When Joris Mees graduated as a pharmacist, his goal was simple: he was going to take over a pharmacy. In the 1990s, shortly after completing his education, this seemed like a logical next step. That modest plan grew into something much bigger in the years that followed. Today, Joris runs 34 pharmacies in Flanders and a pharmaceutical wholesaler. Together, his companies have a turnover of 115 million. In 2021, he also launched a real estate development project and is involved with House of Finance, a mid-sized tax advisory firm, and wealth management firm Columbus Group.

Joris had built successful businesses, but at a certain point, that very success became his downfall. In 2019, he realized he had to make a change. “The organization was getting bigger and the number of employees was growing,” Joris explains. “I had my hands full just maintaining everything I had built up. I wasn’t even thinking about growth. I also sometimes had conflicts with staff members and didn’t know how to communicate with them. I thought leadership meant that everything revolved around me and everyone had to do what I said. At a certain point, that stopped working.”

Personal Limits
Joris did his best to develop himself, but that wasn’t enough to keep his growing organization running smoothly. “I was stuck in many areas,” he explains. “The knowledge and skills I had at the time weren’t enough to keep my business running smoothly. I was trained as a pharmacist, but I knew little about accounting and managing people, for example. That’s why I started looking for a way to develop myself as a person, but also to effectively deal with the situations I encountered on a daily basis.”

Later that year, Joris attended a networking event. A fellow entrepreneur told him that he was a member of Straight-Line Leadership and explained how the company’s approach had helped him immensely. Joris was already familiar with Straight-Line Leadership; he had previously attended one of their training sessions, but at the time he still had his doubts about their method. After hearing the entrepreneur’s enthusiastic account, he decided to take the plunge after all.

Employees Come First
Joris joined the Mentorship program, which was specifically designed for leaders of relatively large organizations. The focus isn’t just on one’s own leadership skills, but also on developing these skills within your management or executive team. And that was exactly where Joris was struggling. “Back then, I thought I had to handle everything myself and tell everyone what to do,” he shares. “But that was exactly why I was stuck.”

Joris realized he needed to delegate more responsibility. He explains: “I realized that I am not the company—my employees are the company. If I help my people develop, it improves the entire organization. That doesn’t mean I say yes to everything, but it does mean I help them grow, place them in the right positions, and make them stronger in their roles.”

Recently, Joris helped a wholesale employee take on more responsibility. Joris explains: “She had a lot of potential, so I wanted to give her an important role. But she became overwhelmed by the new tasks and started to feel stressed as a result. By talking to her regularly and understanding who she was and what she was struggling with, I was able to help her grow. She learned to bring issues up for discussion and has become more aware of her potential. This guidance transformed her from someone who reacted emotionally quickly into an enterprising and confident professional.”

Interested leader

The insights Joris has gained over the past few years have enabled him to empathize even more with his team members. He has more conversations with them and communicates in a way that works better. “If I wanted something to change, I used to just say: ‘From now on, we’re going to do it this way.’ If someone didn’t do what I expected, I didn’t understand why. I would then be direct and confrontational in my communication. Now I understand why people struggle with change, especially if they’ve been working a certain way for years.”

These days, Joris starts by explaining why a change is necessary: “I try to help people see this by describing it in vivid, concrete terms. That way, something that initially seemed obvious suddenly becomes illogical—and vice versa. This shift has had a huge impact on both the culture and performance within my organization.”

Another thing that helps is that Joris is less likely to get defensive during a confrontation. Instead of reacting immediately, he tries to understand why the other person is reacting that way. He explains: “I used to take a confrontation personally, but in 99% of cases, it actually has nothing to do with me. By being curious and asking questions, I figure out what’s really going on.”

A fun and relaxed life

The changes he made in his business have also had an impact on his personal life. “It has made my life even more enjoyable. Instead of getting stuck in my head and focusing on problems, I now actively look for solutions. As a result, I went from a life that was sometimes very hectic and stressful to a state of calm. Of course, I don’t always find a solution right away, but if something doesn’t work, I know I just have to look for a different approach.”

Whereas Joris used to get bogged down in the planning phase, he now takes action more quickly and makes adjustments along the way. If things do go wrong, he doesn’t dwell on it for long either, he explains: “I’ve learned to put things into perspective and focus on the facts without getting emotionally involved. I used to think that life just happened to me, but now I know that I can make conscious choices. It helps enormously when you’re aware of that, because then you can step back from the situation and start over. In the past, something could bother me all day long.”

Revenue will follow naturally
“All these changes have greatly improved both my personal and professional life,” Joris shares. “I feel less stress, have better relationships with my team, and enjoy a more effective work environment. Of course, there’s still room for improvement, such as in the areas of communication and dealing with people. I want to learn how to better inspire them and make them more engaged with the company. It’s not about generating the most revenue, but about creating something valuable. Revenue follows naturally when the interests of the company and its people come first.”