DECEMBER 2010 #002www.Es-sEnsE.Biz | ThE Es sEnsE MagazinE

s E n s E l E a D s s u s T a i n a B l E E v o l u T i o n

       China makes sense         neon Design, light up your values         Climbing, but safely       maCq eleCtronique: innovation is our main asset         the horse as a mirror

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ChinaMakEs sEnsE

horsesas CoaChEs

PRoMoTED aTDexia

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When we founded es sense, we elected “sense leads sustainable evolution” as our motto.

indeed so, growth at the personal or the company level is only possible when a proper basis and company structure is in place, and when employees stand behind their work.

last september i had the pleasure of travelling along with the government-led economic mission to China, and will be sharing my observations with you further in this edition of burn the box. two things struck me in particular however : in spite of media, press and the internet, still few europeans actually know how fast things really are developing today in China. secondly, Western management practice definitely stands further than its Chinese counterpart. and that is where opportunities lie. With social security and public comfort levels rising, Chinese companies will sooner or later meet the issues problems as we do. they will require proper and, most of all, sustainable management structures. the West can give that to China. We in turn, should pick up China’s dynamism, can-do and innovation-ready attitude.

as i always do, i again warmly invite you to burn your box, and i welcome you to our circle of sense pioneers.

Pierre sornin, General Manager, es sense

EDiTo

China makes sense

neon Design, light up your values

Climbing, but safely

China makes sense

the horse as a mirror

maCq eleCtronique: innovation is our

main asset

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DECEMBER 2010 #002ConTEnTs

es sense : China makes sense

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in the autumn of 2010 the belgian government organised an economic mission to China. the ten day mission took the party of belgian entrepreneurs, diplomats and businessmen to the cities of beijnig, huan and shanghai. is sense something belgium can successfully export? maybe it just is. es sense founder pierre sornin travelled along, met Chinese businesses and shares his experiences.

“in spite of media, press and the internet, still few europeans actually know how things really are developing today in China,” observes pierre. “firstly” says pierre, there is the scale of the country. Chinese cities are vast. shanghai has thirty million inhabitants, beijing hosts twenty. huan has around eighteen million. in that, Chinese provinces welcome about double of the entire belgian population. “the Chinese are extraordinary workers. China builds mines in 6 months. the Chinese accomplish in fourteen years what took europe two centuries. the Chinese economy’s speeding up however, will create a demand for sustainable growth management. the Chinese don’t want to make the same errors as did the rest of the world, booming without a proper base.” What may well save China from poor economic, and ecologic living conditions, is that Chinese culture as well integrates the concept of long term vision,” pierre continues; “historically, the Chinese business environment values the Confucian virtue of patience, and harmonious relationships, which is fundament of taoism.”

“for es sense, now is the appropriate moment to invest in its China business”, says pierre sornin. “China is evolving very fast. China is only just leaving the industrial age. service economy is only pointing its nose. Chinese salaries are rising up to twenty-five percent per year.

in not too long, Chinese salaries will equal those in the western world , and relations between employers and employees will transform. the business and industry ecosphere will change its working terms. in short, the Chinese industry has simply not yet reached the stage where employees start to think about life quality and making sense of things. Workers are satisfied with basic security and some income. however, as in other parts of the world, with rising salaries, professional stability and growing security, Chinese professionals will become sensitive to life/work balance discussions, and will want their lives to continue to make sense, both on and off the work floor.”

“the Chinese are working bees” says pierre. there is a lot of straining, repetitive work being done simply because labor is cheap. Chinese industry has very few notions of proper people management because Chinese managers have never been confronted with the need for people management.”

pierre continues: “Chinese businessmen want to go fast. they are keen on innovation, on anything new, which may propel them forward even faster. our Chinese contacts have displayed great interest and a remarkable degree of openness to es sense’s business concept.

not un-similar to the germans, Chinese businessmen will take your offer and test it. then only they will form an opinion. they understand that their society is evolving, and they are looking at ways to harness their growth and make sure it is sustainable and does not fall out from under them,” observes pierre.

