"I am no longer blinkered"

During his Executive Master of Health Administration (MHA), Jef Mol started his own company. 22graden is an agency for organizational advice, interim-management and project management in the health care sector and works for care- and welfare organizations, municipalities, health insurers and care administration offices.

Why did you decide to enroll in this particular educational program?

“I did a similar academic training program years before at a different institute, but that was very theoretical. At the time, I had no work experience as a manager and advisor. I had been working for a few years and I felt an itch: I wanted to be able to put day-to-day issues in the broader perspective of theory and current developments. I have never been able to link the knowledge that I had acquired along the way, to actual practice.”

What, during the program, impressed you most?

“The quality of the instructors. Scientifically renowned on the one hand, with both feet firmly on practical ground and a feel for current developments, on the other. They also incorporated the dynamics of the group in their teaching methods. The participants had various backgrounds and we held lively discussions, alternated with moments of a more informal nature. We genuinely interacted. The contacts I acquired during the program, are also very valuable. We still meet once a year to do something that is worthwhile and fun.”

What is the biggest lesson you took away from this program?

“I can never again just 'mind the shop', as it is called in management jargon. I will always be inclined to question the status quo. I am no longer blinkered, which has left me with a pleasant unrest of sorts. I am always asking questions: how can we do better? What if we do things differently? I have become more contemplative, I now view matters in a broader perspective. Everything that we do is part of a network, any decisions that we make always have an effect on others as well. Those TIAS ideas were obvious in the lectures and also suit 22graden.”

And was the management course for the health care sector the right choice?

“Definitely. The themes we examined during the program, that were so inspiring to me, are only just being discovered by my clients, or are yet to be discovered. We were taught on the frontline of knowledge and I am now reaping the rewards of that. During the lectures, I was mainly inspired, now I realize just how essential those themes were.”

What is your next step?

“At 22graden, we are basically going to continue doing what we do now: combining insight with practical experience and research. I started the company with a partner two years ago, during my graduation. Now we employ six advisors. It is not really our goal to grow. Our main aim is to dedicate ourselves to reaching organizations in the health care sector that are more result-oriented and to organize services in such a way, that we contribute the maximum to a satisfactory client experience. That is what drives us.”