S H A R E
T H E
S E C R E T A R Y
Future leaders
Androgyny first Business abroad
China’s secrets
New at the office
Beekeeping
CEO Coca-Cola
Marcos de Quinto “I wasn’t born for the top”
“We have to act now” Marie-Noëlle Keijzer
CEO WeForest
P L U S
E X P E R I E N C E
The 2013 issue
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Contents Business as usual? Why specific skills are needed to be successful in China
PAGE 28
“My job is a rollercoaster ride” Clara Carcamo is an executive assistant at an Italian fashion house. A portrait of her and two other high-level management assistants
PAGES 14, 40, 62
“The beauty of my job lies in the enormous impact on society”
Rembrandt’s story A graphic novel marks the opening of the renowned new Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
PAGE 37
Marcos de Quinto, CEO of Coca-Cola Spain and Portugal
PAGE 46 Concept & realisation MediaPartners Group, Amstelveen
Art Director Gitteke van der Linden
Vision magazine is an annual gift for Secretary Plus’ business relations, including customers and professionals
Editor-in-Chief Muk Swart
Designer Martijn de Kruijf
Magazine management Marion van Happen, Brand Manager Secretary Plus
Editor Patricia Oomen
Photo Editor Janet Deibert
Contributors Markus Altmann@Hollandse Hoogte, Francesco Arkink, Alberto Bernasconi@Hollandse Hoogte, Marcel Bakker, Jose Luis Garcia Lechner, Annemiek de Gier, Janneke Grootings, Wendie Hagen, Lars Hamer, Kate van Harreveld@ Angelique Hoorn, Annemarie Hoeve, Georgette Koning, Cecily Layzell, Diego Martinez@
CONTENTS
Secretary Plus
Appetizers in 2013
INTRODUCTION Christine van den Eynde REPORT
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About work
What’s hot to serve? Three tasty trends.
HAPPY AT WORK Jill Geisler
PAGE 59
BUSINESS ABROAD China
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FUTURE LEADERS Androgyny
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VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
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Inspiration FUTURE OFFICE TRENDS Stand up
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FASHION The ideal suit
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COLUMN Search for the perfect assistant
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FUTURE OFFICE TRENDS Entertain
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FOOD Haute appetizers
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FUTURE OFFICE TRENDS Meet nature
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Interviews
Delightful delay Airports where travellers can wait in comfort
PAGE 50
Dress to impress
Business fashion trends for 2013
PAGE 20
Hollandse Hoogte, Cécile Narinx, Jeroen Niezen, Joy Osmanski, Eveline Rethmeier, Lex Rietman, Mieneke van Rossem, Andy Round, Gary Rudland, Jane Szita, Rieky Takken, Pamela Wilhelmus, Manon van der Zwaal@Dutch Photo Collective. Additional images courtesy of Emporio Armani, Getty Images, Google, Qantas Airways Limited, SheSuit and Zara
INTERVIEW CEO Marie-Noëlle Keijzer
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PORTRAIT Assistant Simone Wolter
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PORTRAIT Assistant Clara Carcamo
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INTERVIEW CEO Marcos de Quinto
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PORTRAIT Assistant Yvonne van Pinxsteren
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Business travel VOTED THE BEST Brussels
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RIJKSMUSEUM
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HIGH-TECH HOTSPOTS
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AIRPORT LOUNGES
50
VOTED THE BEST Milan
53
VOTED THE BEST Munich
58
© 2013 Secretary Plus. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited material. The publisher has made every effort to arrange copyright in accordance with existing legislation. Those who feel that rights may apply to them can, in spite of this, contact the publisher.
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“The key to success is to stay one step ahead”
INTRODUCTION
Pioneering pirit S Christine van den Eynde, Vice President Secretary Plus Europe
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here are many types of journeys and destinations. What they all share is the ability to inspire. By always looking towards the horizon, you can know when it’s right to stay put, move forward or change course. Add to that a passion for overcoming challenges and a curiosity about what is around the corner, and nothing can stand in your way. At Secretary Plus, the urge to seek out new paths is part of our DNA. Without this instinct, we could never have become what we are today: the market leader in recruitment services for multilingual management assistants across eight European countries. Established in 1990, we were quick to see a niche for tailor-made services in an increasingly international world. Over the past decade, the demand has continued to grow, as have we. In 2012 we expanded operations by opening new offices in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
Read more about Secretary Plus on page 33. The key to success, however, is to stay one step ahead. The way to do that is to not only expand, but also innovate. New services, products and processes are constantly being developed. Our innovative vision is what sets us apart from the rest, and as industry leaders, we aim to spark the same pioneering spirit in others. That’s why this magazine is our gift to you. With inspiring stories, the content is a celebration of what can be achieved with talent, drive and ambition. While creating the articles, we kept five key elements in mind: people (interesting to meet), intelligence (relevant business knowledge), places (where to go), style (what to wear) and Secretary Plus (what we do). We hope you enjoy what we’ve put together and that the content will help you inspire others. After all, in the end, you are only as good as your people..
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histle W hile you W
work Jill Geisler
Management guru Jill Geisler elaborates on a positive work philosophy in the book, Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know – but in this time of economic crisis, mass redundancies and business failures, has there ever been a harder time to pursue happiness in the office?
A
s a former broadcaster, Jill Geisler is the first to admit that her voice was a key factor in her success. Silky, warm and soothing, there’s something about it that inspires confidence. Over nine million downloads of her ‘What Great Bosses Know’ podcasts since 2010 are a clear indication of her popularity. Now, using a different
medium, she’s followed these up with a book entitled Work Happy – which might seem almost guaranteed to provoke a certain cynicism, given the harsh realities faced by managers and their employees in the current economic crisis. Despite the smiley on the cover, she comments: “My book isn’t really all sunshine and rainbows, it’s about disappointing people, having tough conversation. Managers have to disappoint people every day.” It’s a lesson she had to learn the hard way. Aged 27, she switched from journalism to management when she traded her job as a news anchor for an American television station for a role as news director. Her motivation couldn’t have been less material: “The on-air talent I managed earned significantly more than I did,” she laughs. “But I found the thinking and strategy of management more interesting.”
THEXXXXXXXXXXXXXX MEANING OF WORK
Happiness is no longer derived from salary or long-term job security
Working as a manager in the media has meant that Geisler has been on the front line of many universal changes in corporate life. “Media organisations are dealing with changing consumer habits, technological transformation and broken business models,” she says. “Those are issues other industries are coping with – but for media, they converge all at one time. Journalism’s leaders need to constantly manage change, including innovation, redeploying resources and altering work flows, downsizing, retooling and retraining – while tending to ethical, legal and regulatory standards.”
Influence, not power The pressures faced by managers have generally only increased, while many of the fundamental aspects of their jobs have changed. “Because of the erosion of formal middle-management roles,” Geisler explains, “most management opportunities are now informal. So we’re talking about influence, not power. In this scenario, it’s all about collaborative skills. For example, you have to understand what makes a great day’s work for the IT team, because people respond best to those who understand their work the most.” This transformed corporate landscape means that today’s bosses need to be more like coaches than authority figures. “There are no jobs for life anymore,” she believes. “This means that today’s managers can no longer be the paternal or maternal figures of yesteryear,
they have to act more like agents. These days you sign up with a company, build up a portfolio of work and move on – you’re always keeping one eye on the door, because tomorrow you could be made redundant.”
“My book isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it’s about disappointing people”
Empty desk syndrome
In today’s complex landscape, happiness at work is no longer derived from simply your salary or long-term job security. For any worker, Geisler argues, “happiness at work is a sense of autonomy and purpose and the knowledge that they are developing. For a manager, happiness is helping people to produce their best work.” These things can coexist even in an uncertain world. Those managers or employees who cling grimly to the idea of survival – ‘you’re lucky to have this job in this climate’ – are, she says, “missing a golden opportunity. “Management traditionally implemented the strategy established by top executives,” Geisler explains. “In today’s flatter organisations, strategic thinking, critical thinking and future orientation will be increasingly important at all levels of leadership.” More than ever, creativity has to be company wide – and the best way to encourage employees to be creative, is to make them believe that they are capable of it. “If you ask people to name their best manager, it’s always someone who believed in them,” she says. “Even if they were difficult or even unpleasant in other ways.”
JILL GEISLER heads the leadership and management programmes of the Poynter Institute, in St Petersburg, Florida. She began her career in news broadcasting, becoming news director of a major market network US television affiliate in 1978 at the age of 27. In 1998, the respected Poynter Institute recruited her to join its faculty, to train managers in the media. Through her successful podcasts, she has reached leaders in many other fields. Her book, Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know, was published last year.
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THE MEANING XXXXXXXXXXX OF WORK
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“All of this results in individual managers becoming more important than ever before,” Geisler adds. “As a result of downsizing, redundancies and other sudden changes, people see that their employer isn’t looking out for them. They probably don’t trust the company, so the relationship they have with their own manager is crucial.” A manager can, for example, make a huge difference if a company has been affected by downsizing. “How do you deal with empty desk syndrome?” she questions. “If you ask workers what they’d like to do with the space, then you’re using it as an opportunity. Above all, in hard times, never abandon the idea that people have lives outside of work. You have to really hold on to that.”
Avoid negativity
“A poor work-life balance – thinking that you have to be first to arrive and last to leave – is one of the common pitfalls of management,” Geisler adds. “Others include continuing to do the job you were good at before you were promoted; hiring your clones rather than a diverse team; or comments such as, ‘If you don’t hear from me, assume you are doing a good job,’ and ‘I don’t praise people for doing what they’re supposed to do’ – thereby missing out on opportunities to build performance, motivation and morale. It’s very hard for some managers to move from ‘fixer’ to ‘coach’. I know it was hard for me. It takes an entirely different and more complex set of skills. Feedback is vital, but not just the positive kind. As a new manager, I avoided having difficult conversations. I focused on complimenting people – but it didn’t work.” And when asked about the most destructive management myths, she replies: “That you have to be the smartest person on the team. You should keep your distance from employees. You should treat everyone the same. And your title provides you with all the power you need to get things done.” But, for the author of Work Happy, the biggest management sin is negativity. “It’s hard work being optimistic,” Geisler concedes. “But if you’re negative, the positive people will choose to leave you. Only the negative ones will remain, and you’ll have created a toxic environment.”
Being a great boss Jill Geisler’s
❧ ❧
advice
The most important thing that leaders do is to help others succeed.
anagers can’t treat everyone the same. There’s a unique M prescription for each person’s professional growth and health.
❧ Bad management, poor collaboration, high conflict and weak cultures are often the result of truly bad assumptions. Surface those assumptions, teach solid alternatives, and turn those negatives into positives.
❧
Managing change is now a constant part of a manager’s duties. Change inevitably involves two challenges for employees: learning new, often frightening things and letting go of old, often comfortable (even cherished) aspects of their work. It takes a skilled, emotionally intelligent manager to lead people through the intellectual and emotional challenges of change.
❧
Feedback fuels performance management. Bosses who
learn to provide ongoing, high-quality feedback (which involves listening as well as talking) can raise quality, motivation and morale.
WORK 2013
In tech companies in particular, stand-up meetings are becoming increasingly popular. They take about one third of the time used for seated meetings and result in decisions of equal quality. According to the Wall Street Journal, the current trend for stand-up meetings is being fuelled by the growing use of ‘Agile’. This approach to software development involves daily stand-up meetings where participants are supposed to quickly update their peers with what they have done since the last meeting and what they are going to do next. The object is to have brief, efficient conferences that are more about productivity and less about people pontificating or playing games on their phone.
Stand up Office trend
More productive meetings
CEO SPEAKING
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Marie-Noëlle Keijzer stepped down as a highly paid director of an international company to work for free as the CEO of WeForest. Why? Saving the environment was more important.
