It's been almost seven years since Dolf L'Ortye, Lidia Swinkels and Paul van Bekkum Set up summiteers. Their mission? Creating a consultancy firm that not only focuses on content aspects such as strategy, governance and governance, but also on personal development, leadership development and behavioral change within teams and organizations. In addition, the philosophy “doing fun things with nice people” has been leading from day one. Summiteers has already helped many organizations achieve better results, but they have also managed to create a close-knit and motivated team. The fact that Summiteers has recently been certified as a Great Place to Work (GPTW) for the fourth year in a row and is the agency Best Workplace in the Netherlands 2023 does say something about the team's commitment and satisfaction. More luck than wisdom, according to Lidia. In this blog, she explains where that happiness comes from. Or is it also secretly a tiny bit of wisdom?

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Super proud

Certified for the fourth time in a row for Great Place To Work® Netherlands, of course, we are very proud of that! Recently someone said: “It's going to be a bit lonely at the top.” To be honest, I think it's more luck than wisdom. It definitely doesn't mean that we all know it that well. So I can't tell you how to 'do' it ', but maybe I can inspire you a bit?

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Philosophy

I think the most important thing is that, as entrepreneurs, we really fully support our philosophy. Do fun things with nice people. That guides the decisions we make and that, of course, affects 1-on-1 in how we organize and lead the company. We want to do fun things with nice people - and so do our people. That may sound logical, but take a look around: is it in the fibers of the companies around you to have that as a guiding principle? Or is it about other things, such as making a profit?

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Take care of your talents

What strikes me when I look at our team is that we have little turnover. Jules van Merrienboer came in early 2018 as first newcomer with the Summiteers team and he still works here. Most of the people who joined in the early years are still here. I think that really contributes to our close-knit culture. If you always have to build a new team, it takes an enormous amount of energy. But if people actually stay with you longer, they become real cultural carriers.

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Open communication and transparency

Over the years, we increasingly feel the importance of open communication and transparency. Especially as your team grows, it's no longer obvious that everyone knows everything. In small teams, you can catch up with each other in the corridors or during Friday afternoon drinks, but the bigger the team, the harder it is to catch up. That is why we think very explicitly about what the entire team needs to know and we regularly talk to the entire group or with individuals for whom something is relevant. A personal approach often works very well for us in this regard. An example of something with the whole group is, for example, the “Ask us anything” sessions that we have now held twice in the past year. Of course, Dolf, Paul and I may think that we share everything that is important, but maybe there are things going on in the group that are not always room to talk about. During those sessions, there is no agenda and all questions are possible, resulting in questions such as: “What was your hardest moment at Summiteers in recent years?” , “Where do you hope Summiteers will be in five years?” or “What makes you have the ambition to grow with Summiteers and does that really make it more fun?” It sometimes feels a bit awkward, like we're in College Tour at Twan Huys, but when you're managing a team, it can also be uncomfortable.

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An eye for people as a whole

We pay a lot of attention to the fact that, as a person, you are more than just Summiteer. After all, you are also a father, daughter, athlete or avid traveler. Many companies keep work and private life separate, but we don't really believe in that. No, you don't have to be friends with all your colleagues or work in your private time, but what you bring as an individual influences how you function. Attention should be paid to that, especially if you want to help someone grow optimally. We have an eye for people as a whole. Sometimes a colleague has a hard time. Then you can ignore that, but it doesn't work. Then the colleague feels both unseen and he or she cannot meet the expectations of us as an employer. We consciously include all aspects in the plan that everyone here makes for the next six months. This is not only about the projects you carry out, but also about training courses you want to attend, which books you want to read or podcasts you want to listen to. It also states which non-work-related things you want to make time for. So someone may include in their plan: “I'm going to be a father and would like the space to prepare for that,” or “I want to run a marathon, so I want to be able to train occasionally during working hours.” The mere fact that attention is paid to non-work-related issues makes it possible to communicate about them, and that is important.

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Freedom and responsibility

We cherish a culture where freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. After all, it's about the result you deliver. This is reflected, for example, in the fact that we do not keep track of vacation days. We believe that if you discuss things properly, it works great. Of course, it is possible for someone to 'abuse' that freedom. But do you have to lay everything down in rules, or is it okay to accept that things don't go as planned one day? The benefits of the countless times that things go well outweigh us than organizing everything around that single exception — which, by the way, we haven't experienced in those 7 years. We also love it when someone wants a sabbatical. Until recently, four people were gone; out of a team of thirty, that's quite a lot. But a sabbatical is simply something that is alive, especially in a young team like ours. We support that and what we get in return is that we get involved in someone's plans early in the process, so that we can arrange it properly and in a timely manner together. In this way, we strive for a balanced balance between freedom and responsibility in all areas, so that we all achieve the best results.

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In the stretch

After all, we are very concerned with the personal development and growth of our people. What do you find challenging as a person, where do you want to grow, what do you like and what do you want to get better at? To get there, we will look for the optimal balance. You're not supposed to go down, but wearing sixteen swimming bands, you won't learn anything either. Right between comfort zone and stress, that's where the stretch lies. And in that stretch, that's where your growth is. That means that you give each other a high five, that you are proud of yourself and of the team. Actively looking for where the stretch is also contributes to happiness at work.

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About Summiteers

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