“in the western world we are looking at the y generation,” says pierre. in China on the other hand, there is a genuine thirst for progress and growth. “this brings us to a second point, prone to concern,” says pierre. “the Chinese industry is bound to run into a deadlock sooner or later. With regard to Chinese industry and its products, a weak perception of quality and creativity has already developed in the West. China has a challenge at its hands turning this perception around. and that is where es sense comes in.” says pierre.

“the concept of sense is precisely what the Chinese industry needs at this moment, because es sense makes growth sustainable. sense management helps business leaders to make their companies grow safely, so that they don’t hit a ceiling unpleasantly, by making sure the proper management fundamentals are being installed, inside managers’ minds and inside factories”.

Carrying the flame

in China es sense met with belgian architect nicolas godelet. 34 year belgian born godelet has carved out a reputation for himself as an architect with the Chinese government, a remarkable accomplishment all the more in a country where age often still determines opportunities. the beijing opera house and the historic protected site of pingyao are among the flagship projects of the gejianzhu architectural firm, set up by godelet. an architect and an engineer, godelet moved to beijing permanently at 27, studying Chinese to faci-litate his business operations. after a series of projects godelet set up gejian architects and engineers, wanting to promote his very own vision of sustainable construction. godelet wants to make room in the new, young cities which China is building; room for wide bicycle paths, wide access roads for public transport and free lands for future ecologic facilities. appreciated by business and government for his contribution to Chinese society, godelet was given the honor of carrying the olympic Torch in pingyao, at the invitation of the City mayor, lighting the olympic flame at the 2010 games.

Freshly back from september’s government-led Economic Mission to China, Pierre sornin, founder of es sense, shares his observations about the kingdom of the Middle and its business community. “China definitely never fails to impress the western business man” says Pierre. “in comparison, Europe seems a continent in decline. China looks like a giant waking up and stretching to all sides.” “nevertheless,” says Pierre sornin, ‘western management practice definitely stands further than its Chinese counterpart. and that is where the opportunities lie.”

sense interview

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“neon Design has strongly evolved,” says David beeckman. my grandfather started out as a smith in the previous century. With the expansion of advertising we have seen our company grow steadily to become a true branding partner. today, we are taking our business to the next level, and are positioning ourselves as branding architects.”

“a typical neon Design client could for instance be a fashion company with forty points of sale across the country.” explains David. “they would contract neon Design to develop the light signage which makes the store stand out in the street, alerting and guiding customers to the shop. since brands have different images, each order is a custom production. this requires a highly specialized and creative team. neon Design relies on the good fit between technicians, designers and architects to deliver a quality signage solution. in this sense we are going beyond advertising and enter the domain of architecture, the green

zone, the garden, the environment. We shape estate as a medium for communications. this requires a peculiar set of skills and competencies. therefore our personnel is key to us; they are irreplaceable and most have been with the company for a very long time.”

With the proper people and technology in-house, neon Design is outfitted to handle the most innovative light signage solutions. an aligned team however is paramount to handle respond to the high quality demands of clients.

“growth rarely comes without difficulties”, says David beeckman. “neon Design used to be a family enterprise. Directors used to take all decisions by themselves. es sense advised our company leadership on the road to creating a true corporate decision making structure. now we employ a direction committee structure and find that group thinking delivers better results. installing a strict company organigram and a board

structure has been a key component on neon Design’s path to growth.”

“then, we needed to reconnect with our team,” recalls David. “being a group of highly skilled, craftsmen of long experience, our team needed a new way to interact with management; there was a need to move towards a true exchange of information, which would be more in the sense of mutual listening and understanding.”

“neon Design is extremely efficient,” says David. “We can architecturally rebrand a full chain of stores within the short space of barely two months. in our projects we dialogue with private and public office architects. We pride ourselves in internal and external open communications channels, including feedback mechanisms, throughout all projects, so that the client keeps the overview on his project from a to Z. on the inside as on the outside, neon Design has successfully restructured itself as a modern sme, offering a sustainable product/service combination, which the market values.