Branching Out Marie-Noëlle Keijzer CEO WeForest
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arie-Noëlle Keijzer does everything. “Addressing envelopes? Going to the post office? Not a problem.” Seriously? “Seriously. At WeForest, no job is too small,” she laughs. Taking the post to the post office may not be part of the job description of most CEOs, but Keijzer is no ordinary corporate boss. Three years ago she left a high-powered position as a Rockwell Automation director, coordinating logistics in 27 countries with a high executive salary to run WeForest, an international non-profit organisation. Her starting salary? Zero. When she started in November 2009, WeForest had planted just 1,700 of the two trillion tree target it has set itself by 2020. By March 2013 it had planted almost four
million across countries as diverse as Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Tanzania, the Philippines and Madagascar. Funding this dramatic growth was Keijzer’s business development. WeForest raised €55,000 in 2010. By 2012 that figure had increased tenfold. “We have achieved 300% year-on-year growth since I started,” she says. “Our target for 2013 is a million.”
something to save the environment. The problem was I didn’t know where to start.” She signed up to night classes to find out. By 2009 she had completed her Master’s in Environmental Science & Management with a distinction and decided to leave her job. A meeting with Bill Liao, social media pioneer, entrepreneur and WeForest founder, changed her life forever.
Noëlle to leave a high profile director’s position to work for free, live off her savings, and start work at 6am up to six or even seven days a week? “At the age of 45, I started thinking about what legacy I would leave my young son. I had earned well, gained recognition, but leaving children material things was not as important to me as doing
straightforward and had a great vision,” she says. Planting trees is good for the environment (they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen); good for poor communities (looking after them creates jobs); good for restoring ecosystems (they revitalise soil, improve water flow and boost biodiversity) and they also produce cloud cover that reflects
The success of WeForest is impressive, but what inspired Marie-
“I like concepts that are easy to understand quickly and WeForest was
â?§ One meeting changed her life
❧
About my office
“It has to be the view from the window. I like looking out over the countryside”
CEO SPEAKING
harmful sun radiation. WeForest’s mission statement is ‘Making Earth Cooler’. “Climate change is impacting everyone and we have to act now,” says Keijzer. “An increase of just 2% in cloud cover will stop current global warming. To achieve that we need to add 20 million square kilometres of forest or two trillion trees. That’s about the size of the whole of Latin America.”
To say there are challenges is an understatement. She has a team of
fundraising volunteers in different time zones speaking different languages. She needs to ensure the remote planting projects worldwide are on track, on budget and successful. Then she has to organise, inspire and, of course, find the money to fund everything. “I didn’t know I had a talent for sales until I started,” she smiles. “But I learned on the job how to sell projects to clients, and sell the success to our team. But I’m selling a passion that I truly believe. It’s a mission that is bigger than any of us.” She also drew on 30 years of executive experience. In addition to speaking seven languages Keijzer is fluent in corporate speak. “It’s not a problem for me to approach the top people,” she says. “I invest a lot of energy in nurturing networks: seeing how one person or company can help another and in the process help WeForest.
WeForest now enjoys more than 40 corporate partnerships – including
Deloitte, Mercedes-Benz, Henkel, Delifrance and Telenet. Every client offers unique opportunities. These partnerships range from a car company paying for trees to offset six years of carbon created by a new model, or the promotion of product campaigns such as ‘Buy two, get one tree’, but they share one common principle; to many people carbon offsetting programmes are abstract and complicated. A tree is natural, tangible and universally understood. “A large part of my role is helping companies tell their WeForest story in the most effective way possible,” says Keijzer. But planting projects need to have integrity. “We only work with established, trusted partners on the ground and those which offer the best value in every respect,” she says. “They have to be accountable and absolutely transparent, because our donors expect this level of professionalism. “Our incredibly detailed auditing of how the money is spent, and where, sets us apart from other organisations that plant trees,” she asserts. For every €100 donated, only €14 is
spent on overheads such as administration. “WeForest had one project in the Philippines that had to be stopped because it did not meet the organisation’s exacting standards. After a great deal of time and investment, it was disappointing, but I would rather not waste further time on something that could be negative, whether in business or in life,” she says. Other successful WeForest projects range from replacing deforested areas in Ethiopia, where the care of newly planted trees by single mothers and widows is helping to fund their children’s education, and the creation of tree nurseries in Haiti that will one day help provide earthquake victims with clean water and home-grown food. In Zambia, meanwhile, inmates from Kamfinsa Prison are being trained in tree cultivation following the planting of 18,050 saplings. Their work generates timber, food, education and produce for sale. Three years after Keijzer appointment there are now eight tree-inspired social projects funded by WeForest.
There have been significant staff changes in the organisation as well.
Since 2012, Marie-Noëlle has had a pay increase (to a part-time salary). Along with two other employees, all three are paid for by donors. “Having employees means we can continue to meet the level of professionalism that donors expect,” she says. “Sometimes we have a meeting that requires urgent attention; a volunteer may have other commitments, so having staff is a big step forward.” But how does Keijzer keep volunteers motivated to work for free? “The success of WeForest is the best motivator,” she says. “At Rockwell I worked with large teams around the world in different time zones. I brought a lot of that experience to WeForest. I lead by example. I create a vision, mentor people, introduce them to my networks, use my experience to help them develop and I take a task-oriented approach to leadership. We select our volunteers very carefully, but it is important that they benefit from the experience as well.” “I don’t worry about failing,” she says. “Of course, we have failures at WeForest: projects that don’t get off the ground despite a lot of work, volunteers who move on due to lifestyle changes or companies that say no. But I don’t feel negative about this and I put my ego aside because, very simply, what we are doing is bigger than any potential failure or ego.”
Curriculum vitae Marie-Noëlle Keijzer CAREER • November 2009-present: CEO of WeForest.org • January 2012-December 2012: Marketing Director of Facethefuture.com (two days a week in parallel with WeForest) • April 1997-March 2009: diverse director functionsfor Rockwell Automation, Brussels • February 1995-March 1997: diverse director functions for Moulinex, Paris EDUCATION • Master’s in Environmental Science & Management, Brussels • Master’s in Business Administration, Madrid • Bachelor’s in Applied Foreign Languages, Paris • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt ADDITIONAL • Fluent in French, English, Spanish, German and Dutch, proficient in Italian and Portuguese • Hobbies include yoga and jogging
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Simone Wolter
ASSISTANT AT WORK
This job is exactly what I have always wanted to do. It’s fantastic to work for the company where the car of the future is born. Not only
are Volkswagens designed here, so are other brands in the Volkswagen Group. There’s never a dull moment.
Creative people are very interesting people. They think differently.
F
or Nanna Nietiedt, the Commercial Director, I arrange protocols, prepare documents and organise meetings. I support Design Director Stefan Sielaff on all his travels and meetings. For both, I am the link between them and the other managers in our company, and both of them give me projects that I am responsible for. Everything we do in this company is about creativity, and that’s what makes my job so interesting. Since we design for most of the brands of the Volkswagen Group, we attract very good designers. Today they may be working for Audi, tomorrow for Lamborghini.
Close contact Our company is small, only 80 employees. We are like a family. I like that. In this work you need close contact, especially since designers are very creative people. They think differently. As an assistant, I have my rules and regulations, but because of the creative process they can’t always stick to these. We plan an appointment at 11, but at the last moment they call me to say, ‘Sorry, I have to finish something important first.’ Sure, no problem.
Top secret Of course, what happens between these four walls is top secret. From the outside you can’t look into the building. Friends are curious about my work, but I don’t talk about it, not even to my husband. He knows why. He doesn’t ask anymore. My husband works and lives in Cologne during the week and we don’t have children, so I can put in long hours at the office. That’s fine with me. I love my job.
One hundred people
Assistant Simone Wolter AGE 51 POSITION Personal Assistant to Nanna Nietiedt, Commercial Director, and Stefan Sielaff, Design Director Volkswagen Design Center Potsdam, Germany EDUCATION European Secretary FORMER EMPLOYERS Lista, South African Consulate and Standardgraph in Munich and Schmitz Cargobull, Benteler and Design Center Europe in Barcelona CAN’T DO HER WORK WITHOUT mutual trust and harmony
One day, at five in the afternoon, our press department announced that we were going to be making a teaser movie for the press at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The artist Seal was willing to cooperate, and I would be in charge of the project. We only had one night to arrange everything! The next morning at eight the crew of a hundred people arrived, and everything worked out fine. It was great that we managed that.
In control Both my managers give me a lot of freedom, and they often ask me for advice. A secretary doesn’t work that independently. But you can only work as an assistant if your boss gives you the opportunity to do so. I think, in the future, more managers will be familiar with this way of working, and there will be a need for more assistants. In larger companies, I expect the work of assistants and secretaries will be split. In smaller companies, there will be assistants who also do secretarial tasks. That’s the way we do it over here, and it suits me well. I don’t like to delegate. I prefer to remain in control.
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VOTED THE BEST
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Assistants’ favourites Brussels
About PIPA The PIPA app is the assistant’s assistant: it helps to manage tasks. All these locations received high ratings in the app.
As the de facto capital of the European Union, it will come as no surprise that Brussels offers everything you need for the perfect business trip – from ultra modern design hotels to traditional Belgian beer bars.
HOTEL
MEETING VENUE
RESTAURANT
This luxury hotel, which combines interior design with the atmosphere of a bygone era, can be found on the corner of the Grote Markt. The suites are decorated with prints by famous artists such as René Magritte and conceptual artist Marcel Broodthaers. There’s even the option to stay a night in one of the Tintin-themed rooms. The modern decoration contrasts beautifully with the idyllic views from the rooms in the city centre which look onto, for example, the city hall. Visitors will, without doubt, also feel unique: no two rooms are the same.
In 1902, industrialist Ernest Solvay funded the creation of this imposing library which sports a classic façade, mosaics, stainedglass windows and a stunning reading room. Until 1967, it was home to the former Institute of Sociology of the Free University of Brussels. The building, with its various study areas and galleries, provides a wonderful location for all variety of events and meetings. Solvay Library can be found in Leopold Park, in the European Quarter. In sunny weather, there is a stunning and green view from the terrace – a tranquil escape from frenetic city life.
Is it a restaurant? A bar? A club? Belga Queen offers the complete package. There’s even an oyster bar at this establishment located in the heart of Brussels. In 2002, the owner, top chef and interior designer Antoine Pinto, received a Golden Palm for the best brasserie concept and he continues to live up to his well-deserved reputation. This modern brasserie, which gets its inspiration from Belgian cuisine, is housed in a beautiful 18th-century building that was once home to the ‘Hôtel de la Poste’ and a bank. The wines come exclusively from Belgian winemakers located around the world.
Hotel Amigo
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Solvay Library
Hotel Amigo Rue de l’Amigo 1000 Brussels Phone +32 2 547 47 47 Fax +32 2 513 52 77 hotelamigo.com
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Belga Queen
Solvay Library 3
Leopoldpark Belliardstraat 137 1040 Brussels Phone +32 2 738 75 96 Fax +32 2 736 29 85 edificio.be
Belga Queen Brussels Wolvengracht 32 1000 Brussels Phone +32 2 217 21 87 Fax +32 2 229 31 79 info.brussels@belgaqueen.be belgaqueen.be
BRUSSELS
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BUSINESS FASHION
PO
Trends & brands
erfect utfit
The right outfit can make all the difference in a meeting or presentation. But what about dressing for the office? We lay out the best business attire for 2013.
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men
What to wear The business suit is relatively trend-proof. Men’s fashion can be compared to eye surgery: it’s all about the details. Slightly wider or narrower lapels, slimmer tailoring; detail is everything. But there are various types and styles of suit to choose from. Italian suits are flamboyant and close-fitting, British suits are understated but perfectly cut, while the classic American silhouette is characterised by a broad ‘sack suit’ with natural shoulders. When it comes to appearance the ideal business suit is somewhere between the three: a slimmer cut than ever but not uncomfortably tight and no overly exaggerated shoulders. For years, the most suitable colours have remained dark blue and charcoal grey.
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THE COLLAR
Collars come in different styles and sizes. The most formal is the flat turn down, also known as the straight point. This collar is relatively wide and creates a well-dressed impression. A good alternative is the wide spread collar, which allows more of the tie to be seen. The colour of the collar should always be the same as the shirt: white. The sleeve length is correct if it covers the wrist.
