Holland

I love this movie about the difference between the Netherlands and Holland :-)

Entrepreneurial Education

I just read this article from Fintan Donohue:

"There is a wide consensus that entrepreneurship is the key to Europe’s economic future, which the European Commission has added to with its important Entrepreneurship Act 2020, published yesterday. What is particularly encouraging is that the report recognises the key role education has to play in that entrepreneurial future." 

A few weeks ago I started to deliver Employability programs for Young Entreprise in schools in Poole and Bournemouth. Very challenging -in a positive way- to work with other participants than I used to work with at de Baak in the Netherlands. Teenagers instead of grown ups. I like it! I always said that "to unlearn", that is what we do and did at de Baak, is harder than "to learn'. Working with this young - I admit, using this word says more about my age than theirs :-)- group of people gives me the opportunity to really contribute to 'shape' someones working future. If you learn, by creating awareness, at a very young age about your set of skills, about how they can work for you, it can really give you an advantage in life, in work. And developing an entrepreneurial attitude will open doors too.

"Entrepreneurial education is not just about training people to be business founders, though that is vital, and we need them. It goes further than that, and is about equipping all young people to be better employees - more resourceful, creative and self-sufficient presences in the workplace. It is about helping young people unlock their innate capabilities, and providing a pipeline of exciting new talent to existing businesses, as well as inspiring the next generation of start-up founders." 

Hear, hear! I couldn't say it better.

Young Enterprise & Me

Now celebrating it’s 50th anniversary Young Enterprise (YE) is the UK’s leading business and enterprise education charity. Their mission is to build a connected world of young people, business volunteers, educators and communities to inspire each other to succeed through enterprise. YE’s vision is that all young people should have the opportunity to gain personal experience and understanding of how business works and the role it plays in providing employment and creating prosperity in their regions and communities.

More inspiration? Visit www.young-enterprise.org.uk

Young Enterprise Dorset "Enterprise Education" Event

Friday, 22 March 2013

Merley House, Poole

3.30 - 7.30 pm

"This event is called Enterprise Education because it is all about just that! It is an educational but fun event about Enterprise - Young Enterprise, New Enterprises, Enterprising attitudes and Social Enterprise! The afternoon will bring together young people, new businesses, social enterprises, support organisations, volunteers and experienced businesses to share their lessons and successes. It will include table topics, presentations and sharing of ideas and best practice."

 ...... And I will 'lead' and facilitate one of the table topics: looking forward to that already! The topic I will bring to the table will be "how to create an entrepreneurial environment at your workplace". I will have to think about how to facilitate it, because we only have 30 minutes. When I worked at de Baak on this entrepreneurship topic, we did programs for a few days ....  still not having all the answers at the end :-) And that is a good thing I belief, as you can read on my Linkedin page

"My approach is open, energetic, honest, direct. In the process I generate more questions than that I give answers because I believe that asking questions, being curious creates awareness and is therefor a powerful way to develop as an individual or organisation."

And YES I know how frustrated it can be to not get an answer to a question. And YES, I get angry too if someone always returns my question with another question. And YES, I know that it sometimes feels that you can't go further without having an answer. And YES, we need answers to questions too -at least that is what we think- ..... But only every now and then. To make us feel confident, acknowledged, safe, quicker, ...  I totally understand that. But believe me: if you want to explore the topic entrepreneurship, especially in a corporate work environment, a 'question - answer attitude' won't evoke the entrepreneurial behavior in yourself and others. It won't give you the right mindset and toolkit to create an entrepreneurial environment at your workplace. Giving answers certainly won't make the other "be the best he/she can be" for I believe that every human being has all the 'answers' within themselves. And there is no 'universal' answer to any question. And I can only add value by asking  ..... questions. Not by giving my answers!

And now back to the 22 of March were I will be on my table with this entrepreneurial & workplace topic. Hopefully with a lot of participants joining me. Discussing this "how to create an entrepreneurial environment at your workplace" in only 30 minutes ..... I have a 1000 questions already! :-) 

Social Media

I experience that here in the beautiful South companies don't use social media like Twitter and Linkedin for their benefit. There is so much more possible! I meet business people who are not on Linkedin. People who are unemployed and don't use the power of social media to find a new job. I meet organisations who do nothing on Twitter. Organisations where nobody is responsible for social media. Events without using the benefits of social media to make it a long lasting experience, rather than "just another event".

