leadership.
