How about leadership in a “VUCA” world?
The only constant is change, as one of my interviewees points out. This seems to be the common thread running through many interviews I have with leaders in FMCG. Change that explores the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world.
What does this require of leadership?
There’s a widespread belief that “current” leaders lack the tools to deal with change. This is especially true considering the experience of our current leaders. For long the world seemed to be a constant and long the people they lead as well.
What does the current employee ask for?
Some of the characteristics of the current generation includes their fearlessness, their pursuit of their own goals, and the desire to make a difference. I doubt if this ever has changed over generations 😊.
Other characteristics includes a lack of loyalty, the desire for immediate gratification and the feeling that they are always “winners.”
Attention is key
Where does reality come in?
Ultimately, a perception of reality emerges when leadership stands for guiding the next generation to practicing 10,000 times instead of thinking you can fix it with a YouTube tutorial. Hardship, disappointment and failing is part of the game. Ignoring these elements of a career leads to stress, burnout, and even suicide.
What’s the best approach to leadership in this VUCA world?
Attention to the needs is the constant in this VUCA-world. A conversation in a real environment where you can hear, smell, see, and feel each other. Leadership requires time spent with each other. Tools like unlimited vacation time and/or availability of a mental coach seems inevitable to attract the impact players in the next generation, but won’t keep them in the organisation.
As a leader, it requires a toolkit that can be described as serving and attentivity. You can’t lose sight of the KPIs. It requires creating space for people within the organization, with the attention that comes with it. Clear, right?
Hidden Vacancies
/in Executive search/by Michael Boeren“I get offered positions that I don’t see anywhere on the internet, the so-called hidden vacancies,” says a Retail Director. He finds it a struggle to find vacant positions on his own. He has a busy job. In addition to his daily duties, which include managing 13 employees combined with the desire to leave, he gets stuck scouring the internet.
Hidden vacancies
With the fact that there are hidden vacancies, he touches upon an important point. Many jobs are not (always) listed on the internet as vacant positions. These vacant positions are put “on the market” in a different way, such as through:
How do you ensure you get your hands on these “hidden” vacant positions?
You can do this by engaging a “broker” who has connections at many companies at the relevant levels and knows exactly where you can and want to take the next step. Bureau Boeren Executive Search is a broker that takes over the service of scouting for “vacant positions” from you.
Proactive approach
Bureau Boeren can actively bring your profile and CV to the attention of organizations you have indicated in writing that you wish to be brought to their attention. Targeted finding, in other words, for hidden vacancies.
For someone currently engaged in a busy job, this requires a time investment. Bureau Boeren has a structured, efficient, and effective method for actively approaching the market. The result of this method is that they provide suggestions for placing your profile and CV with a potential holder of a hidden vacancy.
Thanks to the targeted approach and broad view of the market, the active approach and guidance provided by Bureau Boeren open a path that can give your career journey an extra boost.
Apply
If you would like to know more about this active method of tracking down hidden vacancies, please let us know via this contact link.
Mental Vitality
/in Organisation culture/by Michael BoerenI often speak to people who hold positions within organizations where they are not sufficiently able to reach their full potential. Regardless of the underlying causes, this consumes a great deal of energy and comes at the expense of mental vitality. According to recent research by Statistics (CBS) Netherlands, one in five employees in the Netherlands experiences burnout symptoms.
What do you do as an organization to prevent your employee from “dropping out”? What do you do yourself to feel better about yourself?
Break
Take time to discover your feeling that something isn’t right. Seek guidance from people around you whom you trust. Expressing your sense of unease can already resolve a great deal. You can share this search with your supervisor or a confidential counsellor within your organization.
Breathe
Focus on the things that suit you. Draw your strength from them and give them space by taking a deep, ample breath. Everything can collapse except the power of your breath. Focus on the functioning of your nervous system in the breath you take in and exhale. You experience how breath, movement, and voice reinforce each other, and how your body can be a gateway to greater peace and vitality.
Ownership
Dare to admit that you do not fit into your current environment. You are responsible for your own happiness. Take this “ownership” by acting on it. Take action and let yourself be guided by charting your own course. You will thereby deal with setbacks more resiliently.
