They’re married, have a family together, and each runs their own trucking business. Erwin de Rese and Julie Schiltz are both partners and competitors. Julie is at the helm of Miles, which sells Renault Trucks, while Erwin heads up Derma Trucks, a Volvo Trucks dealer. But in practice, the competition isn’t as intense as it might seem. “The truck market is big enough and there’s room for everyone,” says Julie. “Besides, behind the scenes, we’re part of the same group. We certainly have different interests, but our brands are both part of the Volvo AB Group.”
Erwin's parents founded Derma Trucks in 1993. After Erwin graduated from school, he soon took over the business. In 2007, his wife Julie also joined the family business. Ten years later, the couple took over a Renault dealership, which Julie ran as a business owner.
Balance Through Leadership Coaching
Erwin and Julie had successfully expanded their businesses over the past few years. Yet, in 2022, there came a point when things started to feel off. Erwin, in particular, noticed that things were running less smoothly. His environment was changing, but he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. “I started out with fifteen people, but by then I had a team of 45,” he says. “I had a hard time getting used to the fact that we weren’t a small, close-knit group anymore. I still wanted to be too much a part of the team, instead of stepping up as a leader.”
Erwin also struggled with the changing expectations of his employees. “We had young people joining our team who needed open communication,” he explains. “The way people interacted with each other wasn’t the same as it was five years ago. I noticed that with customers and suppliers, too. I come from a generation where you just keep quiet and carry on. Problems sort themselves out eventually. That approach no longer worked, and I had a hard time adjusting to it.”
At home, Julie noticed that her husband was struggling. When Chris Slabbinck, a business friend, introduced her to Straight-Line Leadership, Julie encouraged Erwin to take advantage of the company’s leadership coaching. “Julie realized I needed this,” says Erwin.
Julie adds, “Erwin’s career is obviously very important, but he also had two children at home and our relationship. Because he was so worried about his employees, he was completely consumed by work. I hoped that leadership coaching would help him regain some balance.”
"I'm now better able to put myself in other people's shoes, show more understanding, and truly help them overcome challenges."
Lack of leadership
Although Erwin initially felt a greater need for coaching, Julie eventually decided to join Straight-Line Leadership as well. “I’m a recovering people pleaser, ”she says. “Just like Erwin, I wanted to be too much a part of the team. As a result, I swept everything under the rug. I didn’t take responsibility and didn’t confront employees and partners when they failed to meet their commitments. Because of that, I kept finding myself sitting with the same people discussing the same issues over and over. One technical employee even said to me, ‘Nothing ever changes here.’”
At the core, Julie and Erwin faced the same problem: a lack of leadership and direct communication. They gained these insights through Straight-Line Leadership’s business coaching. “We realized that it was mainly down to us and who we were,” Julie explains. “That’s why we set out to improve our communication.”
Confronting each other openly
Both Erwin and Julie began to open up more. “People from West Flanders are hard workers, but they struggle to freely share their thoughts and opinions,” says Julie. “I started by being more honest myself and showing vulnerability, so my team could see that I’m not perfect either. It’s precisely by talking about these things together that you can grow. As a result, the culture in our company has gradually changed.”
They now always tackle difficult conversations with their team. Julie gives an example: “There was a woman on my team who was going through menopause and was really struggling with self-doubt as a result. Her work was suffering, but I had never dared to bring it up before. Now I brought it up with her in a respectful way and told her that something had to change. That was a wake-up call for her. She realized she needed help, started working with a coach, and became a completely different person. Later, she thanked me for my openness. She said, ‘Because of you, I started working on it, and now I feel so much better.’”
Erwin also noticed that he was better able to guide his team. By adopting an open and curious attitude, his feedback sessions changed completely. “I’m now better able to put myself in others’ shoes, show more understanding, and truly help them with challenges,” he says. “Instead of just going through a checklist, I ask a lot more questions now. In the past, I’d share my feedback points, get pushback, and the conversation was over. Now I dig deeper. Why is that? What’s behind it? Once I understand the core of the problem, we work together on a solution. I ask: Do you need help? How can we tackle this together? That makes all the difference.”
"We've both changed as people, and that has led to changes in our team."
Meaningful Agreements
Julie and Erwin introduced weekly check-ins to discuss agreements and provide honest feedback. At first, employees found this difficult because they felt they were being monitored.
“I had to make it clear that it was all about better communication, so that everything would run more smoothly,” says Julie. “Now they actually appreciate our conversations. And because they know I’m checking in on them, they’ve become much more trustworthy. If they promise something, they follow through. Another thing I really like is that as soon as they realize they won’t be able to meet a deadline, they communicate that clearly and in a timely manner—including to the customer.”
Because employees are now much more likely to follow through on their commitments, the company has become more efficient. Tasks are completed faster, invoices are sent out sooner, and challenges are resolved more smoothly. Erwin and Julie continue to lead by example in this regard. Because as soon as they, as leaders, let their guard down, the integrity within their companies begins to erode as well. Julie: “We’ve both changed as people, and that has caused our team to change along with us.”
Doing Things Together
Erwin and Julie take their commitments very seriously these days. Even at home. “The closer you are to each other, the more likely you are to cancel your plans,” says Erwin. “We used to schedule a date night, but we’d cancel it nine times out of ten. Now we really make that evening together a priority, because we realize that as a couple, we need to make time for each other.”
Erwin, in particular, took steps to focus more on his family. When he took a critical look at his behavior, he realized he wasn’t the father and husband he wanted to be. “At first, I was still in denial,” says Erwin. “I thought I was doing just fine, but I was bringing all the stress from work home with me and wasn’t really there for my family.”
Erwin now leaves his work behind at the office so he can be there to listen. When Julie wants to vent after a tough day, he listens with his full attention. He treats appointments with his children as just as important as a meeting with a major client.
Erwin: “If I say I’ll take the kids to volleyball or pick them up from ballet, I’ll be there. Even if the company were on fire.” Julie adds: “He’s much more present as a dad. If something’s wrong, the kids sometimes even call Erwin before they call me. I used to feel like I was on my own. Now we really do it together.”
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