Façade signs are where innovation meets with aesthetics and engineering. one Belgian company has made a name for itself in designing and installing them. with us is neon Design, a flourishing Brussels sME, since over 30 years the partner of choice for brands such as Total, ing bank, volvo and Jaguar. sales Director David Beeckman, 30, lets us in on the evolution of light signage and the growth of neon Design

Neon Design, light up your values

David beeckman

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“banking has seen quite some changes lately”, explains martine: “over the decades, Dexia bank has transformed rapidly. in november of 1996, Dexia belgium shares were floated on the brussels stock exchange, upon which the bank almost immediately experienced a strong growth phase. When the crisis knocked and a recapitalization was announced, the bank successfully restructured, and

now we find ourselves looking with confidence and ambition towards 2014. part of the success in finding back growth has been the bank’s dedication to provide its personnel with a long-term perspective, putting safe their human resources.”

in her new position, martine manages the bank’s transversal group audit department. at the same time she oversees the bank’s retail audit.

however related closely to former experiences, retail audit was a domain yet to explore for martine, more so as the role also included overseeing the bank’s turkey and luxembourg audit departments abroad. all in all, martine daily manages eighty highly skilled accountants and financial experts, all of them professionals who themselves have an idea and a plan about their own careers.

with us is Martine gelissen, audit Manager at Dexia Bank. Brussels-born Martine lives in the cosy town of namur and is a proud mother of two. a finance professional with a sturdy seventeen years of service under the belt, Martine was recently appointed the position of audit Manager. Martine shares her findings and experiences.

sense interview

Climbing, but safely

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With seventeen-plus years of experience within the Dexia group, working in financial markets and commercial banking, martine is a seasoned banking professional. a long stretch of career with one company usually indicates mutual appreciation and satisfaction, in other words: both parties have a “good sense”-feeling about their professional relationship. among the things that make martine enjoy her position is the continuous valorization of her work by the bank’s management, the possibility to develop her professional self, the trust given to her for decision making and of course, a new challenge now and then.

that challenge didn’t fail to come about, as the bank’s management could not but notice martine’s performances, awarding her with a promotion. martine found promotion was a satisfying and happy reward for her competency, professionalism and engagement.

it was a smart investment of the bank, but maybe just as smart was the bank’s decision to bring in es sense to coach the new audit manager through “the first 90 days”. an experienced finance professional, martine definitely held all the pieces of the management puzzle, but an external set of eyes to fit them together was welcome, structuring her own reflections as a manager, and this while delivering results on the job from the very first weeks.

even if martine and the management were confident she could handle it, the new audit role did present a natural challenge. in a joint decision between martine and the bank’s management, es sense was taken on board to accompany martine in her new role. over a six month period, through regularly debriefing and advisory sessions, es sense made sure the new

audit manager would feel confident, and that her capacities and experience would come to their full right.

martine says: “Working closely with pierre sornin, managing Director of es sense was helpful in adopting a neutral view on new things and things, to take a step backwards, and to look at situations and issues in a new light. it proved efficient and extremely helpful in acquiring a natural feel for understanding the requirements and the positions of my new staff.” after a thought, martine continues: “it would take a day to go through the thousand and one pieces of practical advice es sense dedicatedly provided over these six months. but what mattered maybe most, is the time that es sense took to provide insight into my very personal situation as a manager, my set of skills and competencies, my personality as a person, and then assisted in structuring and focusing it all into a confident, efficient but humane way of managing my staff.

martine recalls: “lately i had a talk with one of my staff, a brilliant professional, who felt however frustrated because

he didn’t found his contribution being appreciated to its just value. i had to think for a moment about how to handle his concern but, following es sense’s advice and approach, i have been able to understand my colleague’s internal views and needs, and come back to him with a proper, satisfying proposal, which made sense to both of us, involving ideas about the future structuring of our collaboration.”

With the es sense coaching semester behind her for a good seven months, martine has confidently and happily taken in hand her new responsibilities; “in the end, the most evident but also the most difficult thing, is that it is all about making sense”, laughs martine. “es sense brings to the table a set of dedicated management training tools, which allow you to understand people and communication in a wider, more natural perspective, yet are sufficiently pragmatic for everday professional use. in my situation, putting the focus on understanding and connecting with my staff proved invaluable to motivate my people in a long term, senseful, sustainable way.”

