“We are effective as an organisation, not just as individual links.”
Employees are essential links within overall business operations. They are the oil between the gears. Everything revolves around the right person in the right place. Antje Letens is such a link at LCL. Although she likes to remain modest: “We are effective as an organisation, not just as individual links. Everything we have achieved at LCL is the result of positive teamwork.”
If anyone thrives in an organisation that puts the development and well-being of its employees first, it’s Antje. She started her career at LCL as a receptionist and advanced to the position of Business Project Coordinator in hardly three years. A job that really suits her well.
Great team spirit
She felt at home at LCL from day one. “I had an instant connection with my colleagues and you could notice the casual and informal atmosphere on the workfloor right away. It was very clear that the different teams worked closely together and that they shared a common goal so the culture of the organisation greatly appealed to me.” At LCL, there is not only a lot of room for personal input, but also plenty of interaction between the different departments. “We have a shared office space; so everyone sits together, including the managers. This creates more interaction between the colleagues. It’s a very flexible and personal organisation. We know from clients and colleagues what’s going on in everyone’s lives.”
This commitment, the team spirit and the drive to move the company forward are crucial at LCL. Antje joined the organisation at the perfect time in this respect. LCL was about to embark on a huge growth spurt and therefore needed extra colleagues.
Development of young high potential
After three months, Antje moved up to the position of Operations Assistant. She brought her experience as a receptionist with her, which enabled her to be of great assistance to our customers. There, they quickly recognised that Antje had a lot to offer to the organisation. “I noticed at Operations that there was potential for improvement. LCL then gave me the opportunity to take that on.” By investing in personal development, listening carefully to needs and proactively seeking out new challenges, LCL was able to allow a young high potential like Antje to blossom in a short space of time.
And that soon provided the next step. “In the long run, I had become less flexible in my job as Operations Assistant and could no longer combine my various tasks. That’s when we sat down together to figure out how we could tackle this.” A new Administrative Operations Assistant was then hired. Antje transferred to the Finance Department as Business Project Coordinator. That turned out to be the right move for Antje: “I truly enjoye following up on projects in the most efficient way possible to ensure that the needs of internal and external stakeholders are met as part of LCL’s Customer Intimacy strategy. It gives me great satification to see that they’re happy with the end result achieved by the project team.”
Future prospects
So, in just three years, Antje moved through three different positions at LCL. It was a very natural process and perhaps exactly the path she needed to take at LCL. “Although my different positions are not directly related, I have learned a tremendous amount in each of them. And I have brought this experience into my current job.” Antje is convinced that she can contribute to the future of LCL while continuing to develop. “I have grown significantly at LCL over the past three years. My transitions have been major changes that I was consciously working towards but I never imagined that everything would happen so quickly.” Whatever stage someone has reached in his or her development, LCL actively supports and mentors its employees. “In this respect, LCL also really looks at the people themselves, their drive and potential, in addition to the experience and qualifications required. It’s great to be part of a company that implements its personnel policy in this way.”
In any case, Antje sees a new challenge for herself as the company continues to grow. “It is important to keep improving while being able to guarantee continuity on a larger scale, even when acquistions or expansions are on the agenda. “How far I can develop myself will become evident during that process.” Antje certainly looks forward to continually growing, and to guarantee top results within LCL. There’s no doubt that Antje has a bright future at LCL.
