AVC-Gemino is a corporation located in Kortrijk, Belgium. The company is known all around the world because they are specialized in interior glass placement. Glass doors and glass inner walls are their strong point.

Function of the manager I followed

On the 3th of April I followed Dominiek Callewier, he is the CEO of AVC-Gemino. I am very greatful that I got the opportunity to follow a manager at its highest level.

Log of the day

At 7:45 am I arrived at the AVC’s offices at Evolis 100 Kortrijk. When I arrived I was kindly greeted by Dominiek Callewier. He is the CEO I was going to follow for a day. First we went over the program of the day, he explained to me what we were going to do. There were a few meetings planned in the company but also a meeting in Rijsel. After we checked the planning, Mr. Callewier gave me a tour around the company, different working places, the canteen, showrooms and the assembly workplace.

Between 8 am and 8.20 am Mr. Callewier answered multiple emails. There were emails send to Qatar, France, Belgium. Immediately it was made clear that AVC-Gemino is a company which handles on an international level.

The first meeting of the day was around 8.20 am, the project manager Tom gave feedback about running projects and Mr. Callewier asked him to change some of his drawings.

Minor problems in the company occurred which had to be fixed by Mr. Callewier. Such as, there was a problem with the demotic. He had to call a company to reset their system, this proves that as a CEO you have to be involved with everything that happens in the company.

At 8.35 am we went to the second meeting of the day. The meeting started by going through the deadlines set on the previous meeting. Then they put up some new deadlines for running projects. Every member of the meeting presented their project they were currently working on. Which was followed by a debate about how much to charge a customer to make sure the project wouldn’t be taken by a concurrent. This meeting was coming to an end and a few extra documents were asked. Then at 9.05 am 2 sales managers joined the table, they made a few comments about things that weren’t done effectively. Such as communication. Then a decision was made on how to improve the internal communication.

From that meeting we went straight to another meeting. That one didn’t take long. Only a few files were looked at and a discussion found place on how they would redesign the showroom.

During the 5 minutes Mr. Callewier was free he took the time to show and explain me their production process. From choosing the frame and lacquer to customizing the glass and how it is all assembled.

At 9.45 am we visited a construction site on the main floor of the building, Mr. Callewier did a quick follow up on the running project.

Between meetings in Mr. Callewier answered his emails and made invoices.

And another meeting found place at 10.15 am, mainly prices were discussed. But also they had to come to an agreement on how to efficiently execute a special project.

We had a meeting planned at 11.45 am in Rijsel. During the car ride I had the time to have a decent conversation with Mr. Callewier and have the interview.

We arrived at 11.45 am in Rijsel to visit another construction site. Plans were being looked at and checked, a few calculations were changed. The meeting took longer than expected and turned into a business meal at a nearby bistro.

During the ride back to Kortrijk, multiple important phone calls were made. I experienced how it would be to be his personal secretary, taking notes while Mr. Callewier was on the phone.

Once back at the office it was mainly desk work, creating invoices, answering calls, sending emails. I had the time to see what a running office looks like. There was a big calendar on the wall where changes were being made on every now and then. The excel sheets they use to make invoices. The staff who answers calls from customers and responds to emails. The system they use for internal communication.

Around 5 pm I thanked Mr. Callewier for the interesting day and left.

Report of the interview

During our car ride from Kortrijk to Rijsel Mr. Callewier and I had an interesting conversation which was followed by an interview.

I started of the interview with a simple question where I asked him if he liked his job and why? His answer was yes, he does enjoy the work he is currently doing. And when I asked him what attracts him the most to come to his job everyday he declared that there is a lot of variation in what he is doing. Every day there is a different challenge and that is what he seeks. Thinking about what strategies to use, how to efficiently organize his company or how he has to adapt to supply and demand on the market.

Mr. Callier has an MBA in Applied Economic Sciences and also followed a relevant educational program on acoustics which took  2 years.

