Inspiring Journey Video with Onno Willemse

Video Transcription:

So I started as a management trainee in a company and I grew to a GM management trainee program and then learning various parts for business. That’s how I came to this position. Especially in the early days I worked very long hours a day in an office environment or in a factory environment so just being amongst people. And during one of the holidays my oldest son, he in the last week he started to become a bit difficult in behavior. He actually realized after this holiday his daddy would go back into what he called “Die Phillips”, he would not see me again. He said can you please not go there. And that really made me think. I said yeah everyone talks about work, life balance and I have to make a change.

So from that moment forth I was eating at home two days, two evenings a week and now I have one day that I take the kids from school and have fun with them in the afternoon and do some cooking and do my work in other hours. It sounds a bit counter intuitive to talk about it. It starts with a dialogue and facing it and I had very much difficulties myself to actually realize or actually to get used to the idea that I can do it in a different way. It’s not so much how you’re programmed, but having the dialogue. It started with my wife by the way and later to the company, is this possible, how will we do this. If you start to think it possibilities, it is actually possible. It didn’t very much impact my career at all.

I think in the end it’s about realizing the right balance, delivering what you are expected to deliver and talk about flexibility you need. Don’t underestimate, you can never catch up time. I think it’s the same that an old coach taught me, enjoy the family days because you can never catch up. Find the right balance. You live in dogmas and stigmas. You think that’s the way because you see a lot of people doing it. So it takes some courage to have the dialogue. Don’t be afraid of the consequences. I think these are very important elements to get where you belong at the end. Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission so do it and if nobody objects apparently it’s accepted.

Onno Willemse is the Senior Director Global Business line Internet Connected Lighting Systems at Phillips.

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