‘The programme gave me the right tools to grow in my role as a leader’
Josha Nen-Ancheta - Iqgeo
In the software company where she has been working since 2016, Josha Nen-Ancheta has evolved from a support engineer to a management position. She felt she needed more people skills and took the course ‘essentials in people skills’ at the Online Academy by Mediafin & Vlerick Business School. ‘ learned how to motivate my team so we can grow together.’
‘At the Online Academy by Mediafin & Vlerick Business School, professionals can interactively deep dive into a business domain. From change and operations management to sales and marketing, finance, strategy and people skills. One of those course participants is Josha-Nen Ancheta. She has Filipino roots, but has been living in Ghent for eight years with her husband and their two children.
Ancheta works in the Belgian branch of the international company IQGeo, specialising in innovative software solutions for telecommunications, fibre optics and utilities. ‘I started as a support engineer in 2016, and it was a perfect match for my degree in computer science. In recent years I have been given more and more responsibilities and today I lead a team of four people. The focus of my job has shifted from the technical side to the motivation, inspiration and coaching of my team members.’
‘You don't have to deny who you are in order to be a good leader. I learned that in my religious community and it’s no different in business’
Josha Nen-Ancheta - Iqgeo
Knowledge transfer
‘I love connections. I am active in the local faith community because I like listening to others so that I can help them. I liked the transition to a managerial position because human contacts are central,’ says Ancheta. But she felt she needed more knowledge to do her job properly. ‘Because of my technical background, I had hardly any experience in management. I knew how to use my knowledge, but I didn't know how to transfer it to others to help them move forward. As a team manager, I also conduct job interviews, which is completely new for me. That's why I started looking for training possibilities and found the ‘essentials in people skills’ course at Vlerick Business School. My manager immediately agreed and I enjoyed a lot of support.’
Authentic and inspiring
The programme helped Ancheta discover and develop her people skills. What she uses most in her professional life are the tools for authentic leadership. ‘You don't have to deny who you are in order to be a good leader. I learned that in my religious community and it’s no different in business. It is only by being completely true to yourself that you can build good relationships with your team members and gain their trust. I think it’s important that they respect me as I am. That way I can motivate and inspire them.’
Ancheta also learned how to delegate tasks to the right people instead of doing everything herself. ‘By giving ownership to others, they learn to tackle problems themselves. In this way, they can grow in their function and we can achieve great successes together.’
‘It is only by being completely true to yourself that you can build good relationships with your team members and gain their trust’
Josha Nen-Ancheta - Iqgeo
A variety of formats
Ancheta was able to follow the English-language course at her own pace. It took her about a month. ‘Everything happened online in different formats, from videos and interviews to practical case studies and quizzes. It was easy to combine with my job and the variety made it interesting.’ Afterwards, she received an official Vlerick certificate. ‘The programme gave me the right tools to develop myself as a leader and to grow further in my role. I would like to take a follow-up course, something that goes deeper, with a more strategic approach. I don't know which one yet. But since I liked the Online Academy so much, there is a good chance I will end up there again.’
