The request for advice
In which a partner from De Bestuurskamer talks about a specific assignment and the chosen approach.
Inge Brakman: “A big interest of mine is how to turn, say, a division director into a good director. How do you create time and focus to think about the future, about something like AI or ESG, about all the adjustments that society requires, in addition to all those meetings and all the fires that society requires? For many people, that step from responsibility for results and supportive colleagues — with whom you celebrate your successes together — to the boardroom is quite a big one. Success is brought in by employees, while the contribution to that success is more difficult for management to define. As a director, you are no longer “one of the guys”; in that sense, it's lonelier. What's more, you only get issues on your plate that others haven't figured out — the most difficult jobs. And then you also have a Supervisory Board and shareholders to manage: committees that are allowed to treat you critically from the point of view of their control function and sometimes forget what that criticism does to a director personally.”
“Directors I speak to often face accumulated pressure. I recently coached a director who had to deal with a Supervisory Board for the first time and found it complicated to deal with all the advice and criticism. We found that this criticism concerned the period before this director took office — he had to deal with the accumulated criticism of his predecessor, formulated as all kinds of well-intentioned recommendations but also with suspicion, with a critical treatment: let's hope you do better. I helped him resist the presumption of having to defend himself, to prove himself first.”
“Directors I speak to often face accumulated pressure. I recently coached a director who had to deal with a Supervisory Board for the first time and found it complicated to deal with all the advice and criticism.”
“The good news is: as a director, you were asked to withstand that pressure; you really stand out from the rest in that regard. That requires a lot of perspective and resilience. I often advise the directors I speak to, above all, to manage themselves. Not only solving the problems of the day, but also rising above the subject matter, being able to formulate and implement the company's strategy. Clear that agenda now and then, set your own priorities and not just those of others.”
“The help of a coach is useful to uncover these mechanisms and visualize your own abilities to deal with those mechanisms. A conversation can feel like an oasis of peace of about an hour and a half. Inside, you can get out of the delusion of the day and rediscover your own strength. I notice that it is more pleasant when a coach knows how things work in companies, how a Supervisory Board functions, how shareholders think, what the expectations of directors are. And also, why colleagues react to you in a certain way — sometimes the patterns are ingrained in the system, not primarily in humans. Then we can apply mild system changes that eliminate problems.”
“An example of such a subtle system intervention: the Supervisory Board usually has a preliminary discussion before the board meeting, after which the board joins the same table — but then there is already a setting, complete with table layout, views taken and any tension. Just have that joint conversation in another room so that the group moves from A to B as a unit. First, drink a cup of coffee or tea together there, so that you all land in the meeting in the same way.”
Three relevant questions
In which a partner from De Bestuurskamer answers three questions about current trends in the business labor market.
The pressure that society places on younger generations of directors, is that a big theme?
Pamela Boumeester: “Certainly. The people I coach are now much younger than I am, up to twenty years old. I notice that it's nice to have someone sitting opposite them who has more experience, who can untangle threads.”
“More than before, people — and especially younger people — tend to take on many jobs at the same time, finding something about everything. This raises all kinds of stress about choice, all kinds of questions: can I put myself at the forefront on this theme? Am I not being too dominant? Isn't my work too much at the expense of the home front? No matter what I encounter: can I appeal to my people for their commitment to work — don't I fall for it if they say they're getting into trouble with their work-life balance?”
“In the past, that was all a bit more obvious: you had work and you had home, and home stood for people who were a little higher up the tree, usually employed by work. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it was clear. New generations of directors will really have to learn to choose a leadership role again and accept the consequences of your choices as leaders, and as people.”
How can you shape such a choice?
“Everything revolves around the issue of direction. As a director, how do you stay in control of your life, your career, your social environment? And in addition, everything is about 'walk the talk' — show what you want. Preview. A customer is the director and owner of a series of companies. He wants to distance himself a bit, but has doubts: he is still involved, wants to do everything he wants to do for the work he wants to distance himself from in an operational sense. That doesn't go hand in hand. This is where the art of letting go should be addressed.”