It is probably all about change, and in my vision change only happens if there is a urgency.
Is there no sense of urgency?

"What? No? Ok, that sounds strange reading the newspapers and thinking about the future ..... but well, if you say so."

But.

Lets talk about money than! "Ah, now you are interested!" Using social media can save you money!

For example on your recruitment budget. Or your marketing and communication budget. It can even help with brand and reputation management (example: boat on fire where it was on Twitter before the yard knew it themselves, bad publicity about the fire ..... and no social media response from the yard. That can seriously damage your brand and the relationship with your clients). Social media will boost business development too. Well, it can effect all facets of an organisation for the better!

Why? When? Who? Where?

So what is your reason for the "n-eagerless" (not being eager :-)) to start using social media in your company?

Slow down mummy .....

Slow down mummy, there is no need to rush,
slow down mummy, what is all the fuss?
Slow down mummy, make yourself a cup tea.
Slow down mummy, come and spend some time with me.

Slow down mummy, let's put our boots on and go out for a walk,
let's kick at piles of leaves, and smile and laugh and talk.
Slow down mummy, you look ever so tired,
come sit and snuggle under the duvet and rest with me a while.

Slow down mummy, those dirty dishes can wait,
slow down mummy, let's have some fun, let's bake a cake!
Slow down mummy I know you work a lot,
but sometimes mummy, its nice when you just stop.

Sit with us a minute,
& listen to our day,
spend a cherished moment,
because our childhood is not here to stay!

To all my lovely English readers

If you look at the label "English" -in the right bar or just click on this link- you can find all the blogs I wrote in English. If you are interested in the ones in Dutch, please let me know. I will rewrite them in English for you!

Warm regards,
Marianne

The Matchmakers

A few years ago I created and organized, together with a.o. Roel Dekker, 2 national events for de Baak in the Netherlands: Dutch Innovation Seminar and an annual event where "Creative Entrepreneurship" was the main theme. It was there we introduced the Matchmakers @ de Baak, and yesterday that idea came up again when I met with one of the IoD branches (Dorset) and we talked about their full day conference the 5th of December.

The Matchmakers back than, were business students (can be anybody as long as they have the right skills) who talked with everybody at the events to find out more about what it was they brought to the event and what it was they were looking for. In other words: "what do you need?" and "what do you bring?".  After collecting everything on little cards, all the input was visible on the Matchingbord with on one side the needs (people, knowledge, a buddy for sparring, talking with one of the speakers, money, connections, skills, ....). And on the other side the offers (specific skills, knowledge, a network, money,.....). And the Matchmakers delivered! Matches were made: people were connected, problems were solved, business buddies were made, skills were shared, investors were found, questions were answered. Never before had networking been so powerful. At the end when we asked the participants about the Matchmakers @ de Baak concept, they told us that never before they had experienced "networking' (not easy for everybody..) as so much fun, easy, effective, effortless, ..... They even spoke about "the ROI of the event". And you must know that the fees were quite high, well "good price - quality":-), so they really gained a lot from participating.

Looking back, I think that the X factor of the Matchmakers is to organise and facilitate networking at events. To direct the networking part of the event the same as you direct the program, the speakers, the workshops. Because people don't just come in at -networking- events and openly share their needs or tell everybody what it is they want to bring to others (adding value). So maybe they meet a lot of people and collect lots of business cards ..... and than ..... ? Maybe they just stand, feeling awkward, insecure, alone, ........ Or maybe they talk with a lot of people who are at their table .. but not the ones they want or need to speak to in order to be more succesful ....

This week somebody told me that here in the Poole and Bournemouth area it is all about "who you know" rather than "what you know" to be succesful in business.  I think this is more true for England than it is for Holland. With organising networking at events, the "who" and "what" you know can be combined. Even better, with reframing it to what is it that you need and what is it that you bring we can create massive win-wins!

