Dear mepper,

“Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night, with no lights, while looking out the back window”. However, the future is embedded in the present.

One of my most important tasks as a CEO is to ensure that mep remains competitive 5 or even 10 years from today. Then visualising how our future may develop is not a meaningless game; it’s a vital necessity. We need to understand today, how mep is likely to be challenged when tomorrow the competitive landscape around us changes. And change, it will.

To compose a business plan for 2015, we have decided to start 20Elevator with a dialogue between all layers of the funnel; from jobper to shareholder. Using the art of dialogue, we have made a kickstart to achieve a new business model for mise en place in the near future: on the move 2015.

• In the beginning of January in Chateau Presseux, Sprimont, we have created the first mindmaps (using the book ‘business model generation’) and formulated over 40 ‘best ideas’ with a large group of stakeholders. Besides that, we got to experience how Willem and Martijn de Liefde shared their stories about African Leadership with us. We have taken some important decisions in Sprimont and have taken a good look at the way we work within mise en place. Ubuntu, I am because we are!
• During the horecava in Amsterdam, the 20 most important CEO’s of Dutch hotels spent two hours contemplating about the guest in 2015, which resulted in a very interesting dialogue.
• Two weeks later, the 30 largest party caterers of Europe took time during the EPCAS conference to discuss what their ordering customers would look like in 2015.
• In February, we had a meeting in Marrakech with the advisory council of mise en place. Using storytelling, we have planned out the scenario for 2015 with 4 characters; 1. The Caterer, 2. The hotel manager, 3. The jobper, 4. The Young Professional.
• During the IMPW, we organized a Kgotla with 160 loyal PLIO’s, PL’s, PM’s, OM’s and VM’s / top meppers. We came to several decisions, thought about things we would want to get rid of and things we should improve.
• In the same month, I started my Kgotla Inspiration Tour and visited Aachen, Gent, Dusseldorf and Antwerp to personally share the Kgotla principles with the teams of those offices. I will look back on 2011 with gratitude, knowing that I have experienced a lot of energy, fun and experience at all 40 offices of mise en place. In the meantime we are creating a facebook page ‘Kgotla Inspiration Tour’, to make sure that the dialogue will continue. We are also preparing KIN, ‘Kgotla Inspiration News’.

On the move 2015 starts with the story of a jobper and a client, and how we see that story evolve (by now, all shareholders have been able to give their opinion about this). In the coming 4 years we will use several trainings, Kgotla’s and external platforms to add value to this story and to watch it unfold. In the summer of 2011, the EPCAS members will meet in Portugal and spend another 2 hours working on their vision of the market in 2015. My expectation is that in 2012, the year of the jobper, we can get to more concrete ideas and plans. In 2013, the year of the client, we will be able to present our business plan during the opening of our new international head office somewhere in Maastricht. The final step in the dialogue within the funnel will also be taken this year. The 360 degrees feedback, the ‘grey council’, will be installed in all offices so we can effectively start the dialogue with our jobpers.

To all that have contributed over the past three months, thank you very much! After the time of braining, the time of action has begun! On the move: 2015.

Kind regards,

Charly

Dear friends,

Long time no hear no see! The periodical Charly blog? That’s right. I had to learn how to use Twitter, control the enormous amount of requests on Facebook (what happened to Hyves?), watch the Dutch soccer team make it to the World Cup Finals and be present at many internal Mise en Place “Kgotla’s” (meetings). With all that taken care of, it is about time to share some interesting information with you.

During our trail through the Netherlands (www.charly40.com), I meet many different personalities and get inspired with new energy and ideas all the time. The past 2 weeks, we have passed through the Nijmegen area (on the border of Limburg and Brabant). During a dinner with 8 guests, where the introduction lasted about 4 hours instead of the regular 20 minutes, we figured it was true: Hotelschool graduates travel around and like to see the world before settling down in the Netherlands again.

It appears that ‘us Dutchies’ are positively approached all over the world, yet love Holland the most. Even the thousands of South-Africans that dressed in orange during the FIFA World Soccer Championship appear to love “their” Holland, which is strange considering the history.

Yesterday I could finally enjoy a night off, so Maartje and I went to see a movie. We had to hurry as the movie would start at 8PM, and arrived in the cinema at 8.15 PM. We rushed to ticket sales and told the sales clerk that we would like tickets for ‘any movie’. So what happened? We ended up at the longest movie that was shown (2h, 20min) and had to pay extra because of the length of the movie. Luckily it was Tuesday movienight, so we only paid 5 euro per person and went to see the movie Inception, in which Leonardo diCaprio breaks into peoples dreams and steals information. The movie is about  making astral journeys and dreams, with all the risks this entails. A deceased person kan indeed create its own reality. Leonardo diCaprio’s girlfriend even dies in one of those dreams! It is great to see that we are becoming more and more aware of our own inter-dimensional energystructures. What a great movie, definitely the box office success of September!

