Jorien Vermeer-Heemskerk

HR Officer, Banijay Benelux

How the collaboration started
It was when Hay Hulsman was working for Philips, some 10 years ago, that he first came into contact with the How Company programs. “The first time I was looking for something to improve the team spirit in my management team.” On advice from HR, he started by taking the Communication For Excellence, to experience the How Company approach for himself. He was so enthusiastic that years later he introduced the program at AHC and took the program with his team. This time what was missing in the team was focus “We were putting lots of time and energy into secondary matters. There was no focus. Part of the problem was the (sometimes blind) trust we had in each other and in the team.”
Themes:
  • Personal leadership
  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Custom made programs
  • Team development
How Company helps companies to discover hidden potential in each of its team members, to get that potential out into the open and to put it to best use.
Approach
Hay Hulsman decided to take the Communication For Excellence with his whole management team. Two years later they followed it up with the Leadership for Excellence program, where the emphasis lies on change in organizations, leading teams, and discovering your own leadership style. Next to the workshops organized in Holland, How Company now also trains the German branch AHC Oberflächentechnik GmbH, in Germany.
Result
From the first day after the training Hay says that people were going to work with what they had learned. Not only were they coming into action in their work, but also in their private lives. Hay saw that there was more understanding for each other, and a greater sense that they were all working towards the same goal. “The atmosphere in the training is very open and safe, which allows people to talk not only about the logistic and organizational issues, but also about concerns and doubts on a deeper, more personal level. These are usually the topics holding people back and negatively influencing their performance.” The people in the team have got to know each other on a much deeper level, and they feel much more connected. They realize that in a change you need to come into action yourself, and that mistakes are unavoidable and OK.
About AHC Benelux
AHC is part of the Dutch group Aalberts Industries NV and develops and produces surface treatments, primarily for metal products. Through a series of mergers and alliances the company has grown to be a market leader in the European surface treatment branch.
www.ahcbenelux.nl