Jo De Wolf: “Montea focuses heavily on human connection”
In the final episode of the podcast series "Beyond the Meeting Table," CEO Jo De Wolf reflects on the walks he took and the conversations he had with his eight podcast guests. "Making a podcast was completely new to me. You can hear in the first episodes that I was quite nervous, but by the last episodes, I was much more comfortable. In any case, I think it's important to step out of your comfort zone from time to time and dare to try something new. That also somewhat aligns with Montea's DNA: surprising people with the unexpected. It’s pretty unique that as the CEO of a real estate group, I’m simply going for a walk with a number of people I professionally know and digging deeper into who they really are. We definitely wanted to show with this series that even in the real estate sector, which doesn’t always have a great reputation and is sometimes referred to with the term 'concrete farmers,' it's primarily about people."
Benefits of a Podcast
According to Jo De Wolf, podcasts have the great advantage of being somewhat timeless. "No one cares about yesterday's newspaper, but a podcast can be listened to anytime and anywhere. It’s much more timeless. That’s why I’m a big fan of podcasts. I listen to both topics related to the field and more philosophically inspired stories. The walking also added extra value. Being out walking together creates a different dynamic than sitting across from each other. Walking also has the advantage that you can sometimes let a silence fall, and through that silence often comes a stronger and deeper answer than the initial one. I learned that throughout the process, and it was a beautiful discovery. With our podcast series, we could also show that we’re open to many people and that we are very interested in the person behind the entrepreneur. But of course, I must thank all my guests for their openness and for what they were willing to share."
Strong Moments
Jo De Wolf remembers strong moments from each walk and each story. "I take my hat off to the way Antoine Geerinckx and Nicolas Bearelle both built such beautiful companies from their authentic passion for sustainability, yet remained so humble and grounded. They talked about it without a trace of ego. Filip Moeykens came up with a beautiful metaphor about the sea, which, when the tide goes out, reveals the treasures the storm left behind on the beach, meaning that we can often look back at periods of setbacks and resistance in the same way. Ingrid Ceusters spoke without hesitation about the friction in the family business and how her temperament had gotten in the way of dealing with it better. Gert De Mesure, on the other hand, talked about his dismissal, which forced him to choose the entrepreneurial path, and about being able to make choices in life rather than being lived by it. Patricia Laureys immediately put me in my place by answering that a question I asked about female leadership would never be asked by a woman. Anja Van Mensel beautifully explained that the millions in fraud committed at Studio 100 by one of her close friends would not stop her from remaining naive and continuing to trust. And Dirk De Pauw, whom I know best, surprised me by taking me to the cemetery in Merchtem, where he said that a cemetery is actually a place where you learn everything about life."
Entrepreneurship and Passion
Jo De Wolf had intuitively selected his eight podcast guests. "And they turned out to share things that I didn't expect at all. Looking back at the series, I realize that they are all very entrepreneurial people, who excel primarily through immense enthusiasm and energy. But the vulnerability and honesty they all showed in their testimonies have, in my opinion, elevated the series to a higher level. When people talk to me about it, it’s always about the fact that they have similar stories to those featured in the series. It's proof that a podcast series can create connection with listeners both inside and outside the company. I think that’s also because each story, much like the walk itself, took its own course. There was no fixed pattern of questions, no standard format. And because of that, the eight stories turned out to be completely different from what I had expected beforehand. Overall, I can say – thanks again to my guests – that it was a very successful experience: I stepped out of my comfort zone, we were able to show once again that Montea can come up with surprises, and we created a bond that can lead to very strong and warm relationships both professionally and beyond."