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THE TIE
The best ties are made from pure silk. The style should be narrower than a bib but not as narrow as a shoelace. Wider ties are becoming more popular but these have no place in a business wardrobe. One thing that applies to all ties is that they should not be worn too tightly; it looks like you’re being strangled. A handkerchief adds a personal touch to the suit. Never choose the same colour as the tie but go for a classic paisley pattern in subdued colours.
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THE SHOES
A smart suit loses all of its prestige in combination with bad or cheap shoes. The best dressed men wear lace-up shoes, such as plain black oxfords. An alternative to this simple shoe is a brogue with decorative perforations, such as the legate brogue; a model with a modest number of punched holes. Black is always a good colour, while brown is
more casual. It goes without saying that shoes should always be well polished.
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THE FIT
There comes a time in every man’s life when it is necessary to trade in the two-button suit for a three-button suit, which is better for disguising a less-than-flat belly. When you purchase a new suit, make sure to pay sufficient attention to the bottom half: the trouser length. The hem of the trouser legs should rest on the shoes. Braces will keep trousers from slipping down during use.
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DETAILS
Refined details radiate luxury. A perfect example is a row of ‘kissing buttons’ on the sleeve of a jacket. The name refers to the slight overlapping of the buttons. The height of luxury is if the buttons can be undone and the sleeves rolled up. Although usually unseen, the inner stitching and lining of better suits are hand-sewn, making them more comfortable to wear.
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MATERIAL
The perfect business suit can be worn all year round and is made from pure lightweight wool. One drawback is that a luxurious lightweight wool, such as cashmere, is susceptible to damage. A guide when purchasing is the designation Super. The ideal business suit is made from Super 80-90 or Super 100-110 wool.
BUSINESS FASHION
women What to wear
Smart casual is the rule of thumb when it comes to modern business suits for women, which no longer need to emulate their male equivalents. Femininity hidden behind masculine clothing is no longer the fashion. A smart two-piece suit can easily be interchanged with a classy trouser suit. It is not necessary to follow the latest trends when adding personal style to business attire; the jewellery, shoes and handbags you already have should be perfectly acceptable. And the question with which every woman in a business suit wrestles is: what should I do with my breasts? The answer is almost always: nothing special. Although there are a few business dress situations that call for a more liberal interpretation. A businesswoman is businesslike and a woman.
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THE FIT
Never purchase suits that are too tight. They are uncomfortable and lead to unflattering creases. Tailoring that is too slim should also be avoided, as this emphasises the bottom and bust. When purchasing a jacket, make sure that the sleeves leave room to move, otherwise the shoulder seam may split when you reach up. The classic three-quarter-length sleeve, which extends just beyond the elbow, is a good choice. This length tends to emphasise the hands.
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SKIRT LENGTH
It was Coco Chanel who half a century ago said that knees are a woman’s ugliest feature. Nowadays, we use invisible summer tights to disguise unevenness and mask unattractive shadows. An appropriate skirt length ends just above the knee. A short split of no more than ten centimetres at the rear of the skirt provides added freedom of movement.
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ACCESSORIES
A beautiful, subtle silk scarf from a classic brand can provide the finishing touch to an outfit. If the scarf has a multicoloured design, make sure that at least one colour is mirrored in the outfit itself. Be moderate with jewellery; jangling chain bracelets, oversized earrings and an excess of rings are taboo.
Too much bling and fake jewellery is just not done. Keep it simple with a smooth gold or silver necklace, perhaps with a small pendant, and a matching bracelet and/or ring.
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UNDERWEAR
Nothing is more unattractive than a blouse or T-shirt that is too tight. A top made from transparent fabric is also out of the question. When purchasing lingerie, make sure it produces a smooth line. Avoid busy decorations like lace, which show through under a T-shirt. Shapewear is the solution for hiding excess weight.
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MAKE–UP
Be careful with colour. Don’t apply fiery red lipstick, avoid glossy effects and don’t overdo the rouge. Mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow are all fine but in moderation. Dark eye shadow makes eyes appear smaller. Stick to a natural tone foundation. Fingernails should not be too long but also not too short and should be perfectly polished in nude shades or classic red. Don’t be too enthusiastic with perfumes; spring fresh is preferable to spicy Oriental.
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SHOES
Pumps with stiletto heels have no place in the office. The ideal pump has an elegant semiraised heel and a slightly pointed but not too sharp toe.
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Jersey
The classic shape of a sport coat in a comfortable jersey material.
Inside and out
Blazer worn over wool suit with asymmetrical top, perfect for the office or any smart occasion.
Emporio Armani
Emporio Armani is a brand of fashion house Giorgio Armani S.p.A. The founder and company’s namesake is often associated with the rise of the power suit in the 1980s. The classic suit is in again, but with a modern twist.
Trends
Mix & Match will be important, for example a skinny slacks with an asymmetrical blazer in a different material. The pencil skirt – elegant and professional – is in again, as are wide-leg, high-waisted trousers.
BUSINESS FASHION
Leather
Perforated leather results in eyecatching patterns..
Diagonals
The asymmetrical fastening is a recurring theme in the collection.
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SheSuit
Former historian Angelique Koopmans founded SheSuit in 2007. Her goal is to help women in the Netherlands find their own style. “Clothes should fit who you are.”
Trends
“The emphasis will be on a good shoulder line, especially with business outfits. Research has often shown that square shoulders give the impression of someone who can make good decisions. It is also important that you choose clothing that is right for you and for your workplace. If your clothes and your personality match, you radiate strength. If you pick clothing, colours and styles that match you as a person, your fashion look will be timeless.”
BUSINESS FASHION
Leather
Leather elements can be found on the wool jacket. We will be seeing a lot of leather accents in autumn 2013 collections.
Sexy
The leather skirt is cut long and falls just below the knee. At the back is a sexy slit and zip.
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Solids
It’s a no-frills approach at Zara this season: mostly solid colours and simple fabrics that drape comfortably.
Prints
Cheerful prints stand out on white backgrounds.
Zara
Zara offers plenty of options for business attire. The company’s mission is to make new trends accessible to a broad public as quickly as possible.
Trends
Zara’s clothes are chic and feminine: cut to fit the female figure. The new collection is minimalist, using black and white contrasts and transparent fabrics. Prints are also coming back, especially on white shirts. The collection is defined by cuts that accentuate the female body.
BUSINESS FASHION
Casual
Light blazers combine chic and casual.
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Wanted: a professional assistant
I’m a softie, a wuss eing the assistant to the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine is a position that appeals to the imagination of many. Who among us doesn’t know Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty and Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada; the latter based on the horrible experiences of Anna Wintour’s former assistant Lauren Weisberger. The wacky things those girls had to do for their bosses almost make slavery sound like a fun holiday. Imagine being on call 24/7 to fetch hot coffee, designer skirts or copies of unpublished books at a moment’s notice, getting buried by fur coats that are thrown onto your desk and being ignored and humiliated on a daily basis. No wonder the life expectancy of an editorial assistant is extremely short. None of my assistants has been around for long either. In ten years’ time I have welcomed and waved goodbye to Jill, Safiera, Martien, Loes, Fenna, Marjan and Felicia. Even as we speak, I am looking for assistant number eight. Of course, you may assume that none of them lasted long because I’m a bully and a bitch. Call me naïve, or even blind, but I don’t think it didn’t work out because I am either of those things: I’m a softie and a wuss. The joyful Jill and I broke up because she stayed at ELLEgirl when I moved on to ELLE. Scary Safiera – left behind by my predecessor who, on my first day at ELLE, told me that everybody hated
me – left of her own accord, following her former boss. The marvellous Martien turned out to be too ambitious to serve someone else and secured a management job in our events department. Then came lovely but lazy Loes, who had not one service-oriented bone in her body, which was also the case for fashionable Fenna, Marjan and Felicia. The thing is, every time it comes to hiring a new assistant, I fall for well-dressed, creative girls draped in Acne and Isabel Marant, who secretly dream of becoming stylists, writers or photographers, but who don’t have a clue about the importance of responding to Paris HQ a.s.a.p., don’t know how to serve tea and can’t book travel tickets. And I neither have the heart nor the guts to ask or demand this of them. As a result, I end up fetching coffee for them, calling my own cabs and speed-cycling to the shoemaker and dry cleaner on busy deadline days myself. So if you ask me what my perfect assistant needs to have, the answer would be: a boss who knows how to delegate, a boss who can make it clear that being an editorial assistant is not an interlude but a serious job – as is being an editor-in-chief. Please wish me luck in finding that special someone who will assist me happily ever after.
Cécile Narinx Editor-in-chief of Elle Netherlands
COLUMN
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28
C C
an you act hinese?
Understanding Chinese culture is one thing, dealing with it in reality is the next step. Is there a happy ever after for foreigners doing business with their Chinese counterparts?
T
he main difference between doing business in China compared to Europe is that in China, anything seems possible. According to Chinese cultural expert and business consultant Lilian Kranenburg of ChinaMoves, the prevailing feeling by Chinese when you’re in China is that ‘we’re not yet where we want to be and we have to work hard to get there.’ “People want and need to get ahead and this diligent work ethic is constantly present,” reveals Kranenburg. “It originates from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who still has a huge influence in daily Chinese life. The traditional adage is that anyone can make it in life. Parents work hard to provide for their children and children work hard to make their parents proud.” Chinese politics are certainly not as liberal and democratic as in Europe, which means there are fewer stakeholders to
be heard and the government has close ties with business. “This speeds up the process,” comments Kranenburg. “People, projects and goals can be connected in no time, as long as the government approves. A meeting can be set up in a day, whereas in Europe this can take weeks. So, in a way there is the perception that doing business on a daily basis in China is freer from contraints than in Europe.”
No shame Thirty-five-year-old Spaniard, Jordi Camps is the General Manager of China a la Carta. He co-founded the company in 2008 to help foreign businesses enter the Chinese and North Korean markets. He believes that “everything and anything is up for discussion in China”. By way of example he points to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. “Just because someone decided: ‘we want an Expo’, a few years later it was a reality. Not only that, but it was the biggest ever.”
Is success possible for everyone in China? Being aware of the cultural differences will certainly increase your chances. Whereas Europeans are conditioned to be individuals and demonstrate initiative and creativity, from a young age the Chinese are under significant pressure to follow and imitate the learnings of their parents and teachers as closely as possible, just like Confucius advocated. “This also explains why there is absolutely no shame in copying ideas in China, whereas the opposite is true in Europe,” adds Kranenburg. “An important part of Chinese culture is that one is born into a group and will always belong to a group. This means that a person always has a duty of care and a responsibility towards the group. Cherishing and reciprocating these relationships within this group is called ‘guanxi’. This way of living and doing business originates from the hierarchical organisation of society and Confucius learnings. The model demands respect for elders and an unwavering loyalty to
BUSINESS ABROAD
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30
“I have asked my Chinese co-workers to kick me under the table if I should stop talking business” those closest to you,” says Kranenburg. Gustaaf Geeraerts, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies, translates guanxi as ‘the living wisdom’. “Guanxi became a necessity for survival under difficult circumstances. The Chinese people have experienced many hard and chaotic times, particularly since
the second half of the 19th century. They developed a focus on survival, with guanxi as a sort of security blanket.” For centuries, the relationship and personal bond between people has determined whether they will do business and whether that business will be successful. This has made guanxi an integral part of business and society as a whole in China, even today. In
EUROPE
Why take the leap? WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY
FAST GROWING
China’s economy is expected to overtake that
In 2011, European
of the US within 5-10 years. By the end of 2015
exports to China increased
China will be home to 1.39 billion people.
by 20.3% to a record of €136.2
OVER €1 BILLION DAILY
billion. The EU is China’s biggest
Bilaterial trade in goods between China and
export destination, to the tune of €292.5
Europe reached €428.3 billion in 2011, making
billion in goods and services. In the first half
them the second (VS are first) largest trading
of 2012 European exports to China have grown
partners in the world. Trade in services is
by 10.8%, while imports stayed flat.
currently ten times lower at € 42.6 billion.
