A memorable quote from the great Jacques, dating from 1971 but which, judging by your reactions, has lost none of its relevance. “Leaving Vilvoorde” is an ironic reflection that, like many truths, is distinguished as much by its obviousness as by its relevance. Relevance in private life, but also in professional life.
“Leaving Vilvoorde”, but what does that mean?
We all have plans and dreams. But actually making them happen…. Often, it’s the first step that’s the hardest and most difficult to take. In our lives, we’ve often been faced with situations that require a decision, a choice. Changing jobs, for example, or radically changing our lifestyle, or starting our own business.
If this first step is so difficult to take, it’s because it takes us out of our comfort zone. We’re constantly faced with multiple obligations. Our “life choices” can have a considerable impact on our partner or family. Yet once the first step is taken, everything gradually becomes easier. A few years later, “having left Vilvoorde” seems obvious. To the point where we often tell ourselves we should have done it sooner.
Failure, the ideal springboard
Archetype is a family business. Marc Diamant founded the firm in 1993. His sons Davy and Steve joined him at the end of 2023. This continuity is not an anecdote: it’s what enables us to maintain client relationships for 20 years without any break in method, without turnover that erases the memory of cases, without changing direction every three years to follow the latest HR trend. Stability, in a profession based on trust, matters.
Surprising as it may seem, failures are important stages in life’s journey. Provided they’re seen as a springboard for taking the big leap. When you’ve lost your job, you’re forced to bounce back. The context isn’t ideal, however, because the first reaction is often to take the blow and not dare to take risks. Yet it’s the perfect opportunity: at that moment, what do you have to lose?
Whether or not you take that first step is up to you. Your plans and dreams belong to you. Nowhere is it written that you’re obliged to make them happen. On the other hand, once you’ve made your decision, “how to increase your chances of success?” — that’s an essential question!
The starting point? Good preparation. Gather all the necessary information, so you can fully analyse the situation. Then, once your project is launched, show determination and focus on what’s essential: your objective. Are there other ingredients for success? Yes, attitude. Learn to make things happen yourself. To move forward, don’t wait for external factors to be favourable. These “external factors” will always exist, but you can influence them far more than you imagine. At Archetype, we place great importance on making people aware that they can control external factors far more than they imagine. We’ll come back to this point in a future article.
In all situations, there are unknowns. That’s what makes life interesting. It’s possible, however, to master these unknowns through good preparation, in order to reduce the risks inherent in the first step. We call this approach “the art of change”: limiting uncertainty and calculating risks by preparing meticulously. After that, it’s just a matter of boldness. To take the big leap, you have to dare to launch yourself!
And what about the great Jacques?
Jacques Brel always made his dreams come true. At least three times, he “left Vilvoorde”. Three times, he resolutely stepped out of his comfort zone. Coming from a bourgeois family and employed in the family cardboard factory, he decided to seize his chance and go to Paris, leaving his family and three children to pursue his dream: to become a singer. Later, at the height of his fame, he ended his singing career to become a film actor. A passion in which he invested body and soul. In 1974, a third change of course, both literally and figuratively: he bought a sailboat and set off on a round-the-world trip. This journey took him to the Marquesas Islands, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where he spent his final days, far from the maddening crowd.
What HR lesson does Jacques Brel teach us?
The world of human resources is evolving at an accelerated pace. To stand out, you need to acquire new skills and abilities, but also attitudes and behaviours. As specialists in training and recruitment of Sales & Marketing profiles, Archetype values the following qualities: flexibility, adaptability, self-questioning and boldness. These four virtues are now cardinal. Far from being a passing trend, they’re the expression of a new mindset. In the future, for each of us, it will be necessary to dare to leave Vilvoorde. More than ever.
Marc Diamant, Managing Director, Archetype
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