Give employees a
manager with time to spare!
Interview Bram Goudkuil
News
Bram Goudkuil is the director at Itannex, a consultancy firm that helps companies in the construction industry with BIM-related issues, among other things. He joined a great group of around 80 people. Bram started working on internal and external branding, followed by employer branding. The goal was to attract the right people who fit the company culture. Behavior and attitude must be right; knowledge and skills can be developed, he believes.
Skills must be developable
‘We were really in need of both new and good people,’ says Bram. ‘So we launched a ‘Working at Itannex’ campaign with the slogan: “Itannex isn’t for everyone.” Since then, it’s been easier for us to recruit new people. We mainly look at “who a person is” and whether someone fits in at Itannex. If they don’t master something yet, that’s not a problem. But it must be something that can be developed. If we’re unsure, we use an assessment via MEPD to get confirmation. We’re almost always right with our staff hires. Only once did we make a mistake; I should have listened more to my gut feeling then.
Growth is different for everyone
‘I believe in development, both horizontally and vertically. Growth is different for everyone. One person wants to develop in terms of content. Another wants to move up. I want to help, but people have to want it themselves as well. We don’t yet have a 100% proactive organization when it comes to development. We respect that, but we do encourage people. That’s why we set up the Itannex academy last year. Here, employees can attend workshops and courses for three hours a month during working hours. It’s a natural way to encourage employees to keep developing themselves. When employees feel ready to take a step and that isn’t possible within Itannex, we support them in making that development somewhere else. No matter how unfortunate it is when someone leaves. And sometimes, someone returns. The grass seemed greener elsewhere.
TOP by MEPD
In addition, we have now started a leadership training: the team development program (TOP) from MEPD. I noticed I was getting too busy. I didn’t have enough time for real contact with people. That chat at the desks to check how things are going and how things are running in the organization. Because, that is exactly what I wish for every employee; a manager who has time to spare. We had to do something, make a change. Further develop the organization. So we took the next step: adding a middle management layer. We gave our (young) employees the opportunity for this. Based on assessments, we ultimately composed the team. Dennis, the trainer, guides and helps the team to understand each other, to talk to each other as early as possible and to keep the conversation going, and to collaborate well. I already see enormous growth. Even in the strategic aspect, things are going better and better.
Really make a difference for people
I know Bart and Wouter (from MEPD) from the past. It was a logical choice to use assessments, career coaching and now also team development and leadership via MEPD. MEPD focuses on the people side, we focus on the construction process. Our common ground is that we provide tools. We advise, coach, and support. We don’t tell employees exactly how to do things, but let them discover how to initiate the change process themselves. And that’s where the strength lies. Once we leave, we’re no longer needed. Then people are capable of handling the job themselves.
The right and sharp way
The right and also sharp way in which MEPD does this—they really should be less modest about it,’ says Bram.