Source: European Union, September 2012
CHINA
fact, guanxi dictates the flow of life, business and politics in China. “Regardless of the many laws, regulations and rules that exist, China predominantly exerts the rule by law rather than that óf law,” says Kranenburg. To understand Chinese culture is one thing, dealing with it in reality is the next step. Camps concedes that there are ‘rules’ to doing business. Specific skills are needed to be successful in such a dynamic business environment and first-time visitors, “simply don’t have those skills.” Even foreigners with years of experience attest to the importance of maintaining local personal assistants and business partners. For them, these co-workers provide a cultural bridge that is essential to making their business work.
Social aspect For Camps, his Chinese staff plays a crucial role. “As a European, going out for a meal with a client usually involves small talk before doing business,” explains Knoop. For this reason, he has had to develop a make-shift solution to knowing when to talk business and when to just chat. “I have asked my Chinese co-workers to kick me under the table if I should stop talking business. I can make
BUSINESS ABROAD
The meaning of symbols
the business deals, I can read up on Chinese business etiquette, but after two years I still need a local to guide me in handling the social aspect. In this regard, they do much more than just translate.’’ “Following a meeting I sometimes think that I know what is going on, only to hear from my Chinese partner that the other side is really unhappy. He knows how to interpret what is going on below the surface of a meeting or a dinner,” says Camps. There is another cliché that is true about China: anything can change with the blink of an eye. Business opportunities that are here today may be gone tomorrow. Traditional ways of doing business are changing. “It would be an oversight to expect modern China to become a blueprint of Europe,” says Geeraerts. “Guanxi will never completely disappear. Geeraerts: “The form may change once China develops increased social security, but that won’t happen overnight. In Western thinking, modernising means a shift to liberal democracy. Not in China. Although the political system is changing, I believe that it is more likely to evolve into a more transparent system with variations on the communist theme.” Kranenburg agrees with this perception. “I don’t believe China is prone to incorporate Western political and philisophical systems. Why should they? They have been used to doing things their way for over 5,000 years, and today’s Western financial crisis only reinforces that strict supervision by government is a good thing. Moreover, there is a strong belief in their own Chinese soul.”
Westerness Geeraerts sees significant business opportunities in China for the small and medium-sized businesses that form the basis of European economy. “The current government in China acknowledges the challenges they face to liberalise their economy. If the public and service sectors open up, as promised, this will create numerous business opportunities. Local knowledge will remain very important, since China is not developing equally throughout the country.” Kranenburg highlights an important change of perception. The view, particularly in cities like Shanghai, is that “westerness” is no longer a unique selling point. It’s no longer like ten years ago, when everything that came from the West was good. Chinese consumers are not that easily impressed anymore.” Kranenburg and Geeraerts both have high hopes for the next generation. “Europe should
EIGHT TIMES LUCKY The number eight is important in Chinese culture. Gifts of cash are usually given in multiples of 8 in a red envelope.
LAZY SUSAN In restaurants, communal guanxi meals are served on a Lazy Susan, a large, rotating glass plate. GOOD CAT The lucky cat is a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
关系 (guanxì) means relationship or connection. PEACE OF APPLE The pronunciation of the word ‘apple’ in Chinese is very similar to ‘land of peace’. Apples are a popular fruit in China. The Apple brand is also one of the only foreign brands that has translated its name directly into Chinese, instantly creating a strong brand identity.
cherish their Chinese students, since they are the perfect ambassadors,” says Kranenburg. “Chinese youngsters are extremely curious about other cultures, just like young people in Europe. They are the bridge-builders of tomorrow’s world.” According to Geeraerts, “a lot of effort is being made for increased mutual understanding, for instance in highlevel dialogues initiated by the EU. There are already many Chinese students in Europe and China is facilitating a shift towards Europeans studying there. An increasing number of Europeans are learning the Chinese language, and some secondary schools now even offer this option. These are significant developments as they will create a group of young Europeans who will have a better understanding of modernising China, without being under the illusion that China will become like Europe.”
Bridging cultures
How to keep an open mind At Secretary Plus we know that what people see depends on the culture in which they were raised. Often referred to as ‘cultural blindness’, this tendency easily leads to generalisations and stereotyping. By understanding intercultural differences and educating our people – through trainings, e-learning and the international Secretary Plus Academy - we turn cultural blindness into cultural responsibility. Our people are open-minded, intercultural ambassadors, who bring added value to a broad spectrum of clients in a wide variety of contexts. MORE INFORMATION: see the ‘Development’ information in the ‘About us’ section at secretary-plus.com. Or contact your local Secretary Plus office (see page 67).
Centre of modern art According to Kranenburg, Europe could learn from the Chinese working ethos. “Maybe this crisis will emphasis the importance of another mentality.” Geeraerts believes Europe will adopt certain elements from China: “The Chinese are more concerned about their image than Europeans. Important developments from China in the art world are already emerging. I believe that one day China will become the centre for modern art. As a large country like China modernises further, it will become increasingly influential in the rest of the world. Europe
adopting elements from China is inevitable, just like it did from the United States.” Nevertheless, Geeraerts’ vision of tomorrow is not one where Europeans will be eating with chopsticks: “China will always remain different from the rest of the world. This may lead to a world where Europe increasingly protects and emphasise its own identity as China’s influence grows. Tomorrow’s world will be a world for everyone, with no single country being strong enough to dominate the rest. This could lead to a wonderful variety of identities and cultural influences.”
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WORK 2013
Office trend
Entertain Let ideas flow
Modern technology is changing the way office buildings are traditionally used. We are working at home more and the office is becoming a place where new ideas are generated and we meet to inspire each other. Our environment affects the way we feel and think. For new ideas to be born, we need to be able to think out of the box and let go of traditions. Innovative companies such as Google, Facebook and Red Bull understand that working in an entertaining environment that fosters collaboration, stimulates and motivates employees. Instead of dull office cubicles with desktop computers, you’ll find relaxation areas and slides instead of stairs. As a result, the office becomes a place that people go to with pleasure and where creative ideas flow.
The Water Lounge at Google, Zurich is a place for recharging the brain and allowing new connections to be made
REPORT
Report The Secretary Plus
A briefing on Secretary Plus strategy, business and culture
The market leader in innovative recruitment services, Secretary Plus strives to fulfil customer and candidate demands by providing tailor-made services in the areas of recruitment, temping, outsourcing and consulting solutions. Secretary Plus brings together people and processes seamlessly, while nurturing continuous personal growth and career development. Embracing innovation and new technologies, we strive to meet the ever-changing demands of both our customers and candidates.
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34
Pleased to meet Our clients require the highest quality, consistency in service, continuity and speed in delivery. Secretary Plus is constantly improving services to meet and exceed expectations.
W
Maggie Dobson
General Manager Secretary Plus the Netherlands
ecretary Plus is a European company that invests in lifelong partnerships with its clients through the development of specialisms. We have two types of client: the business world and management assistants, both of which we aim to elevate to a higher level through our services. Our clients are extremely loyal to us and this also applies to management assistants. We follow and guide them throughout their entire careers. We take the lead in terms of trends and developments, and ensure that we perfectly match the phase in which a company or economy finds itself. We know exactly what’s going on and always strive to exceed our clients’ expectations. This is what we mean by ‘expect more’. We constantly adjust our service offering to meet the wishes and demands of the market. Secretary Plus is the only business of its kind to offer extensive testing methods, through which we guarantee 100% matches, also at executive level. In addition, we offer Executive Management Solutions: representation of management assistants at the highest levels. And our secretary scan is used daily by the business world. This scan is followed up with strategic advice leading to improved business performance. Active in eight European countries, Secretary Plus counts itself among the international class of European players.
Maggie Dobson
hat we do
Finding, motivating and inspiring multilingual assistants for assignments in various European countries is our core business. Some of our tailor-made services include:
❧ Temporary assignments
we are convinced that every temporary assignment leaves a footprint in the company history
❧ Recruitment & selection
we provide a targeted and personal approach, simple administration, follow-up and personal advice
❧ Outsourcing solutions
we guarantee continuity so that our clients can focus on their core business
❧ Business community platforms
we provide online platforms where assistants can share knowledge and skills
❧ Consulting solutions
we assist your company in reviewing the personal effectiveness on the work floor of individuals or entire departments
❧ Academy
tailor-made development programmes use training and e-learning to optimise skills and compentecies .
Local global Over the past few years, Secretary Plus has seen steady and impressive growth, both on a national and an international scale. Being local and global means having to be able to adapt to these different markets. Our will to grow requires the creation of a common understanding of our aims, mission, vision and our history. One of the ways we strive to achieve our goals is by providing our people with the best possible working atmosphere and ongoing education. We are constantly improving and looking for creative ways to stay the flexible, consistent and focused organisation it has become over the years.
REPORT
“Our years of experience in the field of professional assistants have been distilled into a book – The profession of assistant – change is – which focuses on competencies in the profession and future trends. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have made this book available to our customers as a gift.” Barbara Stadsbader, General Manager, Secretary Plus Belgium Visit secretary-plus.be for a copy
Expect
More Today’s management assis-
International
ambitions Secretary Plus provides tailor-made services in a highly specialised market and is a soughtafter employer. Our plans for growth in an international market are built upon lasting relationships with clients, employees and candidates. As a part of USG People, Secretary Plus successfully combines global reach with local roots.
tant needs to have almost the same level of knowledge as his or her manager. We always have that in mind while conducting our core business at Secretary Plus: finding the right person for the right position. But there’s so much more. We read between the lines, discover trends and believe that business growth can go hand in hand with personal growth. After all, it’s all
Laurence Dejumné Business Development Manager Secretary Plus Switzerland witzerland is an attractive location for multinational companies due to its low rates of tax. Many head offices are located here, particularly those of pharmaceutical and service industry companies. We are extremely internationally oriented; some 21% of the population is non-Swiss and the country has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Authorities in Switzerland do their best to attract new companies and to facilitate entrepreneurship. The unemployment rate is very low: 2.8% of the working population. Switzerland has many employment agencies, around 200 to 300, in fact. The strength of Secretary Plus, compared to its competitors, is that no other agency specialises in the field of management assistants. The advantage of small offices is in personal contact. This is what Switzerland is all about: personal contact and trust. It sometimes takes up to six or seven months before we gain a new client and another two or three months before they hire someone through us. But once the trust is there, we both enjoy a long-lasting relationship. What qualities best describe the ideal management assistant in Switzerland? Put simply: multilingual, open minded and solution oriented.’
about people.
Laurence Dejumné
35
REPORT
figures
A strong brand like Secretary Plus offers many opportunities for our customers and candidates. We have experienced steady and impressive growth, both on a national and international scale.
220
877% representatives in
5 INDUSTRY
AWARDS
IN 2012
Over the years Secretary Plus has won numerous awards. From ‘Top Employer’ to ‘Great Place to Work’, to innovation awards and ‘Best Employer’ and ‘Flex Specialist’. We are proud of the recognition by clients, customers and personnel.
23
years
Facts
OF EXPERIENCE
In development, engagement, coaching. First in the Netherlands, and now in a growing number of European markets. This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Secretary Plus Belgium.
Of 2,000 customers surveyed, the term most associated with Secretary Plus was ‘customer oriented’, followed by ‘quality’ (71%) and ‘reliable’
countries Rest assured that there will always be a representative in your area to assist you with your personnel needs.
(66%).
75,000
say we’re customer oriented
Over 20 years, Secretary Plus has successfully placed more than 75,000 assistants – both temporary and permanent – with customers across Europe.
90 successful placements
Secretary Plus specialises in candidates who are capable of working across borders and in multiple cultures.
MU LTI LIN GU AL
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Amsterdam 2013 * re-opening
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam 2013 * re-opening
CULTURE
Rijksmuseum Amsterd
Rijksmuseum Where Rembrandt comes to life Rijksmuseum
After ten years of refurbishment, the doors of the world-renowned Amsterdam Rijksmuseum are open once again.
