The breakthrough moment in her leadership was at the beginning of the Corona crisis. The travel organization Sunweb Group saw all trips canceled in one fell swoop due to the virus. Marlise Mahieu was Director People, Organization & Culture at the time and she announced and explained the reorganization. There was a town hall meeting to which more than 450 people from all kinds of European countries, dialed in. There were another 20 men and women live in the room. “We had to let 25% of the people go. I had to tell that story and I was very nervous. A colleague said: “Be yourself, tell the story from your heart. I did tell the story from my heart: how terribly unpleasant and awful I found it. I showed that it affected me too. At the same time, I was confident that these were the right steps to take as an organization. I was able to explain those steps clearly and simply. Afterwards, the responses poured in: via email, via app, via telephone calls. And not just to me, but to the entire management board. This sad message created a lot of connection among both the people who had to leave and the people who stayed behind and had to continue with more work and fewer people. And the reorganization was completed within six weeks, on budget and without a single lawsuit. It wasn't until much later that I realized how much movement you can create when you speak from your heart instead of just telling a rational and factual story.
“I didn't want to hold that back anymore.”
Until that moment, Marlise had adapted more to the male leadership style in the Management Board. “I have always felt that I had to prove myself more as the only woman in the Senior Management Team (SLT). I thought I could do that by doing things the same way as my male colleagues. I started copying their behavior: short sentences, talking almost in bullets, appearing confident and decisive, more factual and process-oriented and results-oriented. Until this moment, I showed people less of who I was. That gave me a good feeling at first, because I could play along. But I also turned off a part of myself: my sensitivity, my ability to empathize. And I showed myself less. After the town hall about the reorganization, I felt my power to connect and create a positive movement. I didn't want to hold that back anymore. From that moment on, I really took a different path in communication than how we discussed matters in the Management Board. And I got more done with less effort. But I also regularly fell into the trap of my own insecurity. To achieve this, I started practicing storytelling a lot with the help of a storytelling coach. She helped me even more to find my own voice and trust it.
“You need your cultural anchors the most, when the pressure on the organization is greatest.”
It became my greatest learning experience about culture change. I started working with enthusiasm to shape cultural change from the bottom up: through focus groups throughout the organization and a culture survey with which you can measure personal values, current culture, and desired culture. But I gradually discovered that the new values were not being lived at the top. So, when the pressure increased again around budget and personnel costs, the program was no longer supported at the top. “We have a business to run,” it was literally said. As if it doesn't matter, when times get tough. You need your cultural anchors the most when the pressure on the organization is greatest. Then the values form your decision-making compass.
Sunweb Group consists of different organizations spread throughout Europe. The company wanted to develop a relationship- and brand-oriented culture into a more innovative tech- and data-driven culture. After all, technology and online play a dominant role in the holiday industry. A first culture change principle for me is to ignite a movement based on energy and positivity. You do this by working in mixed groups from across the company to gain a joint insight into the current culture and behavior that will also be valuable in the future. This enthusiasm also reveals the first ambassadors who want to commit themselves to this initiative. At Sunweb it was noticeable how much people enjoyed their work and of course we also sold that to customers: making memories with your loved ones. Then you ask what is missing to successfully transform into an innovative tech company. We wanted to start adding courageous conversations about performance and development. I see that missing in many cultures. This was difficult at Sunweb Group because people have so much fun working together: who dares to be critical of performance? Ultimately, managers naturally have a visible role in this. 'Leaders go first'.
It is also important to be clear to the entire company about the process you are going to embark on, so people can participate. Then you can also say to people who remain critical: “you have had your chance to contribute”. Ultimately, the values that are chosen must be translated into concrete behavior: what it is and also what it is not.
The next step in the culture transformation is to activate the values in your organization by developing the way of working in line with these values and implementing them throughout your entire employee and customer journey(s). The values provide direction when making decisions. Then the culture will also have a direct impact on productivity and the way you develop people internally. This increases people's engagement in your organization: if they feel that the growth of the organization, leads to their own growth.
Leaders often know very well how the organization and culture work. Men are typically a bit more positive about their leadership and the clarity of direction they provide, than reality. Female leaders rated the culture in their environment lower than their employees and were closer to the averages.
“If you can simplify the 'customer journey', you are better aligned with what the organization wants to achieve.”
You can only measure culture when you have a clear picture of your needs. You want to be able to properly analyze what are 'leading' and 'lagging' indicators. Traditionally, HR's attention is mainly on the 'lagging' indicators: turnover, absenteeism, and employee satisfaction. It means that you remain a cost item and another to-do on the list. If you contribute how people can simplify or improve the 'customer journey', you are better aligned with what the organization wants to achieve. Then you focus your POC priorities on those focus areas that will most quickly move the organization towards its strategic goals.
What is your dream with Opire?
My passion lies in positively influencing working life with like-minded people, by strengthening cultures and developing leadership. So that organizations become places where creativity and innovation arise from collaboration and where people's potential is seen before people see it themselves. This way, people can grow to their maximum potential and teams are able to achieve results that people individually could have never dreamt of.