The inspiration for my blog seems to come from healthy living. I exercise at least 2 times a week and since my last clyster (a dirty yet effective method to clean your intestines), I am eating more healthy and take my vitamines (besides the healthy yoghurt breakfasts and liters of water). That, combined with the opening of our new fine art gallery during the Preuvenemint last week, has made me feel on top of the world again.

Another nice synchrony: while walking the ‘Pieterpad’ we follow roads on a map, but also red/white stickers or marks on trees, to make sure we don’t get lost along the way. The picture underneath this blog was not made because of me, but was quite funny to see in the nature reserve where we were walking!

The longer I think about the cause and effect theory, the more clear it becomes. To actually BE on earth, to continuously live, to enjoy, to suffer, to lead others, to be honest, to accept, to relativize and to remain positive. Could it be that cancer can be cured or even prevented when you set your goal in life to be learning and gaining knowledge? That our body won’t become a victim of whatevery enemy there is? That Faith, Love and Friendship are the true remedies to live a healthy live? I’ll definitely become over a 100 years old, just to prove it!

Charly

Dear readers,

It has been a while since I last posted an update. Even though the Netherlands has lost the finals, Mise en Place has gained a lot! To me, one of the greatest things about the World Cup was meeting Willem de Liefde, the writer of African Leadership. We had dinner with him, during which he presented ideas from Botswana in a very interesting way. He was so impressed by the values of Mise en Place, that he asked me to write the preface of his new book. Enthousiastic as I am, I started writing a draft right away, which I would like to share with you. The book will be in stores in October.

Charly

—–

Dear reader,

In the year 2000, one of my former professors at the hotel management school in Maastricht gave me a book called “African leadership”, by Willem de Liefde. He told me that I had to read it, as it was very similar to what we were doing at Mise en Place, the company I founded in 1994. I finished the book in one evening and became so enthusiastic about it that I immediately bought 10 copies, which I handed out during our annual management meeting between Christmas and New Years Eve (our powerplay). I asked the management to start reading it right away. At that time, our company existed of five offices in two countries, with a team of 25 driven and passionate fulltime employees and a turnover of around 5 million euro.

            DETERMINED PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER CAN DO ANYTHING

From then on, we called our meetings “Kgotla’s”. We wrote a few basic rules from the book on the tablecloth of the hotel where we were staying (the truth will be shared, we will let each other finish talking, a decision will always be made and storytelling will be our number one tool). Today, 12 years later, that specific tablecloth is still on the wall of one of our regularly used meeting rooms.

We determined that within Mise en Place, there would be no hierarchy. The so-called hierarchic 0-line was implemented, and after a mission/vision weekend in the Belgian Ardennes we made the big decision: “Together we proudly put energy in making friends and creating synergy”. The vision would be supported by our values, such as responsibility, positive energy and trust.

            PEOPLE CREATE GROWTH, COMPANIES REPORT IT

Today I am writing this preface, right after our firm took care of the hospitality-staff for all 10 stadiums during the past FIFA World Soccer Championship. The project was a great success, and over the past three years we have had the chance to train over 9,000 South-African students for this job. For a large part, we owe this success to the concepts and ideas of UBUNTU. The South-Africans truly have “hospitality inside”, and it is part of their culture to be hospitable and helpful.

            THE BEST VISION IS INSIGHT

After 16 years of Mise en Place, we are active in six countries on three continents, with 40 offices, 300 fulltime and 7500 part-time employees and a turnover of around 50 million Euro. Our base is still the same as 16 years ago: friendship, the desire to be innovative and the firm belief that we can help people develop. Matters as profitability, revenue targeting or ROI are subordinate to the goal of Mise en Place.

Each month, the city managers –of each country- come together to inspire each other through storytelling and to share the recent developments within their office. They tell stories about the past or coming month, about private or business matters. The next day, the Kgotla takes place, where we come to conclusions and make agreements.

            WE HIRE CHARACTER, AND WE TRAIN SKILL

We nourish our collective consciousness by regularly organizing internal events. An example is the Summer 6 Camp, where over 600 jobpers come together for three days of sports, socializing and partying. We also organize an annual skiing trip with over 200 participants, which embeds our company culture even more.

If people have been on the job for over 1,000 hours, they join the ‘Silver Circle’. At that point, we are getting close to where we want to be: in their heart and not in their head. That way, they continue to work for us and remain a part of the Mise en Place family, even after their studies. Even though we are not blood relatives, we have a very firm bond and we believe in co-existence between ourselves, our environment and our planet.