Museumstraat 1, 1071 CJ Amsterdam Tel.: +31 (0) 20 674 7000 The Rijksmuseum is open 365 days a year, from 09.00 to 17.00 hours. Admission costs €15 per person and is free for visitors up to 18 years old. Friends of the Rijksmuseum may also enter for free. A selection of its masterpieces include: The
Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer, The Happy Family by Jan Steen, Winter Landscape with Skaters by Hendrick Avercamp, The Sick Child by Gabriel Metsu and, of course, many works by Rembrandt, including self-portraits,
The Jewish Bride and The Night Watch.
N
owhere else offers hours of viewing pleasure gazing at masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Jan Steen, and from medieval art to paintings from the 18th and 19th century. The Rijksmuseum was built more than 125 years ago and was designed by architect P.J.H. Cuypers. After more than a century of use, the building had earned a substantial renovation. The brief supplied to Spanish architects Cruz and Ortiz read: remove the later additions to the building and restore Cuypers’ clear layout. Experience of introducing new elements within an
existing structure was an important factor in the choice of architects. Cruz and Ortiz earned their spurs on projects in the old city centre of Seville and the refurbishment of the Maritime Museum in Cadiz. Their work on the Rijksmuseum demonstrates subtlety and restraint.
All change
Modifications have not only been made to the building itself; the Rijksmuseum’s interior has also been completely redesigned: from the arrangement of the museum’s collection (only The Night Watch has been
Amsterdam 2013 * re-opening
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 2013 * re-opening Rijksmuseum Amster
Typex found it easy to place himself in Rembrandt shoes. And there are indeed parallels between his life and that of his world famous colleague.
returned to its original position) and new public facilities, such as a museum café and shop, to a freshly landscaped garden, an underground square and a brand new Asian Pavilion. The museum also offers a wide variety of interactive facilities, like the online Rijksstudio. This allows visitors to zoom in on 125,000 beautiful, well-known and surprising images from the Rijksmuseum’s collection, to share and to ‘like’. Or create their own collections, including favourite works and details, and turn them into custom-made items, like posters and T-shirts. The Rijksmuseum is very active on Facebook and Twitter; Rembrandt van Rijn even has his own Facebook page.
Book
To commemorate the re-opening of the Rijksmuseum the artist Typex, an illustrator for many Dutch newspapers and magazines, was asked to create an illustrated book about Rembrandt, the painter who still attracts the majority of the museum’s visitors. The book is far from conventional and, therefore, complements perfectly the Rijksmuseum’s new and contemporary face.
Special edition
Rembrandt A biography of Rembrandt van Rijn in the form of a graphic novel. An interview with the artist Typex.
A
special book was produced to mark the opening of the new Rijksmuseum: a biography of Rembrandt van Rijn in the form of a graphic novel. Because little is known about the life of the 17th-century painter, artist Typex was able to give the story his own twist. Until recently, Typex knew as much about Rembrandt as most people. Naturally, he had visited the museum and had also studied The Night Watch as a teenager, during one of his art history lessons. But he would not describe the painter as his favourite. All that changed when the Rijksmuseum asked him to create a book about Rembrandt’s life. “I started by reading books about Rembrandt,” says Typex. “My bookcase is full of them now. I’ve also visited the Rijksmuseum on
several occasions to view his works. And the Rembrandt House, of course, where I sometimes stood by the window and stared outside to experience what Rembrandt must have seen when he stood there.
Twenty-first century vision
“I soon discovered that very little information was known about the painter’s life. The romantic image we have of him is based on what was written about him in the 19th century. In the book I have consciously taken a 21st-century view of him and have added my own experiences to the story.” Typex found it easy to place himself in Rembrandt’s shoes. And there are, indeed, parallels between his life and that of his worldfamous colleague. “What’s the life of an artist really like?” Typex muses. “I worked on the
rdam 2013
re-opening Rijksmuseum
book 14 hours a day for two-and-a-half years, which doesn’t leave much time for family and friends. I’m quite a social person but we know that Rembrandt was not. I can imagine that makes you quite introverted.”
Similarities
The book tells Rembrandt’s story from the perspective of the people around him, such as his first wife Saskia, his daughter Cornelia, his son Titus and his housekeeper Hendrickje, with whom he later had a relationship. Typex used his own daughter as the model for Cornelia. The wife of Rembrandt’s son Titus bears a resemblance to Typex’ own wife. And Rembrandt himself has something of Typex’ father about him. “Mainly his appearance and facial expressions. And I found inspiration for the
* Amsterdam 2013 * re-opening
Rijksmuseum
CULTURE
* Amsterdam 20
difficult relationship between Rembrandt and Titus in the development of my own relationship with my father. Just like any child, I experienced problems with my parents. For a time I wouldn’t even see my father. Only when I had a child myself did I start to see him in a different light and accept him as he is.” The book certainly cannot be described as a worthy, educational comic strip. “The Rijksmuseum didn’t want that either,” says Typex. “The ability to use artistic licence with the facts and put myself in Rembrandt’s place brought me closer to the man. I have learned to love him, just like the people around him must have done, even though he could be very difficult. Would we have become best friends? Let’s just say that I’ve tried to bring Rembrandt to life.”
Also available at Rijksmuseum shop at Schiphol Airport A permanent exhibition of ten works by Dutch masters from the Rijksmuseum’s collection can be found through passport control at Schiphol Airport, between piers E and F. Temporary exhibitions with a Dutch theme are also staged here. The museum is open daily from 07.00 to 20.00 hours (free admission). The book by Typex is available from the museum shop.
Clara Carcamo
ASSISTANT AT WORK
On a typical day I can be in touch with colleagues in Japan in the morning, store managers in Germany in the afternoon and hosting American business relations at night. Fortunately, speaking five languages gives me, my superiors and our partners in other countries a great deal of confidence in what I’do.
I love the international nature of my job.
I
am Peruvian and moved to Italy in 1997, where I studied foreign languages. I speak Spanish, Italian, English, Portuguese and German. Following my studies, I worked for several years as a receptionist for two international hotel groups. In this type of situation, being able to speak to people in their native language is a big advantage as it immediately puts them at ease and they feel understood. And of course, for me it is a great way to practise.
Spider At fashion house Etro, in addition to providing secretarial support to our international managers, I also assist our international sales network. I am the spider at the centre of our organisational web. I am the first point of contact for our store managers and act as a link between them and the distribution centre. I prepare and check the supply reports provided by the boutiques as well as organising promotional events. Speed and accuracy are vital for my job. My boss is extremely busy, so I aim to disturb him as little as possible and to try to resolve problems myself. We usually communicate by e-mail; a discrete and easy way for him to be in touch during meetings.
Rollercoaster
Assistant Clara Carcamo AGE 33 POSITION Executive assistant at Etro, an Italian fashion house EDUCATION Bachelor in Foreign Languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish), several tourism courses. FORMER EMPLOYERS Receptionist at several large hotel chains including Accord and AC. Secretary at Gruppo Ligresti, Astaldi and Collistar.
The fashion industry was new to me, but I have always been passionate about fashion and tend to avoid mainstream shops. Having a broad interest in textiles, colours and design is a great help. If you like the product the work is more fun. The fashion industry is most definitely a very demanding, stressful place to work, but happily I’ve got a high stress tolerance level. It’s a rollercoaster ride that requires a lot of improvisation. Without doubt, the job also demands a high level of social intelligence.
Nine to five I am always looking for ways in which I can improve my performance and do better the next time I encounter a similar problem. Assistants need to be flexible and understand that if our boss doesn’t have a nine-to-five job, neither do we. In the future, I believe that the role of a secretary will become increasingly important, as more work will be delegated to us. I am more than happy to accept that challenge!
CAN’T WORK WITHOUT An Ipad, to connect with the office 24/7 and a positive attitude to work under pressure.
Following the example of US companies, Italian companies are increasingly cautious when dealing with personal data. For that reason, Clara Carcamo has chosen not to provide the name of her superior.
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TECH BUZZ
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✪
Amsterdam ✪ Berlin ✪ London
high-tech HOTSPOTS
Silicon Valley has long been the undisputed centre of the universe in terms of technological innovation, but now, across the Atlantic, a new generation of high-tech hotspots is shifting the balance.
Over 3,000 tech firms are based in East London around the city’s booming ‘Silicon Roundabout’. Berlin is being billed as a start-up haven by influential media outlets such as CNN Money, GigaOM, and Bloomberg Businessweek , drawing big overseas investors. Amsterdam, on the other hand, is gaining ground as a magnet for app developers. The vibrant app culture was praised by Twitter co-founder, Dom Sagolla, during a visit last year. So what is the story behind these new industry hubs? When it comes to Berlin, cheap rents, a hip image and plenty of young, talented techies are proving to be a winning combination. According to the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, almost 500 internet start-ups were launched there in 2011 alone. Successful pioneers such as music platform SoundCloud and social gaming giant Wooga have helped to pave the way for other innovators. Meanwhile, in London, the industry’s potential is literally gaining credit, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledging €58 million last December for regeneration in the Silicon Roundabout area. Corporate giants are jumping on the bandwagon. Microsoft is building a Technology Development Centre there and IBM is launching a local entrepreneur programme. As for Amsterdam, Wired magazine named the city one of Europe’s hottest digital capitals, attributing its success to its socially progressive attitude. Home-grown stars include Layar, the world’s largest mobile augmented-reality platform, and file-transfer platform WeTransfer. Check out what these three industry insiders say about the unique start-up scene in their city.
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Amsterdam
Mike Lee used to work for Apple. Then he spent a year travelling and meeting like-minded people from all over the world.
“Big Nerd Ranch has its European headquarters here”
App makers learning to program for Android at an Appsterdam Guru Session (peer-led workshop series)
Mike Lee (by tomhayton.com)
Amsterdam is small. It’s easy to get around everywhere and everyone speaks English
WHO?
Mike Lee, founder
WHAT? Appsterdam “I had the idea of living abroad and realised that Amsterdam had a lot to offer companies. Coming from Silicon Valley, I’d learned the value of having a lot of like-minded people together. I thought − what if Amsterdam could be a base for apps, like Hollywood is for movies? Amsterdam has a cachet, a commercial value evoked by hundreds of years of commerce. Just the name has an imputed value. I decided to start a creative tech hub here. Appsterdam. The entire community is like one big company. We have events every other day and weekly lunchtime lectures to swap information and also learn communication skills. We started with five people. Now we have a group of 2,000 members. There has been a 66% increase in the number of technology companies since Appsterdam. I spoke to a government guy who said that before Appsterdam, he would speak to companies interested in opening sales and marketing offices here. Since Appsterdam, there’s been interest from R&D and production offices. He said that it’s perhaps a coincidence, but he didn’t think so. Apple’s premier training company for example, Big Nerd Ranch, now has its European operations headquarters here. They hold classes and build apps; they’re quite a force. At their base in Atlanta there’s a giant queue waiting to come over. Amsterdam is small; you can get around easily by bike. In Silicon Valley, if you want to get together with someone, you have to drive for at least half an hour, find a parking spot and go into a mall to find a café. Here, it’s a ten-minute walk away. It’s easy to live here and everyone speaks English. I’m surprised at how quickly things have gone. In just a year it went from ‘Mike’s crazy idea’, to something that actually works. Now, two years on, Amsterdam is the app centre of Europe. We’re seeing growth in all areas. It’s a healthy ecosystem that’s sprouting and growing. We’re like gardeners, if the ecosystem is healthy, we’re happy.”
‘Unmuting the web’ at the Soundcloud office (photography by Rustam Sayfutdinov)
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Berlin is much cheaper to live in than most tech hubs in Europe
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Alexander Ljung
Berlin
Alexander Ljung visited a number of different cities across Europe and the US when looking to set up SoundCloud, but ultimately, Berlin felt like the most natural choice. WHO?
