“I’m a very positive person; my glass is always half full”

Who are the people who consciously choose to work in the pensions industry? What do they do every day to take care of your pension? And what do they actually like about their work? In the series The Person Behind Your Pension on apg.nl, we take readers behind the scenes. We also share these stories on TeamAPG. This time, Nathalie Dacier, team lead of financial control, takes center stage. “When a great opportunity presented itself, I seized it with both hands.”

What exactly does your position entail?
“As team lead of financial control, I am responsible for the accuracy and completeness of APG’s financial figures. Together with my team I ensure that the annual accounts are drawn up correctly, among other things. We also report our figures to the Executive Board every month. We not only record everything carefully, we also make forecasts for the future that are as reliable as possible. In short, we lay the foundations for the figures used within APG.”

Have you always been focused on the financial world?
“I have always had a strong interest in it. Before I started working at APG in 2015, I worked for several accounting firms and had my own business for a few years. At APG, I have worked in several departments. Through the years, I discovered more and more that, in addition to working with numbers, I also really enjoy collaborating with other people. In recent years I’ve been actively contributing to APG’s management report. At a certain point, that process was running well and I felt I could add less value. I wanted to keep challenging myself, though. So I started looking: where else could I develop myself? My interest in people motivated me to take a broader view and take on a management role. My background in numbers did form a solid basis for managing my team.”

It sounds like it was easy for you to switch jobs. Did you have a lot of influence on your career path?
“It wasn’t a matter of picking another position and going for it. Self-promotion does not come naturally to me, and as a result, I was actually kind of waiting for my colleagues and supervisors to see my potential. After a while, I realized that it didn’t work that way, that I had to make my ambition known myself. When I did, a great opportunity presented itself. And I seized it with both hands.”

What do you like most about your role as team lead?
“The greatest thing about my work is that I can have a positive impact on my team members. I hope to be able to inspire them to use all of their potential qualities. After a recent reorganization, which caused quite a bit of unrest, I noticed there was a need for clarity and direction. It feels good to be able to help with that and it is satisfying to me, for example, to hear about someone having a good development talk. I like to make an impact using my own style and approach. Sometimes I want to move too fast or expect too much of myself. Fortunately, I’m good at reflecting on that. I realize I’ve only been doing this for a few months and it’s okay for me to take time to develop myself.”

Is it the combination of working with people and being results-oriented that makes you a good team lead?
“I hope so. Besides that human side, I am also very clear about what needs to be accomplished. I give employees the freedom to interpret that in their own way. I am very open to giving and receiving feedback and I try to create a safe environment where everyone can do that. I’m a very positive person; my glass is always half full. I really try to project that onto the team. Of course, sometimes there is resistance to my approach. And that’s fine; we just talk about it. It’s okay to have uncomfortable moments at times. Because then there is growth, both for me and for the other person.”

What is the biggest challenge in your work?
“I strongly believe that through my approach I can bring out the best in others. It is essential for me to gain autonomy and confidence to do so, otherwise I can’t fulfill my role and achieve my goals. So my challenge lies in finding balance, remaining steadfast and executing my vision. For me, the ideal situation is that my supervisor gives me space to use my talents. We all have our own approach. It can be challenging when someone does things a little differently than you, but that often leads to learning experiences and growth on both sides.”

What are the less positive aspects of your work?
“Sometimes we spend too much time making decisions, I see that everywhere at APG. Everyone has an opinion about every decision and every document delivered. Is that always an improvement? Not as far as I’ m concerned. And it is guaