Who am I?
I am Geert De Winter, one of the managers of CANGURU. I'm a real IT-er and I studied in Leuven, and well, sometimes I also partied a bit đ. This in times when WANG's first mid-frames came to assist IBM's main-frames in academia. Times when hexadecimal was still spoken with colleagues, and linear binary was communicated between machines, but especially times when lager was still just âStella Artoisâ, or was it the other way around?
Ancient times, as you can seeâŠ
I would describe myself as someone who is fascinated by everything: be it science, literature, art, politics, social affairs, nature... In short, someone who is very interested in the world, humanity and especially in the people I meet every day and with whom I work.
How was CANGURU founded?
10 years ago from the individual need of individuals who were at a turning point in ambition and career and who then started making plans together around a kitchen table where their ambition to do things differently (and better) converged to a common ambition. Converting ambition into plans is a complex process, but it becomes even more difficult when these plans then have to make their way into reality. So âoriginâ is a misconception in this, because a company like CANGURU/DINGGO is a continuum, where people and solutions drop out and hook up. A galaxy in full genesis!
What I do within CANGURU
I am mainly involved in facilitating a âhigh performingâ organization. In concrete terms: not much đ (Hmm, why do I spend so much time doing so little?), because âhigh performingâ means that you can count on every person from your organization to contribute to collective success. I am a cog in an organization in which, internally, I try to think along to do things even better, to encourage people to raise the bar for themselves and for others. Externally, I try to realize the concept of âdeliver above expectationsâ for a number of clients, by drawing out the right path to success together with our people and then walking this path step-by-step with our team and our client.
My specialties and skills
I believe in acting on different levels: if you don't know what needs to be done operationally in a project or in a financial administration, to name just one, then it becomes very difficult to get started tactically with a strategy that you have developed and vice versa... What can be done with a strategy if you cannot convert it into an operational mode through tactical initiatives? As far as my skills are concerned: here I have to call in a "joker", because I can do everything, but only a little bit..., so not an "expert" in anything đ.
What really makes me happy in my job
Seeing people of all ages, with all possible backgrounds, grow in their job and therefore also as a person. It is the best thing there is, because it is our people - âclichĂ©-clichĂ©â - who make the success of our organization and ensure satisfied customers. And they are the ones we do it for, our people and our customers.
My insider tip
Never be complacent, stay alert. We started CANGURU in the aftermath of the banking crisis, and today we are in a health crisis. Thinking that nothing can happen to you, that you made it as an individual or as an organization, is an illusion. Don't let success lull you to sleep, but also, don't let adversity throw you off the path to success.
Why CANGURU?
This is the easiest question: Because we are âfront-runnersâ with a very innovative view of things. This allows us to build bridges between business and technology, which we then deliver upon above expectations... How simple can it be!?
Are you also interested in becoming a part of team Canguru? Find our vacancies on our career page!