Alexander Ljung, CEO & co-founder
“Berlin is a great hub of creativity with a strong intersection of technology and art”
WHAT? SoundCloud
“Berlin is an incredibly creative city with a diverse talent pool in terms of developers, art, and design. We sometimes label it ‘Punk meets Tech’, to describe the alternative lifestyle vibe of ‘going your own way’ that is still present in the city. There is a fantastic start-up scene here that we’re proud to be a part of, with an infectious air of optimism and determination about the place. Whenever I get the chance, I spend my Sundays advising other start-ups. We started SoundCloud to ‘unmute the web’, allowing everyone to discover original music and audio, connect with each other and share sounds with the world. Now it’s the world’s leading audio
platform. Sound creators can also use the platform to instantly record, upload and share sounds across the internet, as well as receive detailed statistics and feedback from our community. Our platform now reaches over 180 million people per month. That’s around 8% of the entire internet population. About ten hours of music and audio are uploaded every minute on SoundCloud. I think that a major factor in Berlin’s tech success is its price. Berlin is much cheaper to live in than most tech hubs in Europe such as London and Paris, which attracts a lot of talented people to the city. Another thing that really makes Berlin different from other start-up communities is that it is a great hub of creativity with a strong intersection of technology and art. Berlin in itself is a start-up; a great deal of creativity is visible in the city. Berlin is doing things differently; doing things its own way. Just like its hottest new start-ups: Readmill, with their e-book reader for the iPhone and iPad; Loopcam, the GIF animations maker; and Gidsy, the community marketplace for authentic experiences.”
TECH BUZZ
“East London is a hotbed of creativity”
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London
Believe.in is a social fundraising platform that helps individuals to connect with charities and raise money for good causes. WHO?
Matthias Metternich, co-founder WHAT? Believe.in “We’re bringing technological innovation to the NGO and charity sector to help with the processing of donations. About €885 million annually is lost to middlemen, who take a cut of the donations that they help to process. When you see fundraisers on the street they’re often paid by private businesses, which charge charities up to a year’s worth of donations. Then there are the credit card companies that charge processing fees. It’s a major issue. We’re helping charities to keep 100% of their donations, and we’re the first social platform in the world not to take a cut. It’s flattering to have been nominated in the ‘Best New Entrepreneur’ category of the 2013 Net Awards. East London is a hotbed of creativity and the start-up community is thriving. At Believe.in we have a fantastic network of investors and advisors who bring a diverse mix of attitudes and disciplines to the table. I think that this is an expression of a
Matthias Metternich
wider community in London − where all the key ingredients are on hand to support innovative start-ups. We work closely with a number of startups, media and technology hub Tech City, and the Cabinet Office. Compared to many tech capitals, London is certainly among the top. There’s a type of talent and atmosphere that’s unique. Silicon Valley has a broad supply of expertise, but when it comes to the language of design and experience, communication, storytelling and interface usability, London (and the UK as a whole) has a heritage that is second to none and it draws creative minds from all over the world. As well as UK-based companies, the area is seeing the arrival of international names. Start-up accelerator TechStars is opening its flagship office, as is start-up training company General Assembly and payment innovator Stripe. Our favourites are due diligence tool Duedil, Moshi Monsters game company, revenue service Skimlinks and Zolmo iPhone app developers. With about 15 to 20 daily meet-ups and events within a one-mile radius, you can get advice about almost anything, from funding to design to social gaming. It’s all about sharing skills and being passionate about your craft. There’s a real celebration of knowledge here.”
There’s a type of talent atmosphere that’s unique
London draws creative minds from all over the world
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CEO SPEAKING
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As a young man, Marcos de Quinto joined the Madrid office of The Coca-Cola Company with the notion of earning some money to pay for a trip across the Sahara. One thing led to another and the desert is still waiting.
S cial Impact Marcos de Quinto CEO Coca-Cola
T
he man sitting opposite in a brown leather armchair defies some of the most common Spanish stereotypes. Marcos de Quinto (Madrid, 1958) speaks in a soft voice and frequently takes his time to think before he answers. Irony is lurking around every bend, so you’d be forgiven for not taking him too literally when the president of Coca-Cola’s Iberia Business Unit admits to being a loser for not having been promoted in the past 12 years. After all, the Spanish and Portuguese division is only the fifth biggest in the world for the American soft-drinks multinational. After finishing his economy and econometrics studies, de Quinto found his first job in the marketing department of The Coca-
Cola Company in Madrid. It was 1982 and Marcos, who was only 23 at the time, thought he’d stay a year or two, save some money and head for Africa to cross the Sahara on his motorbike. But things turned out somewhat differently and “by accident”, as he once said in an interview, Marcos remained with the company and 18 years later was appointed president of the Iberia Business Unit.
“The truth is that I’ve never actively strived for this position. I certainly wasn’t born to be the president of a big company.” It may
sound strange, but that’s really how de Quinto feels about the way he made it to the top of the Iberian division of Coca-Cola. “In fact, I’ve never really understood people
with well-defined career goals and lots of ambitions. At Coca-Cola I’ve done many different things, but the only thing I’ve always had in mind was to do things to the best of my ability. Sooner or later it comes to the attention of decision makers in the company. They start pushing you and one day you find yourself at the top, simply by doing your best. But I’ve never wondered what I had to do to become a CEO.” However, his apparently carefree attitude towards moving up in the organisational hierarchy doesn’t mean that clear goals are absent from his life. They’re just on a different level, and personal rather than strictly professional. “More than anything, I’m trying to be a better person and avoid the traits I dislike in other people.”
❧ “Why should we sponsor a footballer? To enable him to buy a bigger Ferrari?”
❧ “I like to work in different About my office
places. Here, in a study upstairs, or at the computer in my bedroom”
CEO SPEAKING
It goes without saying that I’m very satisfied with the results of our Iberian division. Since 1996 we have doubled sales and tripled benefits. But there is something perhaps even more rewarding. According to the Great Place to Work Institute, our company has been rated as one of the best places to work in Spain. This means we’re achieving excellent results with a team of professionals that appreciate the great atmosphere in their work.”
Marcos de Quinto believes his company offers him a unique opportunity to make a positive social
impact. He considers this to be the most interesting part of his job. “I believe CocaCola’s social impact is quite significant, because of its visibility and communication capacity. The beauty of my job lies in the enormous impact on society that I’m able to have; doing things that go beyond the mere selling of a product. For instance, we’re sponsoring the Buero Vallejo-prize for young theatre makers. Schools from all over Spain participate in the competition. It’s satisfying to encourage a form of artistic and social expression which I think is very useful and necessary in society.”
Of course, promoting the brand by sponsoring a famous footballer
was also an option. “But what would be the point of that? He would probably buy himself a more expensive Ferrari. I guess for us that would be less satisfying,” De Quinto says with a sense of understatement. “And definitely less interesting in terms of its social impact.” A campaign is currently being launched against sedentary lifestyles and obesity. The idea is to raise social awareness about something that is increasingly becoming a health issue, particularly in Spain.
Talent is the most strategic asset you can have for the future. De Quinto is absolutely certain about this. However, he believes that in Spain, talent is too often confused with academic training. “Of course talent is important, but other skills shouldn’t be underestimated. That’s a huge mistake! In the Anglo-Saxon world it’s quite normal to study a subject like theatre. It helps students to develop social skills, such as persuasion and public speaking.”
De Quinto seems to enjoy his role as a coach. Young people in his company
frequently ask him for advice. Questions like: “Marcos, do you think I should do a Master’s
degree at Fontainebleau?” “I tell them, please don’t! You’ve already got all the Masters in the world. What you need, is to go to Africa without money, credit cards and a mobile phone. Learn how to get around on your own for five days and overcome your fears. That will help you to grow!”
Theatre, Africa, the desert.
Ultimately, De Quinto never crossed the Sahara on his motorbike. But he competed in the Dakar Rally five times by car and made it to the Senegalese capital twice. “Africa and the desert are extremely important to me,” he admits. He also built a small school in the South of Morocco for children of nomadic tribes and tries to go there whenever he can, usually long weekends.
If he’s proud of anything in his job,
it’s the fact that he has always done things his way. “I never tried to find out how other CEOs operate in order to imitate them. It would have made me a different person. I would have played golf to fit into some kind of stereotype. I don’t. Perhaps I’m just lucky that North Americans are basically interested in one thing; if you give them good results, they don’t ask any questions. In Spanish companies it may be different. They would ask if I played golf. If I wear a tie. If I go to Sunday mass.”
In some ways, De Quinto is not very Spanish, but es lo que hay - that’s the
way it is. The same also goes for his attitude towards hierarchy. “Many executives speak about organisations in terms of an orchestra. I couldn’t agree less. Somebody writes a score and then a man with a baton in his hand tells the musicians exactly what they must do at every moment. I think this is a horrible metaphor. It leaves absolutely no room for improvisation, talent or genius! I prefer to think of my team as a jazz band. The band leader starts playing some chords, the other musicians follow his lead and as the piece develops there is plenty of room for improvisation and creativity. We know the start, but we never know where we will end up.”
Curriculum vitae Marcos de Quinto CAREER • 2000-present: President of the Coca-Cola Iberia Business Unit, covering Spain and Portugal • 1996-2000: Regional Manager, Coca-Cola Spain • 1995-1996: Marketing Director of Coca-cola, German Division • 1992-1995: Division Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola Southeast & West Asia • 1990-1992: Director of Services and Marketing at Coca-Cola Spain • 1988-1990: Regional Manager for Southern Publicity Agencies ALAS BATES/BSB Advertising, Spain • 1982-1988: diverse positions within Coca-Cola Spain, including District Manager, Distribution Manager, and Distribution and Merchandising Manager EDUCATION • MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid • Economics degree from Madrid University ADDITIONAL • Supports the Buero Awards for Youth Theatre, a project of the Coca-Cola Foundation • Supports archaeological heritage of Spain via the GAIA Foundation • Produces his own honey wine
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Feel at home HELSINKI AIRPORT Second-hand furniture, full bookcases and easy chairs. It’s good to come home to Helsinki Airport. The airport itself developed the concept of Almost @home: a lounge section of the airport that makes travellers think they are in a friend’s living room. Relaxing in a comfortable chair, it’s hard to imagine that around 15 million passengers pass through the airport annually. The space is decorated with paintings and works of art by Finnish artists, such as vases by Wirkkala. To complete the feeling of being at home, you can even ask for a pair of warm, woolly socks at reception, before sinking into a sofa with a good book.
AIRPORT LOUNGES W hen delay is a gift…
These airports have gone out of their way to make travellers feel as comfortable as possible while waiting for their flights. Fingers crossed for a delay.
TRAVEL
Walk in the park SCHIPHOL AIRPORT AMSTERDAM Airport City at Schiphol offers all the facilities associated with a modern metropolis, including a city park. Birdsong, projections of butterflies and the sound of bicycles whizzing along: Schiphol’s Airport Park is indistinguishable from a real city park. With the concept Airport City Schiphol has spared no effort or expense in making travellers feel comfortable while they wait. International atmosphere is provided by images of well-known city parks from around the world, which are on display in the Airport Park. Wandering around the park, you soon forget that you are in a busy, international airport. Culture lovers will enjoy the Dutch art on the Holland Boulevard and different forms of relaxation are offered by a wellness centre and a casino. There’s even a library.
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TRAVEL
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Lie back QANTAS LOUNGE SYDNEY AIRPORT Pampering, rejuvenation and relaxation: anyone passing through Sydney Airport would be doing themselves a favour by visiting the luxurious spa in the business lounge. It is no coincidence that Qantas International Lounge was voted the best of its kind at the Australian Business Traveller Awards last year. This is in large part due to its Payot Paris spa. Half-hour treatments are available for those with little time on their hands, but longer pampering sessions are also possible, if not irresistible. And it’s not only the treatments that are luxurious; the utmost care has been taken with the spa’s design. This features Swiss quartz walls and atmospheric foliage, all bathed in natural light. For anyone wishing to begin or continue their journey feeling refreshed, this spa is a blessing.
