Anonymous

January 26th, 2012 § 0

Our Belgian Minister for Equality recently suggested that job applications should be made anonymous. She’s convinced that the exchange of only the relevant facts and nothing else will discourage discrimination in a working environment and will lead to a more correct hiring procedure. My immediate thought is: when will be the right time for the candidate to reveal his or her identity? That moment cannot be postponed endlessly, can it? I can almost see it happen: “Dear colleagues, here is our new project manager. Tara!” And up goes the curtain.

Of course that’s not what is meant, this example is really to the extreme. But still you have to question which elements are considered to be personal? Name? Address? Gender? Hobbies? Interests? Former work experience even? In the 70’s it was common practice to send a photo along with ones candidature. I can understand how this could be misused. But on the other hand, are we not overestimating anonymity, and at the same time underestimating the value of what makes us all unique individuals? Your CV and application is supposed to highlight your differentiating factor, your USP, and in some people it’s the person that makes them individuals.

 Why for example do some people make their phone calls anonymously? Do they fear that they will be pushed off? If so, why bother making the call? It’s not going to be a great conversation anyway, is it? I never answer anonymous calls, sorry but I’m not going to talk to a shadow. If the caller has no problem telling me who he or she is on the phone call, then why not start with that? In real life, you would never stand awkwardly with no introduction. You start by saying “Hello, I’m so and so, do you have minute …” it sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

And suppose we do stick to only relevant facts when it comes to applications, will we then be sure to get the right picture? Last week I thought I might as well join a professional PR group on one of the social networks. My application was declined. Apparently I did not meet the membership standards. I dare to question that, you’ll understand. Either their automatic (?) verification system missed it or they hold very peculiar standards… that was with all my information, imagine if they only had the relevant.

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Part of a bigger whole

January 5th, 2012 § 0

How many people have you wished a prosperous, healthy, happy new year? I bet a lot. Through a card, via the internet, live with a kiss maybe … Of course I won’t stay behind: I hereby wish you and your beloved ones a wonderful 2012.

But there is more. I have a special wish for all people. It started in India. I still haven’t forgotten what struck me there: the constant awareness of the fellow human being. Of the ones living here and now, the ones living elsewhere, even in different times, in the age to come, or the age that has been … So many people, far too many even? Not to the Indians. They understand the art of turning the negative feeling of being wiped away by the crowd into a general positive awareness of being one of many. And that is what I wish for everyone: to feel you belong somewhere, to feel that you are part of a bigger whole. Where people come together, people get close. Not only is that a physical fact, it is also a social reality. You see it in cities all over the world: when you live next to others, you’ve got to live with them. Out of sight, out of mind? I guess it also works the other way around: to know people is to love them. So my wish for you, all of you, for 2012 is: get to know each other. It’s the best basis for mutual respect. Your grandmother? Even should she no longer be alive, keep her alive in your thoughts and your conversations with family. Your neighbour? Do not avoid running into each other. On the contrary, go borrow an egg, make some small talk. The person sitting next to you on the train? Say hi, good morning or evening. Your niece in New Zealand? She will be positively surprised if you send her a birthday card, so do it! Your former teacher launched an idea that hit the media? Let him know you noticed. Et cetera. There are so many opportunities to make new contacts or to keep human contacts warm. Take these opportunities. You’ll bridge gaps between ages, religions, sexes, races and time.

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Namastay*

December 13th, 2011 § 0

A visit to India is a sensory overload, but a good one. The colors, the spicy odors, the handshakes, the music, the different tastes in food unknown to my palate. This vast country, similar in size to Europe, holds 1.2 billion people, a wealth of cultures, 216 languages and thousands of years of history. The religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were all born here. India is speeding into the future with computer software and has become the biggest force among the international film industry, through its famously known, Bollywood. But it is India’s exotic qualities that have inspired me. An India of my imagination. An India of extreme contrasts.

Coming back from India feels like going back to your own world in black & white.  Everything in India, the people, the markets, the dishes, etc. is rendered in brilliant technicolor. The people teach you what tolerance and gentleness really means. They represent mature minds with an understanding spirit and a love for all human beings. They hold respect for animals as incarnations of our ancestors. And they express a strong belief in karma, your next life.

Mahatma Gandhi inspired so many people, and his messages, “life is greater than all art” and “my life is my message,” make you pause. Need a wake-up call? Horn please! Is this the same planet?  Maybe I should learn to nod with my head the Indian way.

There are some places you visit that find a place in your heart. For me, India is such a place. A teardrop of time.

 Shukriyaa* .

*Hindi: Namastay is ‘hi’ and Shukriyaa is ‘thank you’.

