Siebe van Ineveld was young when he started working as a consultant. Around 2000, he took his first steps into the world of eCommerce software development and was hooked. Everything related to automation and technology fascinated him immensely. He worked closely with Eric Klaasse, co-founder of CloudSuite, who invited him as a director in 2016.
At that time, CloudSuite was at a turning point in 2016; it wasn't a startup anymore but a developing scale-up with 11 people. It seemed incredibly interesting to contribute to that development, and therein lay the challenge. We did everything ourselves with a small group – from handling support tickets to creating quotes. The first significant step forward was building a strong team. We focused mainly on culture: giving each other feedback, keeping promises, being open and vulnerable, treating each other as adults, to name a few. In my first years, we truly formed the blueprint for the CloudSuite culture as we know it today.
I lead the largest team at CloudSuite: Professional Services, consisting of Design, Front-end, Consultancy, Support, and Customer Success. My days are busy and unpredictable. One moment, I'm in a personal conversation with a colleague, and the next, I'm discussing our collaboration with a client. I also deal with numbers, such as budgeting and team performance. I have a say in the roadmap of the CloudSuite platform, influencing the direction of our product.
A good manager does not tell his people how to do things, but asks how they want to do it.
View our vacanciesSiebe van Ineveld
COO
CloudSuite
The eCommerce market is evolving rapidly, dealing with highly demanding customers and elevated quality standards. The game is much more complex than roughly twenty years ago. It's a challenging but also an exciting and enjoyable playing field. To succeed in this market, you need skilled professionals who are young and agile but also have the necessary experience. Finding such people is not easy."
At CloudSuite, we invest a lot of time in onboarding new employees and learning on the job. On average, a consultant needs about a year to get fully acquainted. When you invest so much energy in people, you want to retain them as long as possible. How do we do that? By providing them with many challenges, attention, and space. Space to make an impact on the company and our clients, in their own way. As a manager, I underwent a significant transition in this regard. I thought: with my years of knowledge and experience, I'll just tell people how to do things. But actually, you should ask them how they want to do it and how you should do it.
For me, good employership starts with keeping agreements, punctuality, and transparency. Additionally, it's essential that as an employer, you ensure your people develop. You should think along with them and provide the right resources.
I also want to mention vitality in this context: encouraging your people to live healthily and exercise. This results in more active employees.
Lastly, I believe diversity is part of good employership. Embracing different perspectives, backgrounds, and thoughts leads to more creativity and contributes to a good atmosphere. Did you know that our Front-end team has more women than men? That's fantastic!
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