            STANDING UP IS A CHALLENGE, FALLING DOWN DEPENDS ON YOUR EGO

By intuition, experience and trust, our organization is starting a transformation. The desire for change and new experiences takes us to many places in the world and therefore creates many chances for reflection and development. We pay a high price for the lessons we learn, and see this as a necessary step to eventually become an organic growth-firm, whose foundation consists of its employees. We laugh a lot about the things that don’t work out, and keep looking ahead by sharing our dreams with each other.

EXCELLENT FIRMS DON’T BELIEVE IN EXCELLENCE, ONLY IN CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT AND CONSTANT CHANGE

In order to select new people we developed the ‘Mise en Scan’, a personal behavioural-model. This model focuses on the talents which can still be developed. Therefore, the year 2010 was the year of 20Talent for Mise en Place. With as little bureaucracy and management as possible, we are working together and taking decisions in “open space”. Each voice is equal (it is not the percentage of shares that matters) and by getting our people into a state of trust and involvement, they are putting in the extra effort that is necessary. During the past crisis, we asked our fulltime employees the following question: “Should we fire 20% of you, or should everyone (including shareholders) get a 20% lower wage?” They unanimously chose for the second option. Reciprocity and Ubuntu is in our DNA!

            THERE IS NO ELEVATOR TO SUCCESS, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE STAIRS

The fact that I met Willem de Liefde in Johannesburg, is te proof that we are on the right path with our company. It strengthens my belief that leading an organisation has nothing to do with managerial models, hierarchy or pay checks. The leadership of the future consists of understanding, empathy and intuition, in combination with the laws of nature, experience and sharing knowledge. Therefore, it is a huge honour to be able to write this preface. I will definitely place this new book on the booklist for our employees.

            A GREAT LEADER WON’T OUTSPRINT HIS TEAM

The final thing for me to do, is wish you a lot of happiness while reading this very inspiring book. Take time, listen to some classical music and apply the concepts. Before you know it, you will be organizing the FIFA World Soccer Championships in Brazil, 2014!

Hamba Kahle,

Charles van Goch

CEO Mise en Place Group

            LEADERS GROW, THEY ARE NOT MADE

Dear readers and soccer fans,

After travelling from Johannesburg to Rustenburg and Nelspruit, I have finally reached Durban. The Netherlands has beaten Japan and we can now continue to the next round!

The country is even prettier than I expected. Yesterday, we drove through Swaziland and saw a lot of animals in their natural habitat. The nature is beautiful as well; the soil is very fertile, there are mountains, streams, rivers (with crocodiles!) and many dirt roads… wonderful! The people all wear yellow shirts of Bafana Bafana, THEIR team. The white ‘farmers’ and the black Africans, they all wear it with pride. As you can see, the world soccer championship doesn’t just unite nations… it also works within this amazing country.

In Durban, we met Roland Schmetz and Wouter Lindenberg. They have arranged things well: all lists are organized, the numbers are correct, the tent is clean and they help where ever it’s necessary. The caterer in this stadium is genuinly happy, and so is our instructing party, Match. This stadium is one of the most beautiful ones; the Mabhida Mozes stadium. It was named after an old Zulu-warrior from shaka zulu’s army and is located on the outskirts of Durban. It has an enormous arch (with elevator) over the stadium, as a symbol of the unity in this formerly torn apart country with many different cultures. It is unbelievable how positive everybody is, and how they keep smiling. Even if they have to stand in line for hours to be able to work!

The mascot of the world championship, a leopard named ZAKUMI, can be found just about everywhere. Every once in a while, you see it flying through the stadium as some kind of giant teddy bear. The fans love it, and the symbol is said to bring joy and happiness. This morning, I asked a jobper what Zakumi actually means. Is it a zulu or xhosa word? No, the answer was simple: ZA stands for ‘Zuid-Afrika’, KUMI for the word 10. South-Africa 2010… I guess not everything here is related to the rich history of the country.

The sound of the vuvuzela’s is driving me crazy by now (they love trumpets here as well though!) and I have bought a beautiful makarapi (a decorated plastic helmet), painted with the KNVB logo and the Dutch lion, on a flee market for 150 rand (15 euro). With a bit of luck, you will see the trumpet and the makarapi on TV, during one of the games!

If you don’t, then please check the following link for a short portrait of me that was filmed at Roda, the soccer club of Kerkrade. http://www.zuidlimburg.nl/video/portretten/96529179001
/Ondernemer_Charles_van_Goch

All the best,

Charly