Employer
For employers, the investment in vitality is a valuable one. Research shows that a vitality program leads to greater happiness in the workplace, increased productivity, and a significant decrease in absenteeism. For every euro invested, 6 euros are earned back on the value of the investment in mental vitality.
Recruitment without bias does not exist
/in Executive search/by Michael Boeren“I don’t recognize myself at all in what you say about my “soft skills,” the candidate replied. I just told her she came in second. I justified this with the support of my client’s feedback. Because these are serious processes, motivation is certainly a key part of the recruitment process. (See the art of rejection in Dutch.)
Alarm bells went off when she said she didn’t recognise herself at all in the feedback on soft skills. She wasn’t concerned about the evaluation of a few hard skills. She had less proven experience overall. She could understand the motivation in that regard.
Recruitment without bias does not exist
After this conversation, I started thinking about how I, as a man (and the client also consisted of men), view a woman who shows equal “soft skills” compared to a man. Are we more likely to consider a woman who is alert, to the point, and direct in her communication to be someone who is less warm and therefore lacks the necessary social security to lead an organization? While we believe these soft skills in a man make him capable of leading an organization while exhibiting the same behavior?
The next day I called her and told her that I was aware of my “bias” regarding the soft skills that were part of the motivation why she didn’t get the job. We then discussed how culture fit is crucial for hiring. She sent me an interesting article about this by Doug Hanna: “The Failproof Matrix for Evaluating Fit vs. Performance.”
My conclusion is that recruiting without bias is an illusion. The trick is to be aware of it and try to eliminate it as much as possible. Thanks to this candidate who spoke out about how she didn’t recognize things in my feedback, I’ve gained a better understanding. This candidate has a better understanding of the evaluation with the disappointing outcome.
In the art of talent tour, people are key
/in Other/by Michael BoerenDuring a three-day art for talent tour in Copenhagen with a group of CHRO/People professionals from various industries, the challenges and topics of people came to light. We invited ourselves to various companies in Denmark. Denmark is known for its progressive approach to work-life balance and the art of talent.
As participants, we have shaped our art for talent tour in five areas:
The introduction to Maersk immediately highlights the impact of both a cyberattack and COVID-19 on the conflict between finding a technological solution and/or utilizing global best practices. The transport giant recognizes that technology will continue to evolve, and that people will remain key to decision-making! Recruitment is based more on skills than on embracing the company’s purpose or values.
In a panel discussion with a Goodtalks partner and VP of ProWoc on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), the concept of “relative to opportunity” was explored. This means that when applying for a job, you should consider the applicant’s starting point for the vacancy. Furthermore, the panelists clearly emphasized the importance of actively engaging in the D&I discussion to raise awareness and generate curiosity, taking into account the culture in which this discussion takes place.
With a visit to Oersted (Green Energy), we believe that wherever you work for this company in the world, you’ll always find a “safe haven” for D&I matters. It was particularly striking that issues within the Polish branch that sparked discussion emerged.
After a tour and an introduction to the company’s history, Novo Nordisk highlighted the importance of transparency and equality as anchors in its culture. In the world of insulin, zero tolerance for product errors is crucial. This is fully articulated through Psychological Safety. We learned in detail how this concept can be organized through understanding, measuring, and improving. Psychological safety is like vulnerability rewarded.
The Art of Talent tour reflects the current societal challenges in the Western world. The importance of technology and data, with an increasingly courageous role for humans as the key. May we remain aware of this and continue to work on it!
Fallow Earth
/in Other/by Michael BoerenThe fallow period has begun. Farmers have celebrated their harvests with traditional festivals like Thanksgiving Day or other customs to honor nature for its bounty. Many people are still pushing themselves to the limit, not only at work but also at home. December demands a lot of attention to being a good person.
The most common ailment among young professionals is (moral) stress and its associated symptoms. This study clarifies what that means. Vitality assessment and consuming energy to recover well are principles that nature has long taught us.
The year 2025 is over. We’ve welcomed back the four seasons, which will return in 2026. We’ve had a year of pursuing goals, some of which we may or may not have achieved. We’ve plowed and reaped. With blood, sweat, and tears, we’ve worked to make something of it. To do what’s possible, and sometimes even more.
In our “high-tech-connected” world, we can be active 24/7. We know that knowledge is everywhere, that the future lies in skills like empathy and adaptability. We are connected to at least 3.4 “devices” and accept 5G speeds at a minimum. We boast about Artificial Intelligence and the joy we (think we can or will) experience with it.
