Why good leadership starts with a genuine interest in people

In a previous article, Joke Vandepitte, co-manager of Pittman Seafoods in Zeebrugge, explained how she developed her own leadership style within the family business founded by her father in 1990. Her personal journey of growth was central to this: the search for her own identity as a leader and the courage not to simply follow in her father’s footsteps.

But during the conversation, a second theme kept recurring: people.

Pittman Seafoods, which imports and processes frozen fish and shellfish for customers in the retail, industrial and foodservice sectors, currently employs around 35 staff. The company operates in an international market that is constantly influenced by geopolitical tensions, exchange rates, energy prices and changing regulations.

Yet Joke spoke remarkably little about these challenges when the conversation turned to leadership.

Far more often, she spoke of trust. Of loyalty. Of listening. Of difficult conversations. And, above all, of one conviction that runs like a common thread through her story.

“I truly believe that every employee has their own story.”

It is a statement that may sound simple, but which says a great deal about the culture she is trying to build together with her team.

A different perspective on loyalty

When she joined the family business years ago, Joke sometimes felt there was too little innovation. Too little turnover. Too many people who had been shaping the same organisation for years.

Joke Vandepitte: “I used to think we needed far more new people and should have more staff turnover. Today, I see things very differently. Now I mainly think: how wonderful that people have been working here for so long.”

That statement isn’t just about length of service. It’s about appreciation for commitment. For the knowledge people have built up over all those years. For the loyalty that doesn’t just happen by itself. At Pittman Seafoods, several employees have been with the company for over twenty years. Some for more than thirty years. That’s rather exceptional in today’s labour market.

According to Joke, this has little to do with spectacular benefits or major retention programmes. It has far more to do with the way people are treated. At Pittman, great importance is attached to the fact that everyone can be themselves.

That statement came up several times during the conversation and in the examples she gave. About placing trust in people. About daring to delegate responsibility. About giving people the space to do their job in their own way. That doesn’t mean there are no expectations. On the contrary. But there is a difference between monitoring people and guiding them.

Difficult conversations are part of showing respect

Anyone who talks about a warm culture is sometimes accused of shying away from difficult decisions. With Joke, that is clearly not the case. During the conversation, she spoke openly about situations in which employees ultimately do go their separate ways. Sometimes because they are looking for career progression opportunities that a smaller organisation cannot offer. Sometimes because the working relationship no longer works.

What stands out here is the way she views these situations. “If it’s not working, then it’s not working,” says Joke. It’s a matter-of-fact observation. But immediately afterwards, a second thought follows: “It should never come as a surprise.”

Perhaps that is one of the most powerful leadership insights from the entire interview. After all, how many employees leave an organisation without ever having really been told what was expected of them? How many managers wait too long to give feedback because they want to avoid conflict?

For Joke, clarity is clearly part and parcel of respect. After all, people deserve to know where they stand. Not when a decision has already been made, but long before that.

I found her next statement even more powerful: “We need to feel that we’ve done everything we can to make it work.” Once again, she isn’t talking about what the employee should have done. She’s talking about what the organisation has done.

Have we provided enough guidance?

Have we given enough feedback?

Have we listened enough?

These questions reveal a vision of leadership in which responsibility lies not only with the employee, but also with the manager.

Seek first to understand before seeking to be understood

During the conversation, Joke referred several times to the influence of Stephen Covey¹ on her thinking. It is no coincidence that one of his best-known principles remains a strong feature of her leadership style to this day: seek first to understand before seeking to be understood.

That sounds logical, but in practice it often proves to be one of the most difficult leadership skills.

Especially when the pressure mounts.

Especially when emotions run high.

Especially when results fall short.

Nevertheless, Joke consciously tries to make room for different perspectives: “There are always different forms of truth.” That statement really stuck with me. Not because it implies that everyone is right. But because it is based on the idea that people experience situations differently. That everyone views things through the lens of their own background, expectations and experiences.

When, as a leader, you approach situations with curiosity rather than judgement, different conversations emerge. You then try first to understand what lies behind a person’s behaviour. And that is often where trust begins.

The culture you build when no one is watching

Perhaps the essence of a safe culture lies not in major initiatives, but in small, everyday interactions.

A safe working culture is an environment in which employees feel free to express their opinions, ask questions, admit mistakes and share feedback, without fear of negative consequences. That requires not only trust, but also consistent behaviour from managers.

In how you react when someone makes a mistake.

In how you give feedback.

In how you listen.

In how you receive feedback yourself.

When I asked Joke how she reacts when the pressure mounts, she told me that she sometimes wants to rush ahead. That she wants to solve problems immediately. But at the same time, she also said something else: “People feel confident enough to tell me that too.”

That may seem like a minor detail, but it actually says a great deal about the culture within an organisation. Because employees only give feedback to those in authority when they feel that feedback is welcome. When they know their voice counts. When sufficient trust has been built up. After all, safe cultures do not arise simply because leaders say feedback is welcome. They arise when employees experience that feedback can actually bring about change.

More than just a ‘soft’ culture

At Stanwick, we often talk about the key principle: Build a safe and warm working culture. This is sometimes misunderstood as a call to avoid conflict or to be non-committal.

In our view of leadership, psychological safety and clarity go hand in hand. A warm working culture does not mean that anything goes or that difficult messages are avoided. It means that people feel respected, even when expectations are articulated or difficult decisions have to be made.

At Pittman Seafoods, too, a warm culture does not arise from avoiding difficult conversations. Rather, it arises because people experience honesty, clarity and respect.

Because managers listen before they judge.

Because employees are given opportunities to grow.

Because mistakes can be discussed openly.

And perhaps above all because people feel that they are more than just their job description.

Because ultimately, it all starts with that simple conviction of Joke Vandepitte with which this conversation began: “I truly believe that every employee has their own story.” Perhaps that is one of the finest starting points for leadership.

¹ Stephen R. Covey is best known for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — translated into Dutch as De zeven eigenschappen van effectief leiderschap. Joke is referring here to the fifth principle from that book: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood”, in which Covey emphasises that effective leadership begins with listening sincerely and understanding the other person’s perspective.

Photo credits: Koen Bauters