The art and importance of bringing and keeping the right people

“Scientific research has shown that the will of employees is more important than their ability. If you look at knowledge, skills and character, the latter is the most difficult to develop. You can have a lot of talent, but if you don’t have the drive to do something with it, you will not progress with your talent. I share that insight in my book. With this I also appeal to employers: give people with ambition opportunities. Do not put the CV, experience and network at the center of recruitment, but the person’s attitude to work. Someone who is driven and willing to go the extra mile is more useful than someone with a lot of talent without that internal work  engine. In other words, ‘hire for attitude, train for skills’. In practice, we see that this principle is increasingly used in the recruitment and appointment policy.”

“Diversity can certainly contribute to the success of a company, but then you have to look beyond the outside of people. Whether a person is male or female, old or young, white or colored or straight or gay is not as  relevant as the diversity on the inside of colleagues. In other words, the strength of the diversity between people is not so much in the different outsides of people, but more in their different insides. Before you start recruiting, you as an organization should ask yourself what kind of people you need to achieve your goals, who you would like to have and in whom you want to invest. If you are an ambitious, dynamic organization you  should not hire someone who is looking forward to the time when he can sit down and lay back. The same  applies vice versa of course. It differs per organization who fits and who is loved; it’s a matter of taste. Fortunately, everyone can find a place, but not within one organization. The trick for an organization is to find people who match the identity of the company. If that clicks, it is much easier to bind and captivate employees and to let them grow and thrive.”

“Making an existing working relationship pay off is much more efficient than having to build a new one. Work relationships between employer and employee are about love and loyalty. You have to love each other a little, otherwise you won’t last. If your heart is with ships and the sea, a match with Wagenborg makes 38sense, for example, but just like in love, at a certain point the grass can seem greener on the neighbors. The trick for the employer is to retain employees and to remain credible. Believing in each other creates connection and movement. When that faith fades, there is work to be done. It is important to keep the working relationship lively and fun.”

“The role of leaders is crucial. They have a huge position of power. A manager can make or break a colleague. Managers generally ensure that talent leaves or stays with an organization. This requires task maturity from managers in that field; the profession of leadership. In the past we often saw that the best professionals became managers, but management is then a different profession than their old profession. Holding the position of Manager includes functional behavior as a manager and that is relational.”

“Yes, if you want that. It’s easier when you naturally love people. I see the managers as the wingmen of the organization. It is not just up to them to translate the course of the organization to the employees. They also need to be able to listen to employees. A good leader makes his or her colleagues feel that they matter and are needed to achieve the desired goal of the organization. Then it makes a difference if you can listen well and switch well between operating strategically and tactically. It also helps if you can enjoy it when colleagues shine. Empathy is very important, especially in times of change, but too empathetic is not good either. A manager must also be able to be clear and honest when the match is no longer there. From an employer’s perspective, I see a working relationship as an investment in the human capital of a company. Such an investment should pay off. You can’t take that too lightly. If a colleague is not profitable, you have to look together at how you can change this. If this does not work, say goodbye in a respectful manner. As a company, you can only spend your money once and also grant an employee that he is in a place where he comes into his own.”

“I do my job with heart and soul. I experience a mission to empower people in the labor market. Every single one of them. The power that people have for this is enormous. That strength lies mainly in people themselves, but also in our mutual relationships. I see it as something very big to be guiding our insights into how we can best use that power. In this I follow the line of thinking that strong organizations are a unit, with a shared purpose, shared values and a strong identity. It flows in such organizations, with leadership like energy-generating water. Whatever anyone is doing there, it matters. I think that’s a mighty good insight. I am happy to pass that on so that every employee can experience that flow and is seen in the organization as an indispensable link in the whole.”