And then we discover that the Earth rotates at its own speed, and therefore we need to adjust the atomic clock by one hundredth of a second. We learn that fruit from the local farmer or vegetables from our own garden is appealing. It also has its limitations; it’s not always available. We discover that water (even in the Netherlands) is becoming scarcer. We learn to become aware of the vulnerability of our existence through government-supported campaigns.
We know that winter is a time when we need to let the earth rest for a while. The fallow period can also apply to us.
Give yourself a moment of rest and recharge by doing things you truly enjoy. Discover what’s important to you and in this way, nourish your batteries with new energy.
A new season is coming, when the fallow earth can be cultivated and leads to harvests.
Blessings in the new year!
Leadership in a VUCA world
/in Organisation culture/by Michael BoerenHow about leadership in a “VUCA” world?
The only constant is change, as one of my interviewees points out. This seems to be the common thread running through many interviews I have with leaders in FMCG. Change that explores the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world.
What does this require of leadership?
There’s a widespread belief that “current” leaders lack the tools to deal with change. This is especially true considering the experience of our current leaders. For long the world seemed to be a constant and long the people they lead as well.
What does the current employee ask for?
Some of the characteristics of the current generation includes their fearlessness, their pursuit of their own goals, and the desire to make a difference. I doubt if this ever has changed over generations 😊.
Other characteristics includes a lack of loyalty, the desire for immediate gratification and the feeling that they are always “winners.”
Attention is key
Where does reality come in?
Ultimately, a perception of reality emerges when leadership stands for guiding the next generation to practicing 10,000 times instead of thinking you can fix it with a YouTube tutorial. Hardship, disappointment and failing is part of the game. Ignoring these elements of a career leads to stress, burnout, and even suicide.
What’s the best approach to leadership in this VUCA world?
Attention to the needs is the constant in this VUCA-world. A conversation in a real environment where you can hear, smell, see, and feel each other. Leadership requires time spent with each other. Tools like unlimited vacation time and/or availability of a mental coach seems inevitable to attract the impact players in the next generation, but won’t keep them in the organisation.
As a leader, it requires a toolkit that can be described as serving and attentivity. You can’t lose sight of the KPIs. It requires creating space for people within the organization, with the attention that comes with it. Clear, right?
Eleven years in Recruitment
/in Executive search/by Michael BoerenEverything is relative, especially in this time of war, oppression and legal inequality of minorities in many (developed) parts of this planet. With Eleven years in recruitment and experience in being self-employed , I am getting to know myself better.
My experiences/lessons are:
With the start in Recruitment & Selection I discover a conviction to manage this drastic career “turn”. The confidence has been tested with many months without income. Many rejections of potential customers, a lot of pitches and loneliness. By staying true to myself this careerchange feels like the best path to follow.
My “entrepreneurship” is characterized by a certain stubbornness that is followed by perseverance. Without adapting the path to the clear objectives. My objective is making a living of matching cusotmers with candidates. Knowing why you want to achieve something. The “how” is therefore flexible. Keeping the mindset on the “why” enlightens the path.
In all phases of these past eleven years I could count on the support of my life partner. She is very important in this. We took into account scenarios that forced us to sell the house. The request for help was answered with support. I learnt to ask for help. Being able to ask for help and count on “loved ones” is of great importance in my eleven years.
I want to keep to the promisses I make. Both candidates and customers can rely on my expertise in FMCG. Working in a disciplined way with professionals in my team makes all the efforts worthwhile.
Trying to get grip in this VUCA* world asks for discipline and vision. As an entrepreneur of services, it is essential to continue to be able to convert built-up trust into value. Over the years, I can grow from “ticking the boxes” to “trusted advisor” with a “local to local” to “local to Europe” reach.
Conclusion:
The business remains a personal/human interest profession. Eleven years in recruitment provides me with a journey i really enjoy with my heart and mind.
Happy Summertime!
Embracing Differences
/in Executive search/by Michael BoerenIn an attempt to create a marketing plan for our Executive Search firm, we come to a conclusion that embracing our differences is the core of our success.
