CMIS Group was the first in the Netherlands to launch the online corporate MBE

CMIS Group in Amsterdam has the scoop: the financial services company is the first company in the Netherlands to start SkillsTown's corporate MBE program. Suzanna Snijder, Team Lead Marketing at CMIS Group, is one of the first participants. Together with Arie Drost, HR Manager at CMIS Group, she shares her first experiences about this unique online management program.

Needs of employees

CMIS Group brings consumers and institutional investors together in the Dutch residential mortgage market through independent financial advisors. Suzanna: "We are a company where everyone wants to continuously challenge themselves and achieve ambitions. Therefore, there is a constant need for new development opportunities from our employees."

But as an HR manager, what do you do when a team leader or employee comes to you and says he/she wants more challenge with regard to his/her development? Do you then make a training budget available and let your employees figure out for themselves what to do with it? Arie thinks it can be done differently: "You have to dare to ask what the exact needs of your employees are. This is how we found out that there is a need for more training focused on leadership. We support that. Because if we know how to get the best out of our employees, we also get the best out of our organization."

"You can't change your organization on your own. You do this together. You can if you follow the same cMBE program."

Perfect combination of theory and practice

Arie: "I had been looking for some time for a course that would suit team leaders and employees with potential. With a regular MBE, employees are often only given theoretical tools, but the practical part is missing here. In fact, we were just about to start providing more specific, internal training on leadership - we were already providing absence and feedback training internally, among other things. But then SkillsTown offered us the online corporate MBE program. That's exactly what we needed: the perfect combination of theory and practice!"

The entire organization is changing

The cMBE program is designed so that employees from different branches of the organization can work together. Suzanna: "In a normal work week, you don't see and speak to all the employees within your organization - and certainly not during covid-19. Through this management program you have more and more intensive contact with each other. That way you get different perspectives and come to different insights. And you notice that we actually share a lot of similarities, super fun to see! It brings you closer together."

Suzanna also sees more opportunities for the organization: "Because you follow this program together, you go through the same steps. You recognize things and share the same vision. This makes it easier to take steps for the future of the organization. You go through a regular MBA program alone, but you can't change an organization on your own. You do this together. Now that everyone is following the same management program, it's easy to talk about it. You know from each other what you're talking about."

"Before, I used to look for books or YouTube videos on leadership. But I never knew where to look. Now you have the whole package at your fingertips."

The first reactions

Arie: "The first participants within our organization are already enthusiastic. We initially made the program available to a pilot group that had a clear need for a management program." Suzanna nods in agreement, "Before, I used to look for books or YouTube videos on leadership. But I never knew where to look. Now you have the whole package at your fingertips." Arie says, "I think this program definitely has the potential to become big, as it is practical and you can use it within any industry. This management program is relevant to every organization."

How is CMIS Group moving forward?

Suzanna: "With this corporate MBE program, I hope to empower my team and make sure they can be the best version of themselves. As a team leader, that is your job though. Satisfied people produce good results." Arie concurs: "Indeed, we hope to get the best out of our organization and guide several groups of colleagues through the management program."

Suzanna thinks this program will continue to be interesting even after covid-19: "Many companies are not going back completely to the way they worked before the pandemic - neither did CMIS Group. Because this management program is online, you can easily dial in and continue to (collaborate) remotely. Although it would be nice if, as soon as we can again, we can add to this a physical monthly meeting with the cMBE participants."