Martin was already a functional manager at a ROC in Amsterdam, when someone pointed him to a vacancy at THUAS. ‘I live in The Hague myself, so transferring was attractive. Time I would otherwise spend in the car, I could now spend with my three-year-old son. A nice bonus: the organisation is a lot larger, which gives a nice dynamic. I interact with many more people every day. It’s nice that they can do their jobs better thanks to my help.’
As functional manager, Martin and his colleagues ensure that all business processes keep running smoothly. ‘You can think about the intranet and the system in which the HRM or finance department works, but also the lockers and payment systems within the school. That makes the work very diverse and also ensures that I have to deal with many different people. Sometimes you work on super-complex issues that help the organisation in the long run, and other times you run back and forth to put out fires.’ Laughing: ‘One thing is for sure. If a coffee machine is broken, you drop everything else. That is priority number one under all circumstances!’
If his actions allow colleagues to get on with their work well again, Martin is satisfied. ‘I therefore always look for opportunities to optimize processes. It often happens that I come up with a nice improvement, which I then first have to ‘sell’ to employees and department heads. Then it takes a few convincing sessions to show: what you are currently doing in way X, can be done more efficiently in way Y. Of course, whether people ultimately go along with your plan depends on various factors. In any case, I notice that it is appreciated that I think along, even when it comes to matters for which I am not responsible.’
Besides all the people from other departments, Martin also works a lot with his own team. ‘That is already as diverse as the work we do,’ he says. ‘We are all very different and that is precisely what allows you to be completely yourself. Everyone is willing to help each other and, above all, there is a lot of laughter. That is also necessary in our profession: that’s how we keep our cool.’
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