On Monday 7 September 2020 we visited our first role model, Ismail Meral of M.O.B. (680 employees). During the evening we were able to listen to his success story, and entrepreneurs took away useful tips. In this article we share the highlights of the evening.
Who is Ismail Meral? Ismail Meral came to the Netherlands at the age of 20 and immediately fell in love with certain attitudes in Dutch society. For example, he received a letter inviting him to learn the Dutch language at the government's expense. This made a great impression on him and motivated him to give something back to society.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, you build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
After learning the language, he began the higher professional education (hbo) programme in Social Work and Services (MWD). After his studies he worked for several care institutions, but he often disagreed with the model that was being applied. After trying several times to change the model at his employers, he came up with the following idea: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, you build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Strategic planning To achieve your vision you need a strategic plan, which consists of the following parts. First, you need a dream; second, you set goals; and third, you carry out your plans to achieve your ultimate dream. He stresses that it is important to have your path well mapped out, so that you come closer to your dream step by step.
A participant asked what his dream actually is, to which he replied: “My dream is that my care workers change from ‘doers’ into ‘thinkers’. So that they do not just carry out what is expected of them, but think for themselves about how they can take on or solve certain issues.”
What makes a good leader? Another question from the participants was: what does a good leader look like in your view? He responded: “The ideal leader applies the following 3 pillars: being of service to your employees, working harder than your employees and not putting your own interests first.”
We would like to thank Mr Meral once again for his hospitality and the inspiration he gave us.
Wilco de Haan, Schouten Zekerheid (partner HOGIAF) and Ismail Meral (M.O.B.)
About us
The largest cross-cultural and multisectoral business association in the Netherlands.
