Man at the
top
20
talking heads
What's NewS Issue 2 February 1996
Recently appointed operations divisional chief
Henk van der Stelt (37) brings a broad range of
consultancy and corporate experience to his new
job. Over 1 5 years with top Dutch consultants
Twijnstra Gudde took him into almost every
bank in the Netherlands. 'But Rabobank is
special,' he says.
One of the first things that
strikes you about Henk van
der Stelt is an almost tangible
energy. Another is his ready
laugh and obvious humour. He
has the distinct air of someone
who's up against a real
challenge - and clearly
enjoying every minute of it. 'I
am,' he says with his rather
boyish grin. 'My time with
Twijnstra Gudde was hard
work, but also a lot of fun.
That's very important to me. I
had great colleagues there who
are real professionals and very
critical - I thrive on
constructive criticism. But
after 15 years I was ready for a
new challenge. I know it's an
over-used word. Yet, it's how 1
see it. There is so much to do
here at Rabobank. Operations
and the IT systems and know
how that support them have
already become a dominant
factor in maintaining a
competitive edge in the
banking industry. I'm really
looking forward to being part
of creating that kind of edge
here. Again, it will be hard
work - however sophisticated
the systems, IT essentially
starts with people. My job is to
motivate them. For me, the
real challenging and
fascinating aspect is generating
a synergy between all the
disciplines, and to me that
means the people, in the bank.'
Van der Stelt clearly relishes
the prospect of the work
ahead. 'It's the Calvinist
background coming through,'
he laughs. 'There are people
who would say I work too
much, so can't really enjoy life.
But work is part of the
enjoyment. Yet in true
Calvinist style, even the
enjoyment has to be
functional. You have to earn
your money, sweat for a living.
At the same, a day without a
laugh is a lost day. I've always
worked. My parents are
working-class people. They
created the opportunity for me
to go to university but I had to
work my way through. 1
delivered telegrams for the
PTT, worked on production
lines and in stores. It taught
me a lot. You have to be a self-
starter to combine study and
working for a living. And I
was always active in university
oganizations and committees. I
learned to organize there as
well as everything else.'
Committee work remains a
part of Van der Stelt's life. In
fact, until his appointment as
operations chief, he was on the
supervisory board of the local
member bank in Amersfoort. 'I
had to give that up when I
joined the bank,' he says. 'You
cannot be an employee and a
board member at the same
time - it's a conflict of interest.
I have always been involved in
board work on a voluntary
basis, such as our local library
and kindergarten, and other
community services.'
Asked how he finds the time to
fit in all of these 'hobbies' as
he calls them, he says: 'I'm
fortunate in that we have a
manager at home. My wife
runs our household and takes
care of our two children, a girl
of almost 13 and a boy who is
eight. It's a tough job, not least
because she is also in her third
year as a theology student. She
creates the strong home base
which enables me to do things.
I'm very, very lucky.'
Van der Stelt finds time for his
'hobbies' because he believes
strongly in contributing to the
community he lives in. 'But it
also has to do with interacting
with people,' he says. 'I think
that's one of the leit motivs
that runs through my life.
Management has to do with
people. You know, everyone
needs attention. I need
attention. If you don't listen to
people, if you don't understand
them, then you can't motivate
them. Getting the best out of
people is more than a matter
of salary, it has a lot to do with
satisfaction, with a sense of
holland update
ENVIRONMENT (1)
The Dutch Association of
Banks and the Ministry of
Economie Affairs have signed
a letter of intent to explore
ways to improve banks'
efficiënt energy use by between
2 and 3 percent per year over
the next decade.Concrete plans
will be launched next year.
ENVIRONMENT (2)
Rabobank cheque cards are
made from PVC which is not a
particularly environmentally
friendly material. However,
between 95 and 98 percent of
old cards are recycled into a
variety of other products.
appreciation. Of course,
people want to earn good j
salaries. But if you're not
earning enough, that is only a
dissatisfier. Satisfiers are
challenges, good colleagues, a
pleasant environment in which
to work, the opportunity to
develop your skills and talents.
If you have those things, then
you can reach almost
impossible goals. And there's
that incredible sense of
achievement when you have
reached them. That's how you
motivate people. I want to
continually push our borders
further. I would like to see our
team working on the basis that
everything we do today can be
done better tomorrow. I want
them to come up with
constructive criticism. I'll
certainly listen.'
He has done a lot of listening
in the first few weeks in his
new job. 'I already have a lot
of impressions - on the
culture, the organization, the
informal way people work
together, but they are still only
impressions' he confirms. 'It
would be wrong to come up
with conclusions at this early
stage. It would be wrong
because I want to avoid
becoming trapped in first
impressions which may be
incorrect. I've promised my
colleagues I will teil them what
I think after I've been here for
three months. Come back to
me then and I'll teil you, too.'
LOYALTY PACKAGE
The bank is to launch a
customer loyalty program for
retail customers in response to
aggressive marketing by the
Postbank, part of the ING
group.
PAYING IN CYBERSPACE
Early next year, the Dutch
banks' payments organization,
Interpay, and KPN, the
telecommunication company,
are to start a pilot program fo
payments via Internet. The
pilot is designed to explore
how a safe and reliable system
can be developed.
