The fastest grow happens when focusing on customer value

Participium was a guest at Forte with share#square on 23 October, where managing partner Jan Lagast explained the way Forte has been assisting the growth of companies for years. In essence, it comes down to this: if an organization from the highest top in the decision hierarchy, focusses on customer value, then growth can be achieved more easily. In fact, if the organization continues to maintain that focus and regularly communicates with its customers, then growth becomes almost self-evident. Forte’s earliest customers prove this case, because they have succeeded in realizing growth year after year.

Share # square itself is also starting to take off. With more than 30 participants, the place was stacked at Forte. It is becoming an interesting network.

Next year Participium is planning to have four editions. More news later on.

New book on inspiring leadership by leader Sam Furnier

After the information session led by Jan Lagast on share#square at Forte last week, Sam Furnier handed him a small booklet with an elephant on the cover. Sam is CEO of Maes Compressoren in Deinze. He recently wrote a candid book about his personal experiences as a leader, intriguingly entitled ‘The elephant in the room’. The elephant represents important things that anyone sees, but do not dare to face. With that elephant Sam introduces leadership in the first chapter as completely dedicated to introspection.

At Participium you will find the book on the guest toilet, as you might guess from the photo (Sam, that is a gigantic honor, for real). It reads very smoothly and it encourages you to think. The chapter on introspection confirms why Participium has two foremen. That first chapter says  that you have to honestly decide for yourself who you are: “I am ….” and fill in the blank. Participium founder Jan Lagast does not fill in the dots with ‘inspirational leader’, but with ‘inspirational inventor’. Because he is a better advisor than a leader.

That’s why Jan is better at ‘inventing’ new companies than at manage big companies. And that is why there are two people leading Participium: Jan, who focuses on thinking up new companies, and Herman who realizes the growth within these new companies. They even have a name for these two phases in the companies’ life: “Creating” and “Running”. They both do what they do best.

Thank you Sam, for putting it so clearly in your book.

The elephant in the room, 7 steps to inspirational leadership, Sam Furnier, Witsand Publishers, ISBN 978 94 9201 104 6. 

Free whitepaper on growth in b2b companies

At the end of last year, management consultancy company Forte published a whitepaper on growth for B2B companies. The document provides an effective way to reconnect with growth. Clue: it starts at the top, with a strategic focus on realizing customer value. On these few pages you will find out how your company can start thinking about growth again.

This whitepaper was given to all participants of the share # square event at Forte today. The document provided the attendees with a synopsis of the enthusiastic presentation of Jan Lagast (Managing Partner of Forte and Participium).

Quickly request your free copy!

Louis Verbeke states that there is too little risk capital available in Flanders

Louis Verbeke, honorary chairman of the Vlerick Business School, retires as a chairman, he looks back on the history of the school and the business community on Kanaal Z. He made some interesting statements, hidden behind the misleading title of the interview – after all, he only talks a few seconds about Minister Geens.

Louis Verbeke states that the difference between right and wrong, for example, turns out to be much softer if you can compare with business people from all over the world. Vice versa, negotiating cultures are quite different as well. The Chinese, for example, would always ensure that in case of a takeover, the counterparty also wins something in the deal. That way they don´t feel like emerging as the loser. In the West, on the other hand, negotiations are played out to the last cent.

Part of the interview also deals with risk capital, and especially the lack of that risk capital in Flanders. Louis Verbeke indicates that legislation for shareholders is better in our neighbouring countries. In France for instance, the long-term shareholder benefits from a multiple voting right. And in Germany, the legislation is more favourable for shareholders. It’s worth the trouble to take a proper look at this, don’t you agree?

Watch the entire interview via this link to Kanaal Z

iMinds indicates that companies must think bigger than Flanders

Wim De Waele, CEO of iMinds, stands up for more internationalization in today’s edition of De Tijd: “Flemish startups must be internationally relevant, or not exist at all.” In this he follows Participiums’ vision, because Participium wants to give companies a European dimension from the start.

Read the full article

An effective way to growth

On 23/10 Participium will be a guest of the management consultants at Forte. Jan Lagast will explain how a company can (re)connect with growth. A fascinating discourse of an hour and a half, with plenty of cases from Jan’s own experience.

Free inspiration for…

• entrepreneurs, managers and directors
• investment companies and bankers
• potential partners and external consultants
• representatives of government and civil society

Program Thursday, October 23, 2014

• 17:30 Reception and snack
• 18:00 Herman Demarbaix (Participium): Short presentation
• 18:15 Jan Lagast (Forte / Participium): Effective way to growth
• 19:30 Questions
• 20:00 Networking reception

Guest speaker

Jan Lagast is a partner and senior advisor at Forte. He regularly gives keynote sessions about growth based on his practical experience and, together with his team, he has realized growth doublings for numerous references.

Practical

Forte, Brusselsesteenweg 197, BE-9090 Melle.

Participation is free. Please do register in advance via e-mail.

After the registration, you will receive a notification of participation and the directions.

Quarturn vision ensures a better growth

The more you focus on shareholder value, the worse a company performs in the long term. Conversely and paradoxically, the more you focus on customer value, the better it goes with… the shareholder value.

Added value for customers

You can observe that in various companies the focus on customers is the only good choice for achieving a nice growth. Making profit is important, but by setting the profit as the highest goal, shareholders and directors are just getting the opposite. By considering the profit as a consequence for another highest goal, the same profit turns out to be much easier to achieve. That other “highest goal” is the added value for customers.

By considering added value for customers as the most important goal in a company, things will get better for everyone: for the customers who feel that the focus is on them, for the employees who are involved in an interesting adventure and for the shareholders who will notice that the company is doing better and better.

This vision arose after a few months of brainstorming, in the course of 2010, when Jan Lagast was looking for a new dynamic for Forte. You’ll find a short piece of that history on the website of Quarturn. Participium will now continue to carry out this vision and, together with the non-profit organization Quarturn, it has taken the initiative to start a movement to promote this vision – at least throughout Europe and possibly far beyond these borders.