The Transformation Group developed a special leadership programme for the CEOs and CFOs of the NPM Capital companies, partly in association with TIAS Business School. HAK’s CEO Timo Hoogeboom, shares his experiences.
“All credit goes out to NPM Capital for facilitating this programme. Investors looking to create synergy by partnering with other companies in areas like purchasing sometimes get involved in these types of initiatives, but NPM Capital is really looking for ways to strengthen the business of its investee companies by helping them to improve their leadership skills. And it’s been proven to work. Since we’re working with twelve CEOs from a cross-section of companies in different industries, you can bounce ideas off of each other in a way that you really can’t in your own workplace. It certainly helps that NPM makes a point of allowing the management of its investee companies maximum freedom in setting their own strategy, rather than forcing them to adopt some one-size-fits-all approach.
Personal
“The participants have developed a strong bond with each other in very little time: they may have been a little cautious at first, but they’re now at a stage where they’re very open and personal with each other and are truly engaged with the material. Since they have built this real bond of trust, they learn a lot from each other, not just in the context of the modules but outside the programme as well. They’ll phone someone in the group to ask how they solved a particular problem in the past or to get them to help out with a current situation. In the past I would have thought twice before doing that, but I’ve no qualms about it at all now and I feel it’s been a tremendous asset in so many ways.”
Work-life balance
“The first module focused mainly on ways to define personal leadership. This may seem obvious, but virtually all CEOs struggle with work-life balance issues. There’s always the danger that you’ll pour most of your energy into your work, when in fact it’s the satisfaction you get from your personal life that contributes to your overall wellbeing – which is exactly what you need to be a good leader. Many participants in the programme are in a similar position and share their experiences with the group, so you learn to look at your own performance from a different perspective. I have to say that you do end up treading water in many of these situations, but De Transformatiegroep is all about taking a highly practical and pragmatic approach to the problem. All participants are asked to draft a personal action plan, share it with another participant and commit to getting to work on it, knowing that someone will be looking over their shoulder. There’s really no need to do a 360; even small steps can sometimes have a major positive impact.”
Stakeholder relations
“In the second module, we looked at the strategy and relationships with stakeholders. The CEOs were challenged to really put on their thinking caps and reflect on where they intended to take the company – how persuasive are you when you’re making your point to a group of seasoned peers? I personally found the interaction very valuable, since you’re talking about issues that normally wouldn’t come up in regular interactions with your fellow management team members, due to, I suppose, a certain type of myopia that’s part and parcel of many corporate settings. This module was also very pragmatic and hands-on. And our group is very pragmatic in any case, so this is the perfect set-up for us in many ways. There’s no mumbo-jumbo or abstract theories, but the participants are supported in answering questions such as: what drives you, what gives you energy, what are your beliefs, and what are your company’s values?”