VOTED THE BEST
Assistants’ favourites Milan
About PIPA The PIPA app is the assistant’s assistant: it helps managing tasks. All these locations received high ratings in the app.
Milan is a city that showcases design and new technologies, culture and fashion. It’s no coincidence that it has inspired some of the world’s greatest artists, composers and architects.
HOTEL
MEETING VENUE
This hotel opened its doors 150 years ago and since then has welcomed more than its fair share of famous guests, including Maria Callas and composer Giuseppe Verdi. It was in this very hotel that Verdi wrote Othello. The La Scala Opera House, where Othello had its début performance, is practically next to the hotel. The Grand Hotel’s luxurious suites are decorated with 18th-century furniture, providing guests with the feeling that they’re in a medieval palace. The Grand Hotel et de Milan, is where luxury, design and comfort come together.
However inspiring a city like Milan may be, in a past era the aristocracy couldn’t resist the allure of local nature. They built charming country houses just outside the city walls, including Villa Gallarati Scotti. These days, the interior is inspired by modern design and has been adapted to accommodate all modern requirements, whilst retaining its baroque atmosphere. The villa has 80 guest rooms along with various lounges and dining rooms that can be laid out for seminars or meetings. Here, you can leave the stress of work behind – the idyllic countryside is the perfect environment for inspirational meetings.
Grand Hotel et de Milan
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Grand Hotel et de Milan Via Manzoni 26 20121 Milan Phone +39 272 31 41 Fax +39 286 46 08 61 grandhoteletdemilan.it
RESTAURANT
Villa Gallarati Scotti
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Claudio Sadler’s restaurant is located on the east bank of the Naviglio Canal in Milan. In 2007, restaurant Sadler underwent a complete refurbishment. The interior was designed with the utmost attention to detail, which is clearly visible. The restaurant achieves an intimate atmosphere, divided up into various smaller rooms. From one of the rooms, guests can see directly into the kitchen. It’s in this kitchen that Claudio occasionally runs cookery workshops, but for guests looking to be pampered, Sadler’s menu offers more than enough possibilities. 3
Villa Gallarati Scotti
Sadler Via Ascanio Sforza 77 20141 Milan sadler.it
Via Tomaso Scotti 13 20871 Oreno di Vimercate chateauform.com
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Sadler
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MILAN
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GB
Managers of the future
ender lender
Evidence suggests that the most effective managers in future companies will be those who combine masculine and feminine characteristics.
Back in 1967, leadership scholar Bernie Blass foresaw that the managers of 2000 would use computers every day – just one of a number of his predictions that have come true. In 2001, Blass made a new set of leadership forecasts for 2034. One was that women will become the majority of leaders and directors in most organisations, because of their more transformational qualities and their greater concern for equality, fairness and social justice. At the time this seemed far-fetched and may still seem so. Thanks to lingering prejudice about their management skills, women remain under-represented in the upper echelons of business. In the USA in
2012, women held 16.6% of board seats in Fortune 500 companies. In Europe meanwhile, just one in seven directors of top businesses are female, according to the European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice.
It works
A corporate shift is already discernible, with most organisations becoming more flexible and mission-driven, led by increasingly virtual teams and calling for quite different leadership skills than those suited to the topdown bureaucratic models of the past. In this context, ‘feminine’ management skills may prove more effective.
There’s already evidence that having women on the board pays off. A report by the Credit Suisse Research Institute discovered that companies with women directors showed a net income growth of 14% over six years, as opposed to 10% for those without female board members. The EC’s Directorate General for Justice accounts for such findings as being, “mainly due to a more diverse and collective mind-set that incorporates a wider range of perspectives and therefore reaches more balanced decisions.” If feminine thinking works in the boardroom, why shouldn’t it in the individual? A growing body of evidence
LEADERS M/F
Barack Obama
President of America CONNECTING
suggests that the ‘soft’ interpersonal skills traditionally seen as ‘female’ can actually enhance the performance of male as well as female leaders.
Lots of overlap
Alice Eagly, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University and co-author of Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, has looked in detail at the differences between men and women as leaders. “We’re not looking at two different species,” she says. “The differences are not large, and within each sex there’s lots of overlap and variability. However, it does appear that women are less autocratic, less top-down and more participatory.”Other research has identified qualities such as being nice or compassionate as being more closely associated with women, while ‘agentic’ qualities, such as being competitive or assertive, are more associated with men.
to higher levels of motivation and morality.’ “Women are more transformational than men,” says Alice Eagly. But interestingly, “the style is highly androgynous, neither fully masculine nor feminine. One characteristic of transformational leaders is that they are charismatic, which is a masculine trait. But they are also able to form strong relationships, which is a feminine trait.”
Digital age
“Research by INSEAD business school, among others, has shown that female executives are rated more highly on key
Female executives are rated more highly on key leadership attributes
Higher level
This worked against women in the days when the ‘transactional’ business management model, with its reliance on command and control and reward and punishment, held sway. But the transactional approach, developed for the factory assembly line, seems less effective in today’s knowledge-based economy. “You can’t just tell people what to do any more,” says Eagly. “You have to motivate them, because organisations these days are just too complex for a single leader to understand, let alone oversee, and you have to build everything on teams.” The concept of ‘transformational’ leadership is slowly on the rise. James MacGregor Burns defines it as occurring when, ‘leaders and followers raise one another
Described as ‘our first woman president’ by the Washington Post on account of his restraint, calm manner, collaborative approach, willingness to talk to his enemies and his verbal prowess. Obama is hardly effeminate, yet seems less anxious than other US politicians to assert his masculinity. His attempt to ‘provide affordable, accessible healthcare for all’, shows a feminised degree of empathic social concern, as does his support for gay rights (which he even mentioned in his second inaugural address, a first in US presidential history). His feminised leadership style is also shown in his surrounding himself with a capable team and listening to others before making a decision; he is known as a thorough researcher and tends to avoid conflict.
Sheryl Sandberg
leadership attributes including team building, energising and rewarding, emotional intelligence, and tenacity,” adds Alison Maitland, co-author of the book Why Women Mean Business. “Such skills are hugely important for leading virtual teams in the digital age, when people are increasingly dispersed across borders and time zones.” This point was proven by a BI Norwegian School of Management study that looked at 915 senior and middle managers to establish the role that gender plays in a company’s innovation climate – a key factor in today’s economy. The study found that innovation flourished most in situations where leaders could remain neutral and allow others to express their
COO of Facebook ENGAGING The COO of Facebook and the first woman to sit on its board, Sheryl Sandberg has held senior positions at Google, the US Treasury and the World Bank. She leaves the office religiously at 5.30pm to spend time with her two young children and says her success would have been impossible without a husband who does 50% of the domestic chores. With her book Lean In, she announced that she was a feminist (hitherto a taboo word in US business circles) and delivered controversial advice to women in the workplace. Not content with this, Sandberg is starting ‘Lean In circles’, support groups for working women.
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Preconditions:
Intelligence Tolerance for change Desire to lead Communications skills
Meaning
Happiness Signature strenghts Purpose
Engaging opinions freely, while allowing the group as whole to take responsibility for decisions. ‘Androgynous’ leaders – those who combine male and female traits – scored more highly in creating an innovation climate than those who styles were purely masculine or feminine. Interestingly, the incidence of androgynous leaders was found to be more or less equal among both men and women.
Androgynous traits
A survey of 350 male management students conducted at AMITY University, Jaipur, India, found a direct correlation between androgynous traits and managerial effectiveness. The study found that androgynous students ‘are stable individuals with flexible cognitive structures. They not only disclose themselves to others but also welcome others’ feedback on their actions. In addition, they are sensitive to the outcome of their actions. Thus, along with strategy planning they are also better at listening and responding to the customer needs which improves their professional skills and in turn self-efficacy.’ The androgynous approach characterises the centred leadership model, which grew out of McKinsey’s Leadership Project – a programme designed to find out what motivates and supports female leaders.
Centred leadership
Meaning, managing energy, positive framing, connecting and engaging, those are the five dimensions of centred leadership. Emphasising the role of positive emotions, it proposes cultivating physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual resources, in order to steer personal development and inspire others to follow.
Voice Ownership Risk-taking Adaptability
Managing energy
Minimising depletion Restoration Flow
Your personal and professional context
Positive framing
Impact:
Self-awareness Learned optimism Moving on
Presence Resilience Belonging
Connecting Network design Sponsorship Reciprocity Inclusiveness
CENTRED LEADERSHIP McKinsey’s Centred Leadership is one of the few leadership modelss specifically intended for female leaders who are aiming for the top. But it also works for men. It grew out of McKinsey’s Leadership Project and is based on five broad and interrelated dimensions:
MEANING
finding motivation in doing what you are good at
and believe in.
MANAGING ENERGY
POSITIVE FRAMING
activities for revitalisation.
situations in a positive light.
engaging in ‘flow’
“We need a mix of management styles, not a single dominant one”
viewing negative
CONNECTING networking, assisting and being assisted in the
career trajectory.
ENGAGING
speaking up, owning your ideas and taking risks.
“Centred leadership also works for men,” according to the authors Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, and Rebecca A. Craske. “But the model resonates particularly well with women because we have built it on a foundation of research into their specific needs and experiences.” The first of the areas identified in centred leadership, means finding motivation in doing what you are good at and believe in. The authors quote Katharine Graham, first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, who famously said: “To love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?” Respondents described how following their heart led to a rewarding, if not necessarily predictable career.
LEADERS M/F
She fired herself on a Friday night and arrived at the office on Monday as a turnaround CEO
Sung-joo Kim
Founder of Sungjoo Group MEANING
Revitalise
Given long working hours, maintaining energy levels is the second key factor. Here, the centred leadership approach draws on the work of positive psychology pioneer Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, who identified ‘flow’ – a state in which people are so engaged by an activity that they lose themselves in it, failing to notice the passage of time. This kind of absorption energises rather than drains. Energy (rather than time) management focuses on tasks that absorb and revitalise. The third key to centred leadership is positive framing: viewing negative situations in an optimistic light that encourages positive actions. Finding her company in a decline, Andrea Jung, the chairwoman and CEO of Avon, fired herself on a Friday night and arrived at the office on Monday as a turnaround CEO, leading her team in a recovery plan that returned the company to growth.
is sometimes essential in order to grasp an opportunity. Psychologist Daniel Gilbert has studied risk and he concludes that risk takers report a greater degree of happiness than risk avoiders. Risk taking is usually regarded as a masculine management trait, but centred leadership takes positives from feminine tendencies too – for example, looking for meaning rather than status and power in work is more typical of women leaders than men. According to Alison Maitland, “we need a mix of management styles, not a single dominant one”. Recent research by Alice Eagly at Northwestern University found that, although leadership remains ‘culturally masculine,’ it is clearly shifting to a middle ground between masculine and feminine extremes. “A totally participative approach doesn’t work,” comments Eagly. “Top-down doesn’t work either. We should be using an androgynous management style.”
The founder of Sungjoo Group, a retail group that operates franchise stores for Marks & Spencer, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci in South Korea, Sung-joo Kim is also chairwoman and chief executive of MCM Group, the German luxury goods company with stores worldwide. Kim has turned the company into a brand with annual sales of over $200m. Growing up in Korea, she had to fight to get her father to allow her to study and was disowned by him for refusing an arranged marriage. Having attained success, Kim champions feminine leadership, promotes emotional intelligence and advises that the focus in business should be on serving others, rather than yourself. She says she gets her inspiration from motherhood and seeks to run her company with “heart”.
Speak up
Factor number four, connecting, is illuminated by the work of Roy Baumeister, a social psychologist who studies social belonging. According to his work, men and women network differently, with men tending to build broader, shallower networks than women do, giving them a wider range of resources for professional opportunities. The fifth pillar of centred leadership is engaging, which covers everything from speaking up in meetings to risk taking. The report quotes Julie Daum, a prominent Spencer Stuart recruiter who specialises in board placements, who argues that even senior women on boards lose out by not speaking up: “They hang back if they think that they have nothing new to say or that their ideas fall short of profound.” Equally, embracing risk
Services
When change is needed
Frida Giannini
Creative Director of Gucci MANAGING ENERGY
Our Consulting Services can assist companies in reviewing the work-floor effectiveness of individuals or a whole department of assistants. Consulting Services are tailor-made, project-based services geared towards individual requirements and can include reviews of job descriptions, departments or needs assessments. MORE INFORMATION: secretary-plus.com. Or contact your local Secretary Plus office (see page 67).
