Liesbeth Vandenrijt: “Family businesses make me truly happy”
She meets more of them than anyone else. But we shouldn’t call Liesbeth Vandenrijt a true entrepreneur. “However, I now know exactly what that entrepreneurial itch feels like. It is up to us to help map out the ideal path for companies and put the right people in the right places. It’s a great challenge, but you have to dare to make tough decisions. You can’t please everyone. If that were my goal, I should have started selling ice cream.”
As Managing Director of HR consultancy firm Motmans & Partners, Liesbeth monitors the quality and image of the agency on a daily basis. This spans across all offices: Hasselt, Lommel, Herentals, Antwerp, and recently Eindhoven. “The labor market is more interesting and exciting than ever. The sector is in full evolution, and we are growing with it. But the soul of the company must remain recognizable. That is my biggest task here.”
“They already call me the mom of the company”
Motmans & Partners provides daily advice to companies. But how does Liesbeth Vandenrijt handle her own company, which is currently in full growth? And the responsibility that comes with it? “It actually feels organic. The atmosphere on the work floor is naturally very open. If something is going on, we just approach each other. Whether it’s professional or private. Typical HR, I think. At the last Christmas party, they even called me the mom of the company (laughs).”
“But unfortunately, you can’t always make everyone equally happy. And you have to be able to live with that, I think. Which doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally lie awake worrying about certain things. I’m just very good at putting it into perspective. At the start of your career, you think the world is ending if you make a wrong choice. Now I know those mistakes are crucial for the next steps in your development.”
“You have to dare to step out of your comfort zone”
Do companies easily accept advice from an external party? “Actually, they do; they are also very grateful for the feedback they receive, whether it’s positive or negative. There is no greater gift than well-founded feedback. They know that we look at everything neutrally and from a distance, with a high dose of people skills and experience. This also allows us to read between the lines very well. As an external advisor, you can even have more impact on a company than the board members themselves,” Liesbeth Vandenrijt says with conviction.
“I believe you should always be open to advice from others. I ask for advice every day from everyone around me, including my husband and children. To think differently, you have to step out of your comfort zone. That’s how you learn faster and build success. Five years ago, I was still walking around with an old Nokia C3 and literally knew nothing about the digital world. Until one day, a few young school leavers came to apply with a drive I had never seen before. A new world opened up for me. Digital media, social media… They took me under their wing, and today digital marketing is an indispensable part of our business.”
What does the perfect entrepreneur look like? “He or she must be somewhat of a visionary, able to look into the future. To dream, but at the same time create a foundation to make it happen. To gather people around them, inspire them, and translate the dream so that everyone knows exactly what to do. Passion and drive are one part of the story, but discipline, getting things done, and perseverance are at least as important. That’s exactly why I find family businesses so fascinating. It makes me truly happy to see how such a company started and the drive and atmosphere that exists among the staff.”
“Did I fall for it again?”
But what if drive eventually gives way to stress, or worse? As a certified burnout coach, Liesbeth Vandenrijt is also actively involved in well-being at work. “I am very alert to the signals myself. But that’s not as obvious for everyone. Relatively few people are truly happy at work. As an employer, it’s important to create the right balance for employees. Ensuring there is a clear equilibrium between what they can offer and what is expected of them.”
“But even for me, it remains a permanent balancing act. I have a family with three children and a full-time job. I am driven on all fronts. And despite my insights, I still sometimes catch myself accepting too many challenges. Then I think: damn it, I fell for it again. The most important rule, I think, is that you must allow everyone to be themselves in their job without complexity, so they can grow autonomously.”
Open-hearted questions for Liesbeth Vandenrijt
What would you do if you got an extra hour every day?
“We are supposed to always be on the move and processing information. So I would just take a moment to unwind with my family. Sit on the couch and talk about each other’s day.”
Which work experience made you see the light?
“I’ve learned everywhere and had many good mentors. But besides my job as a consultant, I worked as a HR director in a hospital for two years. There, I sat on the other side of the table in an environment that is in motion 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That experience really made me a better consultant.”
Suppose you had the chance to do any job of your choice for one day. What would you choose?
“Mystery shopper! A store that hires me to act as a customer and keep an eye on everything. How the staff behaves, the quality of service… Now we always play with our cards on the table to guide companies in that area, but disguising myself as a secret critic seems like a lot of fun.”
