A constructive attitude is always rewarded

A leader, that's the one who has directoror manager on his or her business card, right?

"Once upon a time it was like this. One leader, directing everything from above. We call it the lion on the rock. These days, that's not sustainable. Basically, anyone can be a leader. A leader stands alongside the people in the organisation rather than above them. It's not as if people are going to do something just because you say so anymore. Now you motivate so much because you work on solutions together."

We growers are now doing business in complex times. That's when a tight hand is needed, right?

"The opposite is true. Suppose you tell your crop manager to do a better job, so that fewer pesticides are needed. This is likely to cause conflict. Rather, start by investing in trust. Let your cultivation manager know: we will get this done together. You give that feeling not just by saying it, but more importantly by doing it. For example, by thinking together about a new cultivation plan. This shows you mean business. And means you find out about niggling issues. So just be transparent about that. Don't beat about the bush. Rather, say: we face this challenge, how can we come out of this together in the best possible way?"

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Along the way, as a leader, you encounter all sorts of things that distract you from your goal. How do you deal with that?

"The second important characteristic of a leader is, I'd say: cheerful resilience. It means staying positive, even when things are disappointing or not going as expected. A mindset of: let's just shrug it off. Look at the war in Ukraine, for example. For many floriculture entrepreneurs, this had and still has considerable impact. You can get angry about that as a bunch of leaders. But you won't achieve anything like that. It is very important not to get caught up. That also calls on your strategic abilities. Of course you have a goal in mind: you want to grow certain plants or flowers, reach a sales target, keep customers happy, achieve a healthy product revenue. Getting there is probably not via a direct path forward. And that's where another important leadership trait comes in, namely: adaptability. Keep the goal in mind AND accept that the route towards it may be winding. You prepare for that. For example, by sketching out a range of scenarios together with the organisation: what do we do if new rules are added, if costs rise substantially or if we no longer export as much abroad as expected? That makes you more resilient in such a complex world. And it strengthens mutual trust."

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Are these leadership qualities useful only for us as entrepreneurs, or also for Royal FloraHolland as a cooperative?

"Absolutely. As a rule, I see cooperatives doing very well. But the fact remains: in such a fast-changing world, you can never please everyone. In such times, it's important to act fairly as a leader and thus as a cooperative. That means looking after everyone's interests. I sometimes say: a cooperative does well when everyone is equally dissatisfied. That may sound lame, but what I mean by that is that you share the burden between you and are transparent about it. In the end, that's what a cooperative is all about. My message is: we simply live in a complex world. This requires a constructive attitude: from leaders and members alike. Such an attitude is always rewarded."

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