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A role play

November 29th, 2011 § 0

When travelling outside of Europe I’m European. When looking at international statistics, I’m Belgian. When speaking to a Dutchman in our mother tongue, I’m Flemish. These are all different phases of my personality and only the scale varies. If the perspective is wide, my range of personalities will also be wider and vice versa. Especially when being challenged, people tend to fold back to a smaller identity. Especially when being attacked, we sacrifice the outer skirts of our entity and we entrench our defence behind the next wall.

It is not wrong to have multiple identities. It is important however to know which one to focus on and when. When working on a project as a team, each team member will have his or her role to play. The sum of the individual efforts is what the client should see, not the separate ingredients with names on them. Viewed from within the company there are account managers, designers, senior accountants, copywriters, executives … From a client’s perspective there is ‘the agency’. A designer hiding behind the company’s umbrella in the process of the project is wrong. A designer stepping in the spotlight for the client to see him rather than shifting the focus to the actual project, is also a mistake.

Belgium will have to make serious savings. To bridge the losses, our national government points to the regional governments who then point to the municipal authorities, who will then probably expect its citizens to make an effort. Roles are not meant to be hidden. Roles are meant to be played.

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The saints and their PR

November 8th, 2011 § 0

We haven’t always had Halloween in Belgium. Only recently have the Jack-O’Lanterns turned up on the streets of All Saints’ eve. First in the shopping centers, now the lit up scary faced pumpkins grace the windowsills of homes all over Belgium. As soon as dusk hits children go door to door for a treat (or trick, whichever it may be) their first one of the season. And from the 31st of October many other seasons will follow; Sint-Maarten in certain regions, Sinterklaas in most parts of Belgium, Santa Claus of course and Epiphany. Plenty of ‘Holy Days’, with a (pseudo) religious background and what’s more appreciated than the promise of getting cozy, candy and toys? Thanks to Halloween it all starts at least ten days sooner than it used to in our local tradition.

Do you really believe it is just chance that the holiday season falls within winter? These saints don’t have a natural preference for cold and dark days do they? It seems they do have a fetish for theater and drama. A procession of festive lanterns while it is pitch black outside. Gifts wrapped in sparkly paper placed under a fairy lit Christmas tree and golden ball-balls with an open fire; whilst it’s freezing cold outside…Perfect timing and an eye-catching presentation have proven to be a formula for guaranteed success. These saints sure take care of their PR.

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Small is big

October 18th, 2011 § 0

Nothing is too small. That is what Wangari Maathai was convinced of. It was this conviction that led her to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. At the time she was an ordinary woman living in Kenya. And what did she do? She had a profound understanding of the simple things in life. She knew that growing seeds and planting them would soon emerge into trees that would support the infrastructure of the ground and preserve necessary soil from flooding away. It was her belief in this small act that enabled her to convince others. She saw the opportunity that she had and she went for it, thus promoting social, economic and cultural development in an environmentally-friendly way.

Excuses are tempting. Do not accept you are born to be lazy. Talking takes little effort and therefore is something we do quite easily. It is when a small African lady comes along, who does not say much and shows that it takes no more than a seed to demonstrate the power of small things that makes us listen. A seed is all it takes to blow away the vast excuses from the “big mouths”. Well that woman should get them – get us – on our feet and make us walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Let’s banish the “buts” and go for it. Let us all stop pointing at the next person to get things done. When was the last time you did something for the first time? Our economy is not static. Our position in the world is defined by what we provoke, initiate and dare to try. Do not wait for a road map but start drawing one yourself. Economics, the environment, peace… they all seem like the big things that are far above our reach. Mrs Wangari Maathai would never have won the Nobel Peace Prize if she believed that. Every piece of wood comes from trees and trees start with seeds. Every big thing can be brought down to those digestible bites. Who would have thought an elephant could be scared of a mouse.  Imagine what more mice can do. The world needs people who dream and make changes. And we need them now. Hurry.  It doesn’t have to be big the first time; it is just the first step that is big.

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Dear Yves…

October 4th, 2011 § 0

I do love London, I really do. But I prefer Paris. It’s the travelling there that discourages me. Travelling by Eurostar to St Pancras means no internet. It means reading newspapers, anything that I happen to have on my iPad or whatever papers are in my briefcase. Despite newspapers having already adapted their format for easy reading in pubs and on trains, they have again been overtaken by time. Something, not yet supported on the Eurostar. The conservative Brit might still be holding on to the traditional paper, but it won’t be long before he’ll have to surrender to tablets and smartphones on his fast trains too. There will become a time where people hiding behind a newspaper will become rare, look suspicious even. The internet will soon dominate all communication in the tunnel under La Manche. This evolution of being ‘connected’ at all times has started a whole new realm of social interaction.