When asked what he found the most difficult aspect of being a CEO his answer was mainly delegating time. There is never enough time for anything, that’s the one thing no one is able to add. He has to be able to focus on what is most important at the time but also on what will be very important in the near future. Time management is thus one the most difficult aspects on running an organization.

AVC-Gemino is a company which grew very fast internationally. Due to these fast changes and rapid growth of the enterprise there are a few problems with the flow and structure of the company. This is not strange when you see what big changes were made in only a few years. Which sometimes can cause tensions among co-workers. But overall the relation between co-workers is good to very good. Mr. Callewier calls it a healthy working environment.

In 2003 Mr. Callewier took over the company as CEO in 2010 the company moved to a new building, next to the highway, an ideal location because it’s very visible for passing traffic. In 2013 they reduced their assortment to doors and inner walls instead of staircases, verandas, outside walls. And in 2014 AVC took over Gemino, a company located in Italy. From then on the company was called AVC-Gemino.

The topic personal life was discussed and he said he liked the fact that his job is such a big challenge every day, also he says that you meet a lot of interesting people and work on various different projects. Also he finds his job very intriguing. But the cons of being a CEO is of course having to wake up and go to bed every day with your job. There aren’t many weekends which are actually weekends. Being the head of a company is mentally a heavy job and you have to be a born leader.

If there is someone who applies for a job Mr. Callewier first pays attention to the person if he reaches the expectations which are set for the job. During a solicitation he pays attention to appearance but also on how the job applicant reacts and thinks about questions which are being asked.

A teambuilding exercise is planned twice a year. This year there was one around Christmas, the activity took place in Sint-Elooi. It was a dinner followed by a little party. In august they went to Dikkebus where they played folk games, rifle shooting, bowling,… Mr. Callewier thinks these teambuilding activities are a necessity because they stimulate the morale between co-workers.

When I asked about his personal background he told me he was a teacher from 1993 to 1996 full time, he was giving lessons for his MBA in operation management in Wervik. From 1996 to 2000 he was a manager of management consultant in a company named Ernst & Young. After this he was part-time independent from 2000 to 2003 where he worked 1 day per week for a company called Vincke, he was an extern member of the counsil.

For the future plans with AVC-Gemino he would like to enlarge the product supply with innovative products on a worldwide level. And the second aspect he would like to reach is to improve the structure and flow of his company.

Mr. Callewier always knew he wanted to be a CEO or a manager, he says he was influenced by his family because he grew up in a family of entrepreneurs.

Reflection by the hand of Korthagen's cycle

The work observation has given me a great opportunity to get a taste of the real business world. Following a manager who you can choose yourself is a great chance to see if you have the competences of the sector or position you want to work in. Finding a job that suits you is not easy and I am still not sure what I want to be later on in life. This work observation gave me a great look on what would be expected of a CEO.

The day was a complete success, Mr. Callewier is a very open and interesting person. He showed me exactly what was expected from him as CEO of the company. I thought he would have a monotonous job routine, but the reality is nothing like that. Answering calls, replying emails, having a variety of meetings, following up on deadlines, traveling around to visit construction sites,… The list keeps going. Not one day is the same as the previous.

And after following Mr. Callewier for a day I came to the conclusion that I am actually really interested in this kind of professionalization. Having a big responsibility would prove to myself I am capable of being a good leader. Also as a manager you have to be flexible, social, diplomatic,… There are definitely aspects I would have to work on but being great with my communication skills I see myself in a likely position after the right training. What I am most excited about, is the fact that as a manager you do not have to be seated behind a desk from 9 to 5. I want a flexible job where I am able to travel the world and get in contact with various of different kinds of people.

After the program of IBM I would like to do an MBA to be fully ready for a job as a manager or even a CEO. I am convinced that with the right education, internships and motivation I would succeed in such a professionalization.

This day was very interesting and gave me an insight on different levels in a company. The work observation was a great opportunity to find out what I am interested in and if I am following the right course.

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