Let us introduce: Cees van Ommeren.
30 years old, living in Utrecht and recently started working for EuroFibers. Cees was attracted to strengthen the EuroFibers sales team and will focus on the sale of our fiber products and the para-aramid yarn in particular. Because it’s always nice to know who you are dealing with, we interviewed him at Eurofibers HQ in Maastricht.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012: Cees seems relaxed. Cup of coffee in his hand and a big smile on his face. The latter seems permanent. It makes me wonder, does he sleep smiling? Anyway, how’s Cees doing? “Very well! I am eager to start. I’m still searching a bit for the right rhythm, and the way to get the maximum of things done, but that’s all right! “
I notice that you are always cheerful and radiate positivity. Do you do that deliberately? Or do you just not get annoyed? “I do not really get irritated very often, except to people who act annoyed, all the time, haha. Also people with too much negative energy, people who say “no” to much. It sounds like a cliché, but I would rather try something that might go wrong and learn from that mistake than not to try it at all and say no in advance out of fear for failure.”
Ok, now that we’re going in this direction, what is your definition of happiness? “I think for me happiness and freedom lie very close together. Freedom to follow your dreams. This may be something small or something big. Next week I think I am very happy when I finally have a day off, haha ”
Well, you’re happy you love positive people and are attached to your freedom. Is there something you would like to change about yourself? After a very long silence…..”Everything is actually going pretty well.” He thinks for a moment … I would like to be more decisive. I find so many things interesting or fun, that I often find it difficult to make choices. I am also quite a pleaser, which is something I have to work on, that could be a trap in a professional environment. “
What is your biggest vice? “I occasionally get in to trouble because of assumptions I make that subsequently prove not to be correct. I make assumptions and quickly fill in parts of a conversation for myself. Because of this others sometimes get too little room to express themselves and this can result in misunderstandings. And conversely, I expect that other people make assumptions based on my comments, but that is obviously not always possible….! Oh and I sometimes drink a bit too much in the weekends.”
From whom did you learn the most? “From my own experience and from my parents. I believe learning is an everlasting process. It is always good to reflect on yourself and your behavior and learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.”
Are there people who you look up to? Who are your heroes? Cees thinks for a long time and comes to the miraculous conclusion that he has no heroes. When I ask whom he might ever want to meet, after long reflection he replies: “Barack Obama seems to be a guy with whom you can drink a beer.”
Which character trade do you appreciate most in a person? This time Cees does not have to think long. Positivity and empathy. Even if you do not agree, you can still try to understand someone. That’s one of the things I learned during my studies. By looking at the history of events sometimes someone can understand the world better. If you learn the how and why of an event you have the chance to prevent or replicate it.
What is your most treasured possession? ‘Health and especially, my mental health. The freedom of thought to make decisions and also at times not to take life too seriously. “
What are you hoping to mean for EuroFibers? What role do you play?
I hope that my work creates a permanent expansion of our assortment, I can vastly expand our network, and I will help build a basis for future e-commerce developments. “
An ambitious plan … How much time do you have earmarked?
Cees laughs. “Well … it started as a fun and relatively small aramid project. Meanwhile, the project expanded and my job is divided into 3 parts: call center / sales, marketing / market research and online. The challenge now is to state clear priorities, to find where best to focus on? I prefer all three parts of the job. This is often my problem, I am very enthusiastic for multiple affairs and want to do too much at the same time. I want to make new contacts with people and companies, and hope to be of service to new and existing customers. But I think it also great fun to work on online marketing and continue to set up the website, to keep writing newsletters and to expand the use of social media. But I think the focus is on sales, which is the core business, this is the goal. The rest are means to achieve that goal. “
You sound really excited. But it cannot be that you like everything about this job? ‘OK,’ says Cees matters like, administration I find less challenging. In every line of work there is something that is least nice of all your not nice. And if you think about it a little better about it is not that bad. “
You make a very sure appearance, you do not have any heroes and you’re fine and happy. Have you ever felt unsure or nervous? “Last Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was still nervous. every day I again start calling for EuroFibers I am a bit nervous for the first call. I know I have this and that means I always go to work well prepared. I am used to those nerves. It is a healthy tension, happily I’m not stuttering nervously. “
Working for EuroFibers also means that you often have to go abroad. Visiting customers, viewing opportunities and engaging with international relations. What do you miss the most abroad compared to the Netherlands? “The immediacy, the a deal is a deal attitude. I like to have a certain structure. I need rhythm. The Spanish manana manana, which does not come today, comes tomorrow, is not for me.
Is that also a frustration in your work, or rather what is your biggest frustration in your work? “I can not stand it when things do not work properly or when I see people in an organization with meaningless tasks. Waste, is my biggest frustration. Of time money and resources. When I do something without knowing why that happens, I’m curious and eager to learn.
Finally: what company or organization you would like to be president? “Phew …. just let me think …I currently do not have that ambition . Anyway, maybe I would when I retire, want to be owner of a company with a good product on a beautiful sunny location. A winery, or a boat rental. A beautiful dream, but for now I will stay sober and with both feet on the ground. “