Frida Giannini studied fashion design in Rome and worked for Fendi prior to becoming Creative Director of Gucci. When Tom Ford left Gucci in 2004, she was promoted to designing all accessories. By 2006, she was responsible for women’s ready-to-wear, menswear, the retail stores and ad campaigns as well. Credited with commercialising Gucci, she pioneered the current obsession with heritage. She is reputed to be generous and indulgent with her employees, while being highly competitive when it comes to sales. Giannini is also known for her busy social life on the celebrity circuit and has very recently become a mother.
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VOTED THE BEST
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Assistants’ favourites Munich
About PIPA
After a hard day’s work, a warm Bavarian welcome is guaranteed in Munich. Visit one of the 60 famous theatres or relax in one of the many beer gardens with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
HOTEL
MEETING VENUE
RESTAURANT
The arrival of the Louis Hotel also marked the arrival Munich’s first design hotel. The name Louis refers to the 19th-century King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who was renowned for his penchant for pomp and circumstance and the reason he built the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. These days it’s one of Bavaria’s biggest tourist attractions. The Louis was soon proclaimed the Best Business Hotel in Munich (by Wallpaper). Its location at the heart of Munich’s city centre is just as stunning as the interior design, which perfectly combines business comfort with a stylish setting.
Nature, people and art come together at the Botanikum. Originally this was ‘just’ a botanical garden with unique species of plants, but these days it has transformed itself into a superb location for hosting events. Botanikum’s various greenhouses are not only home to exceptional species of plants from both the region and the Mediterranean area, and rare tropical specimens, but architects, artists and photographers also have their studios here. The two largest greenhouses are available for events, seminars, workshops and presentations.
Restaurant Dallmayr is one of just two Michelin-starred restaurants in Munich. Chef, Diethard Urbansky sticks to two principles: form above function and less is more. Undivided attention is given to every single ingredient and not a single element of the dish is purely for decoration. Dishes are served on hand-painted Nymphenburg porcelain. The wines – of which there are 600 on the menu – are poured into hand-blown Theresienthal crystal. Even the interior was designed exclusively for Dallmayr.
Louis Hotel
Botanikum
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The PIPA app is the assistant’s assistant: it helps to manage tasks. All these locations received high ratings in the app.
Louis Hotel
Botanikum Feldmochinger Straße 75-79 D-80993 Munich Phone +49 891 411 715 Fax +49 891 493 672 bunzel@artfield.de botanikum.de
Viktualienmarkt 6 80331 Munich Phone +49 8 941 119 080 Fax +49 8 941 119 081 00 contact@louis-hotel.com louis-hotel.com
Restaurant Dallmayr
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Restaurant Dallmayr Dienerstrasse 14-15 80331 Munich Phone +49 892 13 50 Fax +49 180 500 65 23 dallmayr.de
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MUNICH
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FOOD
WHAT’S HOT TO SERVE?
aute appetizers Simple mince patties are out; hamburgers made from free-range meat or Wagyu beef are in. Or try hotdogs paired with boutique champagne. Snacks in 2013 have gone gourmet.
A FIVE STAR SNACK The humble Dutch bitterbal is a thing of the past. Top chefs (for example Erik van Loo at Parkheuvel in Rotterdam) are whipping them up from pea soup with a smoked sausage foam, frogs legs or ‘just’ sweetbread and truffle.
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NUEVAS TAPAS Restaurant El Bulli no longer exists, but chef Adrià ’s wonderful discoveries live on. Together with his brother, he continues to create innovative interpretations of tapas in restaurant Tickets in Barcelona. Think along the lines of oysters served in all manner of guises, the best-of-the-best jamon, and a tartar of tomato with olive oil caviar.
Photogaphy | Jeroen Niezen production and styling | Wendie Hagen; Text and food styling | Lars Hamer. With thanks to Bart van Kessel, finest food only: www.tastetree.nl
FOOD
NORDIC Chef Redzepi from restaurant Noma in Copenhagen is the driving force behind the New Nordic Food movement, which is based on the principle that much of what we see around us is edible. Wild herbs, berries and leaves. Game – from duck to reindeer. And everything from, in or around the sea – from shellfish to seaweed, and fish to sea anemones.
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Yvonne van Pinxteren
ASSISTANT AT WORK
Every day is different at Oracle. I love that. I’ve been working here for nine years now and have taken a new step within the company every two years. It’s a very fast-moving
organisation, with a lot of freedom to grow. If you have a good idea, you can go ahead and carry it out.
It’s all about seeing an opportunity and going for it.
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lthough I started off working for a bank, I was soon drawn to the secretarial side of things. While working as an office manager for a financial advisory firm, I took extra classes in the evenings. Now at Oracle, I recently finished a degree course in Upper Management Support, also at night school. With two kids, that wasn’t easy, but to do this job you have to be open to new things and willing to keep developing your skills.
De-stress to impress Managers today expect more and more. Assistants are increasingly sought as sparring partners with their own knowledge base. They are becoming an inherent part of the management team. You need to work independently and take the initiative. On top of that, you also have to be flexible, have a talent for organising, and be able to deal with stress. A lot of the day is spent troubleshooting. Things are also getting more international. One minute I’ll be on the phone with someone from Italy, and the next I’ll be talking to a Spaniard. I recently did a Spanish course in my free time, just for fun. But at work, everything is done in English.
Allow me!
Assistant Yvonne van Pinxteren AGE 44 POSITION Personal Assistant to Jannie Minnema, Senior Director Business Operations Oracle Europe South & Vivienne van Herel, Business Operations Manager Oracle Benelux EDUCATION College degree in Upper Management Support FORMER EMPLOYERS ING Group, Xerox, ABN Amro CAN’T DO HER WORK WITHOUT My iPhone and my colleagues. My colleagues make my job more enjoyable
I always try and take as many things off my managers as I can, so they can excel at what they do. These days, for example, I also do HR tasks. I’m the contact for employment agencies and am there during interviews to hire suitable candidates. I actually assist three managers now, although it’s only temporary. Normally I work for two. I get on very well with all of them, even though they are very different. I find it easy to adapt. Being so high up in the organisation, you hear and see a lot. I have a helicopter view of what’s going on, so I get involved in a lot of different projects alongside my regular job description. Two years ago we moved to a new office in Utrecht. I offered to manage the implementation of the new, flex-desk policy. No one has their own desk or office anymore, not even the managing director! I helped to ensure that everything went smoothly, solved problems and suggested improvements.
Making a difference Another current project that I’m helping with is Health Week. Employees can get their glucose and cholesterol levels tested and we’re offering a particularly healthy lunch menu. In addition, I organise big internal events like Secretary Day and the annual party in honour of St Nicholas for about 450 children of employees. I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do. I would recommend this career to everyone. Our role is growing and will continue to do so.
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An increasing number of entrepreneurs and small businesses are making use of virtual assistants: professionals who work remotely and carry out administrative, technical and creative assignments to order. This offers a great deal of freedom, as Dutch entrepreneur Esther Jacobs illustrates.*
available wo W
hen and where it pleases her and preferably not during office hours. This is how motivational speaker Esther Jacobs (1970) prefers to work. A fulltime physical assistant is not an option, due to her mobile lifestyle, so she has turned to virtual assistants for the solution. Jacobs organises her schedule so that she only has to work three to four months of the year. “I farm out any tasks that are easy to explain and can be completed in English via the internet. I work with various regular assistants through an online platform and my own network of contacts. My advice would be to begin with a small assignment and move on to bigger things once you are satisfied with the work. The ability to assign different pieces of work to others is a major benefit. One assistant looks after my website, another my administration. In this way, everyone sticks
to what they’re good at. Plus, I’m never reliant upon one person alone. The only downside is that distance makes contact more anonymous, so it takes longer to build up a personal relationship. You pay the price for this in loyalty: I’ve had assistants who have suddenly disappeared in the past.” The following are four examples of tasks that Jacobs outsources:
Box of receipts “One of my virtual assistants lives in Curaçao, where I also spend part of the year. I’ve just delivered a box of receipts to her, which she will transfer into an Excel document, noting all of the different currencies and descriptions for my bookkeeper. That’s one of the few times we actually see each other; almost all of our communication is by e-mail.” “Sometimes I might need to send an Excel document urgently but I’m unable to combine two columns. If my personal assistants are unavailable, perhaps due to time differences, I
send out a request to the online market, where people offer all kinds of services. Half an hour later the problem is solved and I have a new professional contact for all my Excel odd jobs.”
Blog posts “My website is continuously maintained by my Romanian assistant. A folder in my mailbox contains all the things that can be done: error
WHO IS ESTHER JACOBS? A Dutch author, motivational speaker and creativity expert, she helps companies, entrepreneurs and individuals to realise their dreams. She has a mobile lifestyle, speaks 7+ languages and lives alternately in Amsterdam, Curaçao and Miami. By managing her time cleverly, she works only a few months a year. estherjacobs.us
* According to David Mattin of trendwatching.com, one of the world’s leading trend firms for consumer trends, insights and innovations.
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
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orldwide 24/7 reports, links that can be shortened, blog posts, photos and scanned articles for uploading. She scans clippings and places them on digital document library Scribd, as well as in my website’s media archive. Another assistant keeps my address book up to date. All my assistants have access to my mailbox and my files, via Dropbox or Google Docs. And yes, they even have my credit card details but my card is still protected from misuse. If I make use of someone’s services, I feel I should give them the tools to do a good job. I give log-in and password details to people I don’t know because I trust in them wanting to work. Plus, most online platforms offer references, which tends to filter out anyone whose work is not up to scratch, sloppy or just plain bad. That’s the beauty of the internet: it’s very transparent.”
Monthly newsletter “I publish my own books and my assistants help me with research, formatting and editing, for
example. A friend of mine, who is a well-known speaker in the Netherlands, goes one step further: he calls his virtual assistant to tell her what he’s been up to and she writes his monthly newsletter for him in his own words.”
Access everywhere “During my travels I accumulate a lot of material for workshops and talks: leaflets, letters, maps and lots of business cards. My assistant digitises everything and saves it in my Dropbox. She saves the business cards in Evernote, so I always have access to any notes I’ve scribbled on them. Sometimes, when I come home, my hallway is full of boxes: exactly the equipment I wanted and for a very reasonable price. What a laborious task it must have been researching all that. In this way alone, my assistants pay for themselves twice over.”
Virtual outsourcing
Assistant on request Virtual outsourcing is often the ideal solution for smallto medium-sized companies, start-ups, organisations involved in mergers or acquisitions or in situations where flexibility is a priority, while keeping office and personnel to a minimum. Secretary Plus offers highly qualified, homebased assistants who represent the client – either full-time or part-time – on one or more projects through the use of modern information technology. MORE INFORMATION: see the ‘Services Secretary Plus’ information in the ‘About us’ section at secretary-plus.com. Or contact your local Secretary Plus office (see page 67).
WORK 2013
From New York to Amsterdam, office roofs are being decked with urban farms and beehives. One company, Cisco Systems, is helping to increase the bee population, which has declined by 30% in the Netherlands over the last few years. For others, it’s about nurturing new ideas as well as vegetables. With 3,000 square metres of fruit and vegetables, Amsterdam’s Zuiderpark Business Park is home to Europe’s largest urban roof farm. Not only does urban farming and beekeeping provide a valuable food source, it also brings business people from a variety of backgrounds together. Volunteers from the surrounding offices join forces to sow seeds, work the soil and harvest the rewards.
Office trend
Meet nature Urban beekeeping
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e keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths by Walt Disney