Who are our new managers and how do they help their teams grow to their full potential every day? Find out here.
Recognition is one of the building blocks of the structure at EASI. Thomas van Eeckhout our CEO is pleased with this expansion.
"At EASI we let employees grow and become shareholders. We also never recruit external managers, because we want to give colleagues the opportunity to grow. Our recruiters are alert from the first job interview to what we call the 'rising star' potential. Our employees must have it in them to grow. Even though as a company we may sometimes go a bit slower, we always give opportunities and recognition to our own people. I find it particularly pleasing that we are able to expand our management team according to this philosophy. I know all three of them very well and I wish them every success. I look forward to working with them to realize our planned growth plans".
Welcome...
Enough teasing. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The new managers joining our management team are: Johan Neskens, Bernd Vanden Bempt and Maarten van de Sande (same order as on the picture above). Three top formers who have been helping to shape EASI for years. Bernd has been working for EASI for more than 12 years, Johan for almost 12 years and Maarten for more than 8 years.
Bernd Vanden Bempt
How did you end up at EASI?
I came to EASI straight from school. Something I remember well, because at that time our offices were in Zaventem and the recordings of "Het Eiland" (a famous Flemish television series) took place in the same building.
From the very beginning, I have held a sales position within our infrastructure department. Over the years, I have been given the opportunity to gradually take on more responsibilities. For example, training new colleagues or giving direction to certain product lines. Today, I am responsible for a team that is focused on making sure that our existing customers, remain satisfied customers.
What do you think is an important quality to be a good manager?
I find "Lead by example" very powerful myself. I believe you will follow a leader's example if you feel connected to it. In that respect, leadership is a kind of process aimed at making the individuals and the organization in which they are active grow and perform better. I therefore believe that you have more impact or can give meaning to your words if you put your words into action yourself.
What is your best quality?
A listening ear. Listening is not only crucial in our work, but also in life in general. I like for my colleagues to feel they are being heard and that they know I will strive to do my best for them. Besides that I think it enables me to better understand their intentions and feelings.
Maarten van de Sande
How did you end up at EASI?
I first worked as a developer in Brussels for a year. I was looking for more challenges, recognition and responsibility. I started at EASI as a developer in the product team of Adfinity, our accounting program. After about 2 years, I made the switch to the project team.
In the beginning it was mainly about starting up French-speaking customers. In 2015, I then switched to the Dutch-speaking team under Raf. Those were challenging years, because we still had to earn our stripes. Because we grew a lot, I was able to coach more consultants. This allowed me to grow from Project Manager to Business Unit Manager and my team continues to grow as well.
What do you think is an important quality to be a good manager?
"Leadership is not about being the best. Leadership is about making everyone else better." This quote sums it up nicely, for me it contains the essence of leadership. In order to be able to guide everyone well, I think you need to have sufficient experience. That way you can make your team members feel that you are there for them and give them the necessary confidence to do their job.
What is your best quality?
My analytical thinking skills. In difficult situations, that ability allows me to keep an overview and make the right decisions.
Johan Neskens
How did you end up at EASI?
Before EASI, I worked at 2 different family businesses, but the opportunities for growth were limited there. At EASI, I first joined the administrative team, actually a career switch, but thanks to my colleagues and the EASI spirit, I was able to grow nicely. Still, Toni, my boss at the time, noticed my commercial side and proposed another switch to the Sales Team.
I seized that opportunity with both hands. I started as a rookie again, but thanks to my hunger for more and the opportunities I got from my Sales Manager Nicolas Dewandre, I was soon able to prove myself as External Sales.
EASI itself continued to grow in Flanders and I got another new manager, Thomas Van Eeckhout. He always stood by me with advice and gave me a lot of confidence. It is thanks to him that I stand where I am today. In short, I have felt the EASI spirit since my first day in this company and it is my goal to support others in their journey.
What do you think is an important quality to be a good manager?
There isn't one quality that stands out for me, but I really value more than one. For example, recognition. Encourage people, give them compliments. It's something that can easily be forgotten, but can give wings to others. I also think about freedom. When people are given responsibility and freedom, beautiful things often happen. That advantage never outweighs the fear of mistakes, because everyone makes a mistake once in a while. The most important thing is what you do with it afterwards and what you learn from it. And finally, it seems important to me to set an example for your team. You can't expect others to deliver top work if you're not doing it yourself.
What is your best quality?
Being there for the people. I think it's very important that my team knows they can count on me. They can always come to me for advice, my door is always open.