“I try to explain to him that he needs to make his behavior more in line with his deepest wishes. Let go. Inspire trust. Delegate more. Limit yourself to the main points. It's one of the hardest things there is: creating new behavior and internalizing that new behavior, making sure it fits you so you can keep it up. Inconsistent behavior leads to misunderstandings almost one on one — or worse: a fight.”
What is the role of communication here?
“People have little idea that it's not about what they say but more about what they do, that their behavior is the deciding factor when it comes to reputation and credibility. If you don't do what you say, if you're not consistent, people quickly think: yes. A ten percent deviation is allowed, but fifty percent is not accepted. So don't promise too much, don't formulate unfeasible plans. It is very important to express your plans and to take control there too. Often people say “we” when they mean “I”. It's about leadership, so be a leader in your language.”
“We also jointly evaluate leadership teams with De Bestuurskamer, and we also advise together with several partners in consultation. Great to strengthen each other during these processes — each partner brings their own accents, their own or her expertise. For De Bestuurskamer, a process is not easily too extensive.”
Sources of inspiration
In which a partner of De Bestuurskamer shares sources of knowledge that inspire him or her.
Hélène Vletter-van Dort: “I really like the book 'On Identity' by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf. In it, in just a few pages, he makes a razor-sharp analysis of the relationship between our identity and our environment. The crux: depending on the circumstances in which we are, each time a different aspect of our identity emerges. Suppose, he says, you are a homosexual in Italy during Mussolini's time, your nature becomes an important aspect of your identity — at any other time, in another country, that's much less the case.”
“When I read the book, I was reminded of my first performance as a supervisory director at De Nederlandse Bank. In an impressive conference room that you entered via wide marble staircases, with microphones on the table and stately portraits on the wall. When I started asking my first critical question to the bank president, I honestly found that quite scary. But think about that setting aside: you're just asking a question. Your environment therefore determines your modus operandi, at least to an important extent.”
“When I read the book, I was reminded of my first performance as a supervisory director at De Nederlandse Bank. In an impressive conference room that you entered via wide marble staircases, with microphones on the table and stately portraits on the wall.”
“I regularly pull out Maalouf's book to reflect on my board evaluations and my own performance in boards. Who are you? What is important to you? How do you operate? The answers to those questions should not depend on the circumstances, while they do. My job is to discover what kind of jacket someone wears when performing a certain job. Then comes the conversation about whether someone would like to wear that jacket — is that reluctantly or naturally? This also includes empathizing with the environment of the person I coach: what do people expect from someone there? The question whether everyone feels free to make all relevant comments is extremely important — and that question is often ignored.”
“It is possible to step out of that defining setting. For example, when someone says during a business meeting: 'I can't quite explain it but I still have the feeling that... ', that often leads to recognition among the other participants: 'I have that too!' If you subordinate your own compass to the direction that your environment is forcing you, it becomes impossible to make the most of your advisory role. Especially now that there are some economic headwinds, and thus more and more stress, it is becoming more important to separate yourself from the 'identity-defining' setting.”
The world outside
In which a partner from De Bestuurskamer provides some personal suggestions that help make life even more beautiful.
John Jaakke: “In 2016, I walked to Santiago de Compostela, from St. Jean de Port in the French Pyrenees, 830 kilometers of walking on the camino. Of course, I had already walked a lot in preparation, but only in our flat country. Every day, 25 kilometers with a backpack to the next refugio, over mountains and through valleys, that's something different. You're deflating yourself. And that is exactly the intention.”
“I really walked that trip as a pilgrim — not for nature or the environment. Among other things, the purification made me realize that you can look at people quite differently than through ingrained images: where did someone study, what accent does someone speak with, what car is at the door? Any opinion can be made over the fence during such a trip. As a declared Protestant, I also experienced the enormous power of Catholicism, the strength that comes from repeating those rituals. Such a shame that we are all losing that. Since that journey, I've been trying to be more careful in my judgements — your subconscious mind often takes the lead. Realizing that that won't necessarily get you further is very enriching.”
