From Technician to Team Leader: Growing Through Opportunity and Trust

Glenn van Dienst: Van technieker tot teamleider: groeien door kansen en vertrouwen

For Glenn, it all began in 2014 at FrieslandCampina in Lummen. He started in aseptic maintenance and was always curious about how everything in the factory was connected. Before long, he wanted to understand more than just the technical side: how did the entire process work, and how could he truly make a difference? After his first year, he moved into the role of breakdown technician and explored several departments, including the spray can, Bag in Box, and processing departments. This gave him a complete overview of the factory and allowed him to further expand his technical expertise.

That eagerness to learn gradually took him further. From breakdown technician, he progressed to junior and then senior instrumentation and control technician. When his shift supervisor unexpectedly dropped out, Glenn temporarily stepped into a leadership role—an opportunity that ultimately led to his current position as Team Leader of the Technical Service department. “Before, I was working with nuts and bolts; now I’m working with people,” Glenn explains. “That’s a completely different experience.”


 

Growing Through Opportunity and Trust

Glenn thrives on the dynamics of his job. “I like to go the extra mile, as they say in Lummen,” he smiles. “Every day is different, and sometimes you need to pause and reflect on what you could have done differently. But that’s part of the job, there’s something to learn from every situation.” He is always forward-looking, eager to keep learning, discovering new things, and continuing to grow. “If you always do the same thing and never push your boundaries, it becomes boring. I want to keep learning, discovering new things, and taking the next step,” Glenn says.

That mindset brought him to where he is today. As a team leader, he received the right support and trust within FrieslandCampina, trust that he now passes on to his own team. Together, they focus on development, discuss what’s going well and what could be improved, while Glenn himself remains ambitious to keep learning and growing.

 

Glenn van Dienst: Van technieker tot teamleider: groeien door kansen en vertrouwen

Achieving Results Together

Glenn understands how important collaboration and structure are and that they don’t come automatically. “We have three fixed consultation moments during a shift, and that works really well. Everyone comes well prepared and feels free to raise their own points.” Communication between the different shifts has also improved significantly. Teams reach out to each other more quickly, share feedback, and there’s very little noise or misunderstanding. This gives Glenn more time to focus on the people in his team.

That, according to Glenn, is what good leadership is all about: creating structure so there is space for the person behind the work.

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