Interview Geert Friebel of Friends Lottery
In this series, we interview inspired people who work for inspired brands. This interview features Geert Friebel, Head of Marketing & Partnerships VriendenLoterij, and valued client of WerfSelect.
After a great start in various marketing positions at AEGON, Geert started working as an interim manager for SNS Bank, Interpolis and Robeco, among others. Via via, he ended up at the Goede Doelen Loterijen (Postcode Lottery, BankGiro Lottery and VriendenLoterij). After several years, he got the chance to work for the newly established German Postcode Lottery. They started small, with only a few people. This allowed him to get involved in everything from finance and commerce to kitchen supplies. Although he has quite an entrepreneurial spirit and interim work suits him well, he made the move to a permanent position after two years in Germany when he was offered the extraordinary opportunity to take on the role of Head of Marketing & Partnerships at the BankGiro Lottery.
First of all, how did you get through the past strange period (corona)?
We started working from home early on. Especially with small children to homeschool, this took some getting used to, but it was also nice to be able to spend so much time with my family. My job required a lot of my organizational and improvisational skills as a manager. We also pulled out all our creativity to come up with fun alternatives for our participants, since they were temporarily unable to go to museums with their BankGiro Lottery VIP Card. By now they can fortunately go out again, and we are again working with a small group of people at our office. Of course, we remain cautious and are keeping an eye on all developments.
Your current job fits you like a glove. What’s in it for you?
The Lottery’s focus on results and dynamics suit me very well. It really is a “front end” company: lots of sales, marketing and entertainment, but it all clearly starts with our mission for a better world. We have such great distribution power that we can really make a difference for people and charities. With the Postcode Lottery’s “DOE MAAR LEKKER VEGETARIC” campaign, we’re moving millions of households anyway. And as for my job: I enjoy managing a large team, empowering people. I give freedom and trust, set clear frameworks and help team members become better by asking them what they want, facilitating and showing the way. In practically every conversation, the focus is “What do you really want and how will you achieve it?”
“For this role, I was happy to make the transition to a permanent position.”
How about that for yourself? How do you want to continue to develop over time?
For now, I’m enjoying it immensely. Now I am in Marketing and Partnerships, and in that area I continue to learn enough. A general management position seems like an interesting next step for me in the long run, such as managing director of a business unit of the Lottery or another medium-sized company.
What lessons would you like to pass along to people who are currently at the beginning of their careers?
- Make sure you know what energizes you. This will put you in an active flow and contribute to a healthy work-life balance.
- Give yourself the executive you would like to become yourself later; someone who makes you better.
- If a job or employer doesn’t feel right, it’s not right either. It’s not a bad thing to acknowledge that and look for something that suits you better.
- Continuous development and growth is allowed, but it does not have to be the highest goal. Some people are happy with what they are doing and do not need to advance. Recognizing this for yourself gives peace of mind.
“Make sure you know what energizes you. This contributes to a healthy balance.”
Relatively many millennials get burnout. Why is that, do you think?
We ask too much of them and at the same time they ask too much of themselves and their environment. Sometimes the worldview could be more realistic. After all, it can’t just be fun. Acceptance of yourself and of certain things is also important. It is good to be ambitious, but the basics have to be in order first. Patience is also important, you can’t after your first successful campaign or project, expect to do something totally new the following month.
What is your vision for recruiting new employees?
Diversity is important. After all, we at the Charity Lotteries represent four million households that are also diverse. We already have an equal distribution between men and women. For example, we have introduced fully paid partner leave with effect from January 2020. But there may be even more diversity in terms of age and cultural background. When hiring new employees, I therefore give preference to candidates who also add something in this area.
“Hire on attitude, train on skills”
More substantively, I use an old principle: “Hire on attitude, train on skills. For example, we recently hired someone who did not have the required education and work experience, but came highly recommended by a colleague. As a result, we trusted that she was cut from the right cloth and that we could further train her on the rest ourselves. That worked out very well.
How do you view the role of placement agencies?
We first try to find a suitable candidate ourselves, but if that fails we call in an agency. For difficult, specialized vacancies, I ask for help from a placement agency because they have a targeted network and can also reach latent job seekers. For an interim assignment, recent and relevant experience is important, because then the employee can be up and running right away. If I enlist the help of WerfSelect, I know I will get a good proposal.
How, in your view, do you make a difference as an interim manager?
Maintain a professional and loyal work ethic. If a client is counting on you, you won’t leave, even if something better comes along. That’s just a certain professionalism that is important to clients. This is what makes you stand out from other more opportunistic freelancers. Be a rock, stay positive and solution-oriented, and make sure others (can) rely on you.
“When a client is counting on you, you don’t leave.”
What do you think is important when working with an agency?
After a while, the roles reversed: I started hiring interim staff myself, through WerfSelect. Even now, two interim staff have just started working for the BankGiro Lottery. Without exception, the proposed candidates are immediately good. I often hire them right away and have always been happy with that. Furthermore, your knowledge sessions have a lot of added value for me. Through these interactive meetings you get to know each other better. You talk to people all the way through there and sort for the availability of the toppers. And you have to, otherwise you just don’t get in. For me as a client (now), that’s very valuable. I also really appreciate that WerfSelect sees you as a person: your wishes and qualities are always well discussed, but we also hear it honestly if something doesn’t quite fit. Because you experience each other in practice, you really get a good view of each other’s strengths and where you can develop further, that way you get further together.
Geert, thank you for sharing your insights! We look forward to walking with you for a long time to come.