(with thanks to The Passionate PA : without knowing your The Passionate PA triggered my The Matchmakers)  

Nightmare Competitor

Yesterday I had a cup of coffee with a lovely lady of a Management Centre in Poole. We talked about innovation and leadership programs. And about our children. About the gift of personal development while working or traveling abroad. It was raining outside. We didn't care! I told her about the strength of the Nightmare Competitor to use in an incompany innovation trainings. Cirque du Soleil is an example of a Nightmare Competitor and so is Easy Jet. And how powerful it could be to work with delegates from different company backgrounds and markets in an open innovation training. How often do you have the opportunity to have other eyes looking at your company, your work, your innovation or leadership issues? They will ask question nobody ever asked you before. Room to grow. You will have different perspectives for shore after a training like that! After a hour we went into the rain. I didn't care! I loved talking about my profession again. My work: I miss you!

Change

I was at at a Stay & Play group today. All mums and little ones, no dads. I spoke with one of the mums about her husband working full time and she taking full time care of the children. She would love to have another balance at home with her husband working: sharing child care and education. But that seems impossible, when part time work is as scarce for women as it is not done for men so it seams. You either work full time, or you don't work. Result: daddy has a career, works full time, mommy stays at home. Or she works (after 1 child) and waits for her upcoming maternity leave (2 child) .... because  after 2 children, she doesn't work anymore because the pressure on the family structure is too high.

I hear myself shouting: "but what about those talented women who just stay home, what about the studies they did, what about part time work, what about Flexibel Working, what about the role model they are for their children, what about those stupid organisations with their rigid way of thinking, what about .......!!??"

It made me wonder who benefits from this old school working structures in England and other countries. Not the children, they only see their father in the weekend and are with their mother all week. Not the mommy, she wants to work part time in an organisation setting, or do other things in her live that bring her fullfilment other than taking care of the children 5 days a week. Not the daddy who are unhappy over employers' childcare policies. Not the employers, they don't have the advantages of diversity, female leadership, organisational talents within their organisation. -Unfortunately they don't see it this way. Not yet-.

So yes, I really think that working full time is the old school economy. I do believe in full time working, but only if it is a personal choice. I understand and know that it is not always easy to change the way you think about your people working in other ways, other timezones, other structures, other hours. But with the new generation who will be the further leaders, with the recession we are in now, with the lack of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial skills, with the call for change and female leadership to be the change, with the burn outs, with the lack of energy people do their jobs just for the money, with  ......, I ask myself the question: do we have a choice?

I don't think so ....

So. Were does the change come from than? Who will be the change? I believe that you can be the change. It won't just "come". So if I am the change, how do I have to be? What to do? How to behave? What to say? With whom to talk? I ask myself these questions over and over again, especially after moving to England. And I haven't found all the answers yet. I do feel that being the change was easier working for de Baak in Holland. But well, I never follow the easy way, so ...  keep on walking and exploring Marianne! :-)

The Rhineland Way

The Rhineland Way | Jaap Peters

€8,99 - Digitaal boek

Reintroducing a European style of organisation

The Rhineland Way was French philosopher Michel
Albert’s proposed answer to the Anglo-American style
of market capitalism that spread across the globe after
the demise of Communism in the early 1990s.

Today, in the wake of recent scandals and the crisis

in the banking industry, this alternative is more viable
 -- and more needed -- than ever before.

What does the Rhineland Way mean on a practical,
day-to-day working level?

How can we infuse our organisations and
working processes with a little

Rhineland spirit?

Jaap Peters and Mathieu Weggeman, champions of the

Rhineland Way since its inception, give you a few
insightful pointers and examples of what it means to
work with principles instead of rules, to trust the skilled
craftsman and to focus on primary processes.

They also sketch a helpful framework you can use as a
starting point to bring about similar changes in your
own company. An organisation should not be just
a money-making machine, but a place where skilled
workers enjoy the beauty of craftsmanship
to satisfy their customers.

The Strenght of Europe

Yes!! The dialogue I had with Simon Walker -DG of the IoD- is out. You can read and see it on page 10/11 in "Leadership and Entrepreneurship" the Magazine of de Baak. Or click here.

Learning: content and context

For me, learning is as much about content as it is about context.

