The past few months have been an exciting time for our coaches Karina and Jean, as they were involved in a process for a public European tender with the municipalities of Maastricht and Heerlen. Karina and Jean, part of our Human Development department, spent a lot of time, care and attention on the preparation process.
They were therefore extremely proud that we as Perfact were the only organisation left, and were therefore allowed to carry out individual and team coaching for these two municipalities. “A nice recognition, both as an organisation as well as the dedication and commitment we have given our coachees,” Karina states.
Talent-development programmes
We have been working with Municipality of Maastricht and Sittard-Geleen for a while now. Here, we implemented our Talent Development Programmes (in Dutch also known as TOP). The one at Sittard-Geleen municipality has already been successfully completed, at Maastricht municipality it is still in progress. The aim of the programme is to let the talents grow personally and contribute to organisational development. All this under the personal guidance of our Human Development department in the form of individual and group coaching.
The track has been running for a while now and is taking place within the framework of ‘having fun together for the sake of Maastricht’. The first initiatives are already becoming visible. For instance, the group is now at the start of a so-called work restaurant, which they call ‘the Work Tastery’. With the TOP team as an efficiently working kitchen brigade, they are developing an extensive menu together, where dedication and connection are the main ingredients. There are various menus to choose from, for example a ‘day menu’ where a group activity is offered with a number of colleagues. For example, taking a tour together at an AZC or attending a workshop around homeless young people.
A dedicated civil servant connects with his or her citizens, but also certainly with his or her colleagues. By choosing activities from the menu, team members within the municipality can get to know each other in an approachable way. This way, they learn more about each other’s work and departments. “The idea of the ‘Work Tasting’ came about during the various meetings. It is great to see what ideas the participants who take part in this process come up with and the growth they experience with it,” Jean said.
Tailor-made
Our TOP programmes are tailor-made programmes, just like the Management Development/Leadership programmes (MDL) we provide in the private sector. “The most distinctive difference lies in the fact that a TOP programme talent has an ROI (return in investment) in sight while an MDL programme is more focused on skills development,” Jean points out. “At the front end, we always pay ample attention to get the question, need and result area clear and from there put together a pathway that fits the specific organisation,” Karina adds.
We work with several certified and validated analysis tools and theoretical frameworks. We are also no stranger to unconventional techniques if they add value to people or processes. The extensive management experience of our coaches is then used as a tool to help a group and individual participants move forward in their own development and execution of organisational assignments. As Jean points out, “We take the appropriate tool from our broad backpack that is needed to help the group and/or individual grow further. Because that is always the ultimate goal”.
