TERUG NAAR OVERZICHT

Bank van Breda

Clients keep coming back. They pass on my name or choose colleagues from our eco-system. Because they trust me and know that I would never suggest anyone if I doubted that person’s abilities

Bieke Van Gool: “I grew up in a typical Flemish family from the Kempen region. ‘Just act normal, you’ll be crazy enough,’ I was taught as a child. But I also liked to do things a little differently and to seek challenges. The nature of the beast, so to speak. So, I went to Namur to study law in French and spent an Erasmus year in Germany. After an additional year of Master in Management at the VUB, I hoped to be ready for ‘real life’. In the meantime, I had built a first network and a busy social life. But I had no idea what I really wanted professionally. I only knew that ‘people and their goals’ made me happy.

I immediately became self-employed and started working at Dale Carnegie Training, an American training company. There I learned a lot about people, teams, and their leaders. But I also wanted to get to know “the other side of the table. When I got the opportunity to work as an HR manager for a client in the Netherlands, I jumped at the chance. Three years later, I ran into a bore out. I clearly did not have an HR profile. Too impatient and too results oriented. I started at Hudson, De Witte and Morel to delve further into several HR areas. Four years later, in the crisis of 2009, it started itching again. I took the plunge and became self-employed again. I wanted to focus on leadership and change management for companies.

STRIVING FOR LASTING IMPACT

Thanks to my network, I quickly met the dean of Antwerp Management School (AMS). In the meantime, I have been teaching there as a guest lecturer for ten years and work as a faculty member on various corporate projects. My motivation? Having an impact and making a positive difference in the leadership of others. That is perfectly possible at AMS. And I do that above all with my colleagues through Leiders.be and Mis-s.com at our clients. There we increase effectiveness in collaboration and leadership of individuals, teams, and their organisations.

From an eco-system of senior professionals, I guide boards, management teams and organisations. I work from a constructive and critical approach. My advice must have a lasting impact on the client’s business. In all this, I look for the right balance between the rules of economics and psychology. This is because I believe very strongly in the combination of head and heart.

EVERYTHING REVOLVES AROUND ATTENTION

Since my first day of self-employment, I have never been without assignments and clients. The fact that I had built up a strong network in the meantime certainly helped me. But I am convinced that my success is mainly due to attention. I have a genuine interest in my clients. Mis-s stands for Make it smart & simple. Bring the right, smart things while keeping both feet on the ground. Deliver what the customer asks for and needs. And do so with the necessary professionalism. My clients know what I stand for. They believe in my approach. Because I say what I do and do what I say.
The step to positive word-of-mouth advertising is then quickly made. Those who are satisfied and feel seen and heard will tell on. A satisfied customer often brings new customers. It’s as simple as that.

Clients also keep coming back. They pass on my name or choose colleagues from our eco-system. Because they trust me and know that I will never suggest someone if I doubt that person’s abilities.

“A satisfied customer who feels genuinely seen and heard brings in new customers. It’s as simple as that.”
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MUST HAVES FOR A STRONG CUSTOMER REFERRAL

1. MUTUAL GENUINENESS

Bieke Van Gool: “You can’t be genuine if you’re not honest. Stay yourself. But also give the other person space to be themselves. Allow openness. Stay away from artificiality. Clients immediately sense when you pretend to be different from who you really are.

2. CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP

Bieke Van Gool: ‘Have the very best interests of your client at heart. Also, in the long term. Take her or his problem to heart. That is what makes a good friendship. But at the same time, remain critical of each other. Give honest and sincere feedback. Still keep some distance for this. Don’t strike out in that friendship.’

3. POSITIVE BOUNDARIES

Bieke Van Gool: ‘Dare to say that you would rather not respond to certain questions or assignments. Because it is not within your expertise, for example. Because it doesn’t feel right. Remain honest. Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver.’

4. TRUE ART

Bieke Van Gool: “Speak when you have something to say and keep quiet about everything else. Don’t sell nonsense. Work from your expertise. If you don’t do this, you will lose credibility in no time.’

Business & culture transformation