Not being there physically is no longer a handicap for staying connected. Some might say this evolution has unfortunately taken away social possibilities: a conversation with the man or woman sitting opposite you is rare. Those awkward situations where one must make small talk, is no more. The only awkwardness exists when you loudly laugh at a joke somebody – unknown to the rest of the train – sent you on your smart phone.  It’s no longer possible for neither young nor old people to get bored while… doing anything really. Every ‘lost’ second can and will be usefully filled in by means of our iPhones and the like. Gone are the days of “twiddling” your thumbs.

So, Mr. Leterme, I understand that you too will be travelling regularly. Not to London but to Paris. From Lille Europe – where I guess you will be boarding the Thalys – to Paris Nord. I will be there too, every week. But, preoccupied with our own devices, we will probably not be tempted to have a little chat. And you will have no excuse to be reading ‘Informatief Ieper’, like in the old days. But let us interchange a polite nod, shall we?

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The birds and the bees

September 22nd, 2011 § 0

Una hirunda non facti ver. Where were the swallows that were supposed to announce the fair season this year? I haven’t seen any. Rare birds, swallows. If the saying is right, one of these rare birds wouldn’t even have been sufficient to guarantee a great summer. Rare birds don’t guarantee anything, really. Not one, not two…. you can perfectly well have a whole flock of them and not be successful. Ask Georges Leekens, the coach of our national football team. Benfica, Lille, Ajax, Chelsea… Witsel, Hazard, Alderweireld, Lukaku did not get their club membership for being second class. They are all great players, every single one of them. Individually.

To play a great game, it takes a great team, not individual great players. Think ants and bees. None of these have a name, but they know what is expected of them and they just do it. The goal is set, the tasks are clear, the reward is sweet. It may all look fascinating to the outsider, the beauty of it is an extra not a purpose in itself. And the queen bee? There’s only one and she couldn’t survive without her worker bees. However unique she is, she’s worth nothing unless she’s part of the colony. I suppose that helps to remain humble.   A humble bumblebee.

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All hens

September 13th, 2011 § 0

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I want to welcome you aboard this Brussels Airlines flight to Rome. Flight duration is around 125 minutes and we are expecting perfectly smooth weather today. As my crew won’t be needing me here, I am coming over for a chat.”

Okay, this would be unusual but not unthinkable or irresponsible. A captain, be it of an airplane or a ship, can rely on a professional team of well-trained crew members, every single one of them knowing exactly what to do in normal circumstances.  It’s the captain’s role to keep the circumstances ‘normal’ unless a change of strategy (for whatever reason) demands otherwise. When the route is set and the weather is clear, the captain can leave his seat, no problem. But should a storm be announced or diversion be necessary the cockpit is where the captain should be. There is no use for him to go and help the cabin crew calm down the passengers, that would be very unwise. In a moment of crisis more than in any other moment it takes the individual team members to do the job they have been trained for. It takes the captain to stick to the wheel and guide his hardworking team through the storm.

Yes, of course this is a metaphor. The “ship” can be an enterprise, an organisation, even a family or a country. Whichever, all too often when the going gets tough one sees ‘captains’ running around trying to be everywhere. They leave their ship adrift and – to make things worse – they get in the way of the crew.  The result is chaos all around. So captains, if you can’t trust your team to do its job even/especially in difficult circumstances get another team. If you can trust your team, they deserve a captain who they can trust he’ll do his job, don’t you think?

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Switched off

September 5th, 2011 § 0

“How about a whirlpool?”, we are talking hotel reservations. The answer to the question depends. Is this my personal assistant asking? So, is this about a business trip and is she asking Luc Missinne the Director? Or is it my wife who wants to know and are we talking holidays, am I Luc the husband and father? Managing a hotel and trying to please every guest  is not a simple challenge. Imagine how complicated it gets when  there seem to be different guests hidden in one person. Director Luc will have other needs and expectations than Husband Luc. As a Director I expect my room to look exactly the same as last time: same furnishing, same breakfast in the same room with the same view. I do not want to try three different switches to dim the bedside reading-lamp. I’m not happy with the nicer view that the dining room is now offering because they’ve changed its location. The other location was fine: I could find it even with my eyes closed. But when I check in with my wife and kids, I do want that boiled egg for breakfast. I will try all four wellness functions of the jacuzzi. No thank you I do not feel the need to go sweat in the fitness room in the basement and have room service bring up a light meal.

I wonder, does the guy at the reception have control over a button that switches all accommodation from business to pleasure, depending on whether he sees me coming in wearing a shirt and tie or wearing a polo – think highbrow “domotica” (house automation)? I’ll be closely watching him next time!  The Director/Father switch that I seem to have in my head still works fine, the summer holidays have proven that much.

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