A story about starting a business during a pandemic
28 December 2020
Veerle Seymus
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Only a few weeks before the Corona-virus pandemic forced Belgium into lockdown, Gerrit founded Ambits. The introduction of a new and unknown business service, though mentoring as such is of course as old as mankind, is challenging enough itself. But COVID also presented opportunities for Ambits.
Tom Dekkers talks with Gerrit about trials and possibilities, the formula to success, and Gerrit describes mentoring and gives away his lessons learned.
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Struggles of a manager
Managers are
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- lack self-confidence
- don’t know how to go from being a colleague to being a boss
- need to loosen up on the command & control leadership style
- must let go of the (technical) expert status
- cannot give or accept constructive feedback
- feel pressure to perform as manager
- have difficulty building relationships
- want to be liked by everyone or want to be the ‘bad boss’
- play the hero
- …
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- stay too involved in operations
- have trouble prioritizing
- cannot delegate
- fear conflict situations
- disconnect from the team
- deal with flawed strategic thinking
- do not relate to higher management
- lack clear communication skills
- remain not self-aware
- avoid difficult conversations
- miss political antennas
- ...
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- need mental preparation as successor
- need to be able to lead big changes ahead
- need to learn to be emotionally resilient and in control
- need to learn to make big decisions fast without all the information
- must become persuasive presenters
- need to learn how to cultivate their own personal brand
- need to learn how to lead by example
- manage by trust, not by fear
- need to overly develop empathy
- ...
