Why Top Gun is more than just an analogy to us
May 2021
When we founded Myreas in September 2019, the biggest challenge was finding and hiring the right people. You know, those typical white ravens everyone is looking for in the labor market. Here's how we've built up a team of 50 people strong in less than 18 months. Inspired by Top Gun.
At the beginning of 2020, we went into co-creation with our entire team during a kick-off event to define our employer value proposition. It describes in a clear, lucid, and inspiring way what we have to offer as an organization and what we expect from our colleagues. But also what our current strengths are and where we wanted to evolve in the future.
The result was a threefold division of our DNA as an employer that ended up being described as the best of three worlds. While some say you should settle for the best of both worlds, we still beg to differ (Sorry Robert Palmer):
The advantages of a big company
When we say Colruyt, you say Group. We’re damn proud to be part of one of the top employers and - yes, we’re claiming it - the only major architectural driven company in Belgium. Together, we create sustainable added value through value-driven craftsmanship in retail. That’s a mission statement you should learn by heart. It could always come in handy during your first kick-off meeting with Jef.
The mindset of a start-up
We started out in January 2020, so everything and everyone is new here. Well… sort of. Many of us are already seasoned enterprise architects, but we’re all here to shape the company. Important side note: no quick wins available at Myreas. We’re looking for a long-term relationship with our people. Our goal is similar to that of the Top Gun Academy: we find the best of the best, we train them to make them better, as one team!
The human side of consultancy
Aah KPI’s, sales targets, up or out principles, what’s not to like about them? Well, apparently, not all enterprise architects get a kick out of business objectives. We tend to focus on quality: our solid methodology and efficient training and coaching and believe in the good old balance between (hard) work and (private) life. It seems reasonable, doesn’t it?
It is above all the comparison with Top Gun that has stuck firmly in our internal and external communication. It makes it clear in a uniform way what Myreas is all about.
We are only looking for the BEST of the best.
Of course, this is a vast cliché because this is what every organization is doing. To ensure quality, we have developed a bulletproof (pun intended) recruitment flow that we are working on with a dedicated team of top recruiters. The combination of their continuous focus, a rock-solid process, and a lot of time invested by our management team works out great. A few figures? Out of 400 candidates, we spoke to between January 2020 and April 2021, we ended up hiring 28
At Myreas, we’ll make you better.
Our EA methodology results from a years-long process that our very own Wouter Depoortere describes as “we had to learn it the hard way”. To get all newcomers up to speed quickly, we developed a one-of-a-kind training program where everyone is immersed in a methodological bath for two weeks. And there are plenty of well seasoned enterprise architects to coach you as a wingman.
As one team.
An old sore point within consultancy environments is the fact that as a consultant you have more contact with the business you work for than with the other consultants on the team. Add to that a well-known Corona sauce containing virtual dialogues as its main ingredient, and you quickly understand this is a challenge. How do we handle it? Considering the prevailing COVID measures, we organized several afterwork initiatives with only 1 rule: no business, just people.
Beyond the need for speed
Are there any pitfalls? Absolutely! When thinking of Top Gun, you can’t help thinking of the most macho version of Tom Cruise. So you quickly end up in a far too prominent masculine framework that no longer reflects our modern-day worldview in 2021. We’re fully aware of it. But you still have to pay attention to it, as our colleague Davy Verhulst recently pointed out on LinkedIn.
Above all, we’re a company that understands that our competitive advantage is the top quality of our people. People with unique skills, diverse backgrounds and needs. Before anything else, we focus on creating an experience and environment that is top on every level: our people, our recruitment process, our methodology, our training, our coaching, … even our afterworks should overclass the other companies with at least 2 levels! “Remember, no points for second place.”
Maverick
The nice thing about Top Gun is that people are also starting to pick it up themselves and use it in mutual communication. A clear sign that it’s an analogy that suits us well. We’re no longer talking about dark sunglasses here. We’re talking about sharing the same attitude, respecting each other, and a common DNA. And of course, it goes without saying that we’re already looking forward to the release of the new film Top Gun Maverick in November 2021 😎