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“innovation is our main asset”, confirms françois macq. “We invest close to 30% of our earnings into innovation. it is macq’s place at the forefront of technology, which buys us the confidence of clients across europe. our portfolio includes major tv channels, major road operators at home and abroad such as senef and ratp (fr), and even nuclear facilities such as the belgian Doel and thiange sites. not to mention the belgian government, which trusts macq electronique with the operating electronics of the heyzel stadion, to name just one.”

macq electronique’s vast, 2500 sqm premises, wedged conveniently between the brussels beltway and the Zaventem airport, house 65 highly qualified technicians, engineers and programmers, a number which has grown explosively only recently.

françois macq, 47, married and father of five, is the Ceo and visionary force

behind macq electronique. he explains macq’s growth: “macq electronique harbours a true passion for technology. our solutions are almost tailor made, case per case. We recommend exclusively highly sustainable solutions to our clients. macq decidedly aims for long term profits, and our clients value the fact that they can really count on a piece of macq engineering.” says françois macq.

“to maintain this level of customization and r&D we need a specific company atmosphere and organization. Continuing to delivering the same high quality customized business offer demands a lot from our staff. We need very bright engineers. and we need a lot of them. and we as well need them to freely interact and exchange knowledge between them and with the technical teams.” says françois macq.

“When business expanded, we were facing the need to increase our staff.

We took on around 20 new hires, all highly qualified engineers and technicians. While the new teams were doing very well, we observed that we could probably increase efficiency by having them share information between teams in a more structured way.” remembers françois macq

“that’s why we called in es-sense. es-sense helped us put in place a leadership team at management level. at management level, es sense helped us put in place a directors’ committee and draw up a responsibility grid. es sense also streamlined our processes on the workfloor and in the labs. efficiency increased, actually doing no less than benefiting the friendly atmosphere at the company. es sense showed us that macq needed to align the company’s values with its mission. and we needed the staff to understand and follow the strategic alignment. We needed everybody to know, to understand and

Macq Electronique: Innovation is our main asset

sense interview

“More simple, and better!” says François Macq enthusiastically when asked about the strength of his company, Macq Electronique, a highly successful Belgian supplier of soft- and hardware solutions for automation and traffic management.

Macq Electronique is one of those family businesses which have, over the decades, steadily developed into a solid sME, boldly investing as possibilities came by, and collecting the rewards from their visionary attitude to business.

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to look in the same direction.” affirms françois macq.

“es sense’s methodology presupposes that alignment projects only work in the long run. they are best considered an investment. “sense” is basically about teaching a society to see its professional life with different eyes. it does take some time before you get every employee on board, but when that happens, the company becomes a much better place to work. the firm evolves to the state of increased yet relaxed productivity, specific to well-synchronized, highly advanced professional teams.” says françois macq.

“internal communciations were an important part of the new company culture. engineers are a peculiar breed of people. they tend to communicate around an argument, and fail to listen to what the other party really has to say and to respect the other person’s

viewpoint. es sense showed us how to listen actively and provided us with practical tools to understand and handle the dynamics of organizational growth and evolution in day-to-day company life.” explains françois macq.

“macq today functions through autonomous teams, rather than through segmented departments. teams are multi disciplinary and cross their knowledge, which improves quality and innovation. We deliberately confront maintenance technicians and r&D people to come up with the best solution from all sides. We also have fewer company meetings. We came down from one per week to one per month. the benefits for macq’s staff are a feeling of increased liberty of working, improved openness to creativity and a more fluid, streamlined organization, which lets them focus on what they do best. our new way of working brings forth its fruits. Clients are satisfied with

our dedication and service level, and that translates into a steady increase in orders.” says françois macq.

“macq electronique prides itself on being a family enterprise. macq’s management wants to see employees show up at work content. françois macq think it is important that people are given the opportunity to grow and develop. macq electronique looks at stability first, only then comes turnover. my grandfather founded the company in 1923”, says françois macq proudly. “i on my side look forward to celebrate macq’s 100th birthday in 2023!”

