Bert-Jan understands better than anyone how important it is to be mindful of each other – of colleagues, clients and family. He makes time specifically for this. Interested to discover how he puts this into practice at Visser & Visser? Read on to find out!
Bert-Jan works as a Relationship Manager at Visser & Visser. What does that involve? “If a client has questions or there are developments or uncertainties in the area of regulations, for example, my phone starts ringing. I’m the contact to help with these issues. Advising, acting as a sounding board and sometimes... holding up a mirror to the client – that is what I do. I need support from specialists too, of course – colleagues within Visser & Visser or people from our network. I play the role of director, so to speak. I’m also responsible for the process of compiling financial statements and for quality in this area.”
Ingredients for success
As a Relationship Manager you are therefore responsible for the quality your team delivers. Bert-Jan’s sense of responsibility goes beyond that, however. “Above all, I want colleagues to feel comfortable in their own skin, to be happy in their work and to actually feel that they are being challenged in the way they need to be. I try to support them in this area as much as possible. It’s something you need to pay attention to.”
He says that good collaboration is essential for him. “If you’re in a role with responsibility, people expect you to know everything. But it’s always a team effort. Without Tax Advisors, Assistant Accountants, ICT specialists and other advisors I’m nothing. Together we serve up bespoke advice. As we take the needs of the client as our starting point, it’s never standard. For me, the main ingredients of good advice are that it’s practically feasible, meticulous and future-proof.”
Time for each other
Bert-Jan’s passion for bespoke products and quality not only shines through in his work. “My favorite thing to do in my free time is to spend time with my wife and children. We love going out to eat together. And I’m not talking about a quick snack. We prefer going out for a whole evening and sharing small dishes. If we’re going to do it, we do it right!”
“If you have a sociable atmosphere, trust and harmony within your team, that’s when you get the best out of each other.”
You can see the human dimension in everything he does. Bert-Jan explains: “I always say that you make the biggest mistakes when you’re on your own. You need to do things together. At work, bringing the right people together is therefore my role. I think it’s important that there’s a sociable atmosphere at work and that you not only experience this during a team outing, for example. I’m convinced that this helps you deliver the best performance.”
One new office, please
Bert-Jan is therefore extremely mindful of his colleagues. But what attention is paid to him? He explains: “At Visser & Visser I get the chance to develop into the advisor that I want to be. I can decide what I want to focus on and get support in the form of coaching from various areas. My focus has shifted from the audit practice to the advisory practice, for example, where you also get the chance to think bigger. At the end of last year I said that I’d like an office in Zwolle and that office is now a reality. So there’s a great deal of freedom for my own development and entrepreneurship. And I definitely welcome that!”