As partners in Europe, we are all born with characteristics, qualities that we carry into our careers. The careers we take shape us in different ways of thinking and doing. We can use these differences to our advantage.
Assuming that our “prospects” do business from a business and personal perspective, it is precisely the personal component that can make the difference. There are many agencies in executive search in The Netherlands and Europe. We all do (hopefully) business with customers. The lifecycle of a customer-agency defines the following statistics; Thirty percent of clients are latently dissatisfied with the agency* they work with, and within 5-7 years a client leaves an agency* even if the collaboration is still fine.
What matters in the strategy of positioning as an executive agency to prospects is, in addition to the standard qualities you must possess, to offer a stage to the differences of the partners who are involved in your agency. Not only the partners, but also the back-office/recruiters involved. We can still strengthen and improve this.
Why is this personal profiling so important?
Because the agency’s choice for an important component depends on a favorable-or-magic click factor. And this factor is born from the vulnerability or transparency of the partner and the ideas that the partner has about the world/business/humanity.
Within the frameworks that you tend to create to emphasize uniformity in structure and appearance, it is vital to embrace and even emphasize individual differences.
Interested in a personal meetup with us? Send us an e-mail info@bureauboeren.nl
*I cannot confirm these statements based on research, these are personal observations
Recruit for attitude, train for knowledge
/in Executive search/by Michael BoerenIn a conversation with a Retail Executive who has travelled all over the world, an important theme emerged: “Recruit for Attitude, Train for Knowledge.” This theme is not only relevant for a service-oriented role in hospitality—where “customer friendliness” or “hospitality” should be a natural disposition—but also for an Executive involved in the reorientation of a business strategy (such as downsizing). In both cases, a professional, honest, and transparent attitude must come naturally.
Why do we ask for 10 years of experience?
We often deal with managers who prefer to hire a copy of themselves. This increases the risk of revisiting well-trodden paths in search of a false sense of security and stability.
From a specific business perspective (e.g., fresh cut flower cultivation), I can understand wanting to hire someone with experience in the fresh flower trade for business purposes.
Matrix as an intake support
In my practice, I use a “matrix” that includes both attitude-related and experience/knowledge-related elements. When both HR and the line manager independently complete the same matrix, I often discover differences in emphasis between the two areas. I make this a topic of discussion and ask them to jointly determine the five most important “Must-Haves.” In 99% of cases, these are attitude-driven elements, such as:
Intake is essential
To find the most suitable match and to bring about real change or improvement within your organization, the principle of “Recruit for Attitude, Train for Knowledge” is certainly applicable.
To me, that means conducting a thorough intake. For the organization, it also means ensuring the newly hired individual is not left to fend for themselves.
Interested in the Matrices we made of a lot of roles in FMCG? Send us an e-mail to info@bureauboeren.nl
Five Business advantages in hiring Bureau Boeren
/in Executive search/by Michael BoerenWhy should you hire a boutique executive search agency in general and Bureau Boeren more specific? Below you find five reasons why.
International Foodtrends
Ad 1. Bureau Boeren Executive Search is founded 12 years ago with an expertise in the territory of FMCG/Food. At the beginning local to local marketing & sales roles. Nowadays we find for our global customers Commercial, Financial, Operational and General Management profiles in Europe
Ad 2. In our “pitch-adventures” we get often feedback on values like: direct, off the main road, unconventional, transparent, excellent business and psychological sense. Business is build on persons with values that resonate.
Ad 3. When we are committed to an assignment we act with passion and trust. When a relationship is build we consider ourselves as a partner in talent attraction. We advise some customers on more topics than the restricted mandate we are hired for.
Ad 4. Our number of customers is restricted. We are dedicated to our customers. Thanks to the limited number of customers, our “pond” to attract talent from is much bigger than colleagues with lot’s more customers. We are not aloud to attract talents from our own customers. Their “pond” could be substantially smaller to attract talents from.
Ad 5. A highly personal approach means as well one single point of contact through the process of recruitment and onboarding. No waste of time to have discussions with several persons in the process. One person who is in charge of the assignment.
Conclusion:
Trust is the key to success. Over the years we are fortunate to build trust with many customers in FMCG around the world. Building this relationship takes effort and dedication. The existence of Bureau Boeren as a boutique executive search agency underpins the relevancy of values like personal, unconventional and transparency.