We needed everybody to know, to understand and to look in the same direction.

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sense interview

The horse as a mirror

“unlike humans, horses react to our behaviour and thoughts instantly. Thus the horse functions like a mirror, and opens a door to ourselves, to self-reflection.” with us is Claire Daliers of Equinergie, a walloon association which provides horse-assisted therapy and coaching. Daliers, 49, has been around horses all her life, and senses what goes on inside the animal’s mind as if it were her own. “animals are direct and authentic, explains Daliers. unlike humans, they do not have an ego or a secret agenda.”

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We meet Claire Daliers at her private stable of eight horses, where she and associate marie-noëlle Dalier massant welcome people in a peaceful environment, for work and relaxation, through exchange with the horse, not as a riding animal but as a being proper.

es sense: Could you say a word about how horse-seminars actually work?

Claire Daliers: “Whether you are an adult, a child or youth in difficulty (or in perfect shape), equinergie assists people in their quest for balance and fulfillment. through interaction with the horse, we help people regain confidence and trust. the horse is an ideal partner for his responsiveness, his dignity, his connection with the earth and his powerful presence. the horse is generous and non-judgmental which allows so many of us to feel confident around him.”

so, horses can teach us about the nature of our interpersonal relationships ?

“horses excel at relationships through their ancestral way of living in a herd. assisted interaction with the horse helps people to feel connected again, first to themselves, and then to those around. We show our participants to approach the horse with an open heart, and in exchange the horses guides us kindly to discover and reveal our true nature and our inner truth.”

how do people interact with the horse in a non-verbal way?

“We all possess the ability to sense the animal spirit, be it only if one agrees to open his mind to that communication.

at equinergie, we have noted that animals communicate between each other, and look for this quality of relationship with humans, who are not always ready to “let go” and «listen» back to the animal. horses can reflect an inner truth of which we are not always conscious. quite soon and in a very natural fashion, horses can teach a person about his strengths and weaknesses- maybe even how to look into himself and become a better professional.”

how have you come to this activity?

“i have always been around horses, since i was a young girl. later on i started welcoming horses which had been ill-treated. from then on, over the years, i have deepened my experiences, taken to studying animal behiaviour in their natural environment, and started equinergie two years ago. We found that in a way, the horse has been opening its world to us, to allow us to accompany him through different phases of life and thus provide access to deeper layers of our own consciousness.”

Do animals also provide opportunities to work on company relationships?

“i should think so. firstly, animals are direct and authentic. unlike humans, they do not have egos or hidden intentions. horses will be straight with you. We find that, when people are confronted with the horse, who is gentle and calm, they will rethink their own way of being, let go of any superfluous personality artifacts, and just be themselves. they are then one step further to acting with proper sense towards others.”

“secondly, horses teach us about the need to be mentally present at what we do. often torn between work, family and several kinds of worries and obligations, modern man tends to forget that life is here and now. people stop to make sense of what they are doing, and wander through life confused. the horse helps people realize this, for when you are around a horse, you cannot be distracted. the horse will sense your distraction and stray off, forcing you to refocus your attention on being together with him. this present-moment-being is something which immensely benefits people from companies in turmoil. it brings them back to making sense again of their professional life and relations. in short, people become focused again and since the feelings which the horse liberates inside man are so strong and particular, people tend to carry the lesson taken from the horse seminar with them all along in life.”

es sense: Do animals also provide opportunities to learn to lead?

”they do. horses naturally live in herds. the herd has an hierarchy, from which horses learn both to lead and to be led. Considering this, horses can teach us a thing or two about leadership, maybe the most important thing being the importance of clarity in leadership . if the horse is well led it will be thankful, quiet and show respect. thus in learning how to lead or just handle a horse with us at equinergie, people pick up very basic leadership skills in a very natural, authentic way.”

sense leads sustainable evolution

avenue louise, 65 – 1050 brussels – belgiumphone: +32 (0)2 535 78 19 – fax: +32 (0)2 535 77 00e-mail: contact@es-sense.biz www.es-sense.biz