Cool training
Young Management Programme (YMP) through the eyes of Axima Refrigeration
Kristof
Van Lommel and Manuel Couwet both work for
Axima Refrigeration. They completed the School’s
Young
Management Programme together – Commercial Manager Kristof as a participant,
head of Refrigerated Transport Manuel as his internal coach. Afterwards Vlerick
reflect presented them with a list of topics and asked them for their frank
opinion on each.
Kristof van Lommel, Commercial Manager at Axima Refrigeration
‘Ready for a new challenge’
Motivation
I wanted to take a reputable management course as a springboard for my career. The YMP offered me the ideal opportunity to further my ambitions.
Benefits
- The quality of the programme is extremely high. You don’t need to ask questions about how things are done. Everything is organised down to the last detail.
- You have excellent teachers who can really hold your interest. Even aspects of the management spectrum that are not your immediate concern are taught in a way that you get a lot out of them and you end up being glad they came up.
- There’s a good balance of theory and practice. You’re given case studies that not only confirm how it should be done, but also show where potential practical problems or constraints lie and what you can do about them. Theory is constantly tested against practice, which means that you see how things work much more quickly. The team exercise to develop a business plan was incredibly enriching in that respect.
- All areas of management are dealt with, not just those you’re familiar with. The broad range of management knowledge and everything that goes with it gives you an essential foundation to build on.
- Each module is organised in a different city, and most of the students stay overnight. Interesting leisure activities are organised for the evenings, which help you to recharge your batteries after an intensive day’s learning. There’s a lot of interaction with fellow students on these occasions. You talk about their work experiences, and you learn things from them that you can use in your own situation.
Importance of the internal coach
The commitment of the internal coach made me even more motivated. The fact that Manuel regularly asked me what I’d learned and how I thought I could apply it in practice got me thinking about those things. If your internal coach gives you the chance to test theory against practice in your own workplace, you can capitalise on your course immediately.
Most important insights
Now that I’ve seen the basic elements of the different areas of management, my slight preference for sales and people management has been confirmed. This is an important sign for me to continue along the path I’ve chosen. I’ve recently changed my job, from account manager to commercial manager. The YMP gave me the confidence to take that step, to go and knock on the door and say that I was ready for a new challenge.
‘Showing an interest motivates people’
Manuel Couwet, head of Refrigerated Transport, Kristof’s internal coach on the YMP
Motivation
Kristof wanted to progress in his career, from account manager to commercial manager. My own experience with Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School was very positive and I thought he needed a course like the YMP to take the next step up the professional ladder.
Benefits
- You can compare the benefits of the YMP to those of an MBA. Everyone on the course wants to invest time, money and effort into it, so they’re extremely motivated. You can really feel it.
- Your “pupil” meets other students who have the same ambitions and share the same interests. That can be very enriching.
- The young people have to rely on each other to find solutions to the case studies or to write a business plan, but they still have to reach a consensus. This demands negotiation techniques, coaching, monitoring, empathy. You really do learn a lot from it.
- As with any training programme, the more you put in, the more you get out. The School offers you a platform and a framework, brings you together with people who nurture the same ambitions, and provides excellent teachers who will engage in debate with you. After that the message is: “Make something of it”.
Importance of the internal coach
- As an internal coach you follow the programme from a distance. This gives you the opportunity to put the theory learned into practice in the context of your own company’s business for your pupil’s benefit.
- Everything depends on how motivated the internal coach is, of course. One who takes on the job because he had to won’t add anything to the pupil’s experience. Quite the opposite, in fact – disinterest only demotivates.
Impact on personal development
Our discussions have become far more rational. Kristof no longer looks at things purely from a sales perspective; he’s now willing to consider other options and solutions too. He’s much more open to other opinions.
Three do’s for the internal coach:
- Make time to supervise your pupil properly. There’s more to internal coaching than having a chat by the coffee machine and asking how things are going.
- Make it clear to your pupil that you’re there for him. Reassure him that you certainly don’t see the programme as a waste of time; on the contrary, it’s being taken very seriously.
- Showing interest and enthusiasm motivates people.
YMP in a nutshell
The Young Management Programme aims to help young managers to further their personal development, increase their knowledge about management and enhance their management skills. Knowledge and competences are taught through a series of five modules (fifteen teaching days), a self-management session (one-to-one and group coaching) and a team project (business plan). As well as this programme, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School offers another three general management courses geared to providing further professional challenges: Middle Management, Advanced Management and International Management.
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Info: Julie Vanfleteren |