I always find the content at de Baak: inspiration, motivation, knowledge and insights. At de Baak you will also learn how to learn: it appeals to your curiosity. The focus is on learning.


The context at de Baak is an ideal setting for exploring. My optimum of an learning context? An environment with balance between nature, art and culture. My ex colleagues made a fantastic movie! Well done.

Working at de Baak

De Baak – one of Europe’s leading leadership development institutes

De Baak has been training and developing the business leaders of The Netherlands for 60 years, since 1948. It is the leading institute for personal, management and leadership development in The Netherlands and one of the foremost institutes in Europe. Through creative learning and development we enhance the skills of our clients to excel as leaders, on a personal as well as on a business level.

Our clients have high expectations of us and the services we deliver. They expect nothing but the best through a combination of expertise, entrepreneurship, and creativity.

To achieve this goal, we attract outstanding professionals with an open and creative mind. People who want to share what they themselves have learned within a business environment. People who are not afraid of thinking in creative solutions, and in terms of new business initiatives.

In return we provide our people with an open, entrepreneurial and creative environment in which they can thrive and flourish, professionally as well as personally.

Read more about de Baak on the IEDP website. 

Music

My famous ex Baak college! You must see this!

The future generation

Just read this on Twitter. The article raised a lot of questions. Questions I worked with in the Netherlands at de Baak. Can current management meet future challenges? Can current management be trained to meet future challenges? And ... can current management, with the values and believes they have, work with the new generation on career management?

"Our research past and present has shown that many managers believe young people lack the necessary workplace skills and employability traits required by organizations today".

Wow, that is a tricky one if you believe this is true. Are you a manager who thinks like this? May I suggest that you try to see it differently? After all, what has formed this belief that you have? How do you then interact with the new generation if you think this is true?

Your way is the only way?

Be aware of the threats. You are not the future! They are!

And with their skills they will invent new school leadership! They will have to, because the challenges they have to deal with can't be dealt with by old school management. Young people will be pushed in the 'old school management' way of thinking if you, being a manager, are not aware. Maybe it will be easier to manage that on the short term, but it won't help your organisation to meet future challenges.

I believe young people have all the skills and traits they need! Creating another future means doing things differently than you did before. Young people bring those "different things" into your organisation. Embrace it!

Flexible Working (FW)

my first blog in English ... let's say it is different :-)

In Holland we call it "Het Nieuwe Werken" or HNW. And it is hot! I was curious about it in the UK, so when I attended my NLP training last week, I asked my colleague trainers about this Flexible Working phenomenon in England. It took a while to understand each other. That was a signal.

Without jumping to conclusions, I sense that the mental part of Flexible Working needs attention. In Holland and in England. Maybe the physical/technical part as well, but that is not what I'm interested in. I am passionate about the attitude towards Flexible Working, the changes in behaviour, beliefs and values. For the employees as well as for the employer. The type of leadership it requires.

FW needs new ways of thinking, new ways of organizing. It doesn't know traditional subordination, power and hierarchy models. Fewer rules and procedures are necessary .... oops, if you look at it that way, many companies must deal with great human capital issues before making Flexible Working work. Freedom, responsibility, results and trust are key words!

But what to do with this knowledge? Where to start?

Maybe we can start by sharing our experiences! Nobody knows as much as we all. 'Crowd-sourcing' is what I call it.

So, let me start. My experience is that, as an employer, you have to know WHY flexible working will be Necessary for you with a capital N! Introducing FW comes with huge cultural, organization changes; do you need to put your organisation in this stormy weather? And as an employee, an important question to ask yourself is: WHAT do I need (support, leadership, connection, etc) to work flexible? You will have to stand up, take the lead in making it work for yourself and your company.

This employee part is an important one, therefore: I suggest coaching will help. Why? Because you will have to look inside yourself and be honest. To yourself, your manager, your collegues. FW is all about trust. Am I trustworthy while working at home? Do I trust my manager? FW is all about freedom. Do I feel comfortable having so much freedom? What about the feeling of guilt? How to deal with that? Guilt always comes together with freedom, that I know for sure. Flexible Working: how do I have to behave different, what are my beliefs and values towards working, etc.?

Looking forward to your experiences!