7/20/2017 - Posted in Strand Associates

Shape The Future

What makes Strand stand out?

Gaël Terroir, CEO: "I find the question above hard to answer. Since my very first job in a multinational consulting group until the day I co-founded Strand Associates Consulting in 2009; I never stood out because I was the most talented in anything. The same applies for many of our people at Strand. Yet, we manage to grow with a minimum of 30 percent, every single year!"

So why did Strand flourish in the past decade?

"Well, it is not because of something we claim, it is because of something we do. I always had the drive to do better than the next guy! Even if the next guy is more talented, I learned you can easily defy the odds by applying simple principles. They happen to be Strand’s values", says Gaël.

1. BE HUMAN(E)

How often is a job seeker left without a response, after sending his/her resume? How often does a service provider overpromise and underdeliver?

Gaël: "Nobody wants to feel like a number. Nobody likes to feel scammed. We humans are blessed with the ability to understand one another through an amazing range of subtle (and not so subtle) communication techniques, yet so little people use them. I teach my people to listen. Get to know the person in front of you. Really, really get to know him! What are his wants, his needs, his fears, his desires? Connect with your fellow human!"

2. BE BOLD

How often do your clients think; “oh my god, this cold call offer is exactly what I have been waiting for my entire life?!”

"Is your service truly helping the customer? Is it really making a difference? That is why we advise our people to walk away if they truly feel they cannot help a client or candidate at the time. New, better opportunities tend to occur when the karma is right!", Gaël explains.

At Strand, we don’t do deals. We create value together!

"A deal is a momentum of success. Value implies a long-lasting, positive impact. Yes, it requires more effort, hard work and an invested staff! In the beginning, we worked Saturdays and Sundays in a tiny office on 'De Keyserlei', because great value isn’t created from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday", Gaël remembers.

No matter how bad your hand, a card game is won by how you play it.

Gaël: "The best hand will lose to a lesser hand well-played. That is the beauty. To be successful, is to create the most value out of an opportunity. I can proudly say, we defy the odds every day. We listen to the people who are close to us: our clients, our candidates, our employees. We connect with them. And together we work harder than the next guy. Together we create value! Every. Single. Day."

WE SHAPE THE FUTURE.