Meet Selma den Hartog

  • Selma brings consulting experience in change and performance management and chose to join Been Management Consulting to fully focus on impact projects. Her experiences in Canada, where she learned about indigenous cultures, profoundly influenced her perspective on sustainability. Who is Selma and how will she make impact? Let's meet Selma.
  • What is your background?
  • I have a background in Pedagogical Sciences and Organizational Sciences. I started with the bachelor Pedagogical Sciences in Leiden, but after doing a minor in Canada I switched to the master Organizing for Global Social Challenges in Tilburg, a part of Organizational Sciences with a focus on sustainability. I made this switch because during my minor in Canada, I learned more about the indigenous culture in Canada, something we don't know in the Netherlands. It showed me how we, in the West, have our own thoughts of how to take care of the world, this differs from the ideas the indigenous culture in Canada has about how to take care of the world. It gave me the insight that how we, the West, look at the world is not always the best way and that we can learn a lot from indigenous cultures. In addition, during my minor I wrote an essay on how Christianity and Buddhism can contribute to solving climate issues. I myself am a Christian, so this essay made me think why I was not actively working on this myself. So when I returned to the Netherlands, I was determined to do more with sustainability and take better care of our beautiful world. That's why I decided to switch to the master Organizing for Global Social Challenges where you learn how companies can make a positive impact on the climate. After my master, I started working at House of Performance (now Highberg), a company specialised in change management. I learned a lot here, but missed the sustainability ambition. For that reason, I started looking further and I am glad that, at Been Management Consulting, I can now combine change management with making a positive impact at companies.
profile picture of Selma
  • Why did you choose us?
  • I chose Been for two reasons. The main reason is that the main focus is to make impact in our projects. This means that we look critically at the customer requests that come in and make a conscious choice as to why we do or do not help a particular customer, as well as being able to discuss this with each other. In addition, it is simply great to work with people who have the same motivation. The second reason I chose Been is because of the head and heart model. We don't just look at the hard (head) side, such as setting up an organization, but also at the soft (heart) side, i.e. how to get people on board. I find the combination of these two aspects very strong and was also used to this way of working at Highberg, and I did not want to leave this behind and, so this was an important reason to choose Been.
  • "At Been, we want the best for each other but also the best for the world around us, which to me is real teamwork!"
  • Selma den Hartog, Energy Consultant
  • How would you describe the working atmosphere?
  • At Been, there is a very welcoming atmosphere. There is an eye for each other and genuine interest. Furthermore, there is a healthy balance between being busy with client work and making time to check in on how you are really doing. We also share the same goal: to make an impact (with the client) in order to make the world a little bit better. I find this combination very powerful: we want the best for each other but also the best for the world around us, which to me is real teamwork!
  • What’s it like to work in a smaller organization?
  • It took some time to get used to work in a smaller organization, because within two weeks you have already met everyone. It also means that this is the group with whom you are responsible that everything happens within the organization, which is a lot of fun, but also takes some getting used to. I like that it creates a lot of entrepreneurship and ownership, you have a lot of responsibility and can pick up improvements yourself, so your circle of influence is also large. In addition, there is a lot of room to take initiative yourself, this allows you to grow quickly and pick up tasks of which you had thought beforehand: 'can I do this?' I personally like this very much, because in a larger group I tend to wait and see, whereas now I pick up things faster and therefore increase my added value.
  • In what way would you like to make a positive impact in your job (at our clients)?
  • In several ways, first, I like to help clients who already have sustainability integrated in their work, to do an even better job. In addition, I also enjoy helping clients who don't yet know exactly how to make more impact, but would like to. It gives me energy to discover with them how making impact can be positive for their organization in different ways. Finally, I also like to explore with clients and employees who have nothing to do with sustainability, and don't really want to do anything with it either, I like to figure out how sustainability can still fit in with their motives and to try to find for a common goal.
profile picture of Selma
  • Can you tell us a little bit about your personal life?
  • I live in Utrecht, where I have a very nice house together with my boyfriend (and fiancé) Thijs. In May is our wedding, which I am really looking forward to. Furthermore, the Christian faith is a very important part of my life. It is a driving force and is central to the choices I make. For example, my faith was also the reason to engage in sustainability. I also enjoy singing, sports and being with friends and family. I like to be outside and like to combine that with sports, for example I love to run, hike, walk and play soccer. My ideal day is a combination between being outside and being with people who are close to me.
  • What are the things you value most in life?
  • What I value in life is to look out for others. We are very focused on ourselves in this world, so we occasionally forget about others, especially the person we cannot see. This is also a reason for me to be concerned with sustainability, because in what store I buy my clothes, for example, affects someone else's working conditions. But also closer to home it's important to me; I think it's important in my work to listen to others and hear what they really need, in addition to that in my private life I also think it's important to make time for friends and family, just for fun, but especially if they need help. The pitfall, of course, is that I write off my own needs for the other person, so this is something I can learn. Still, I'd rather have this as a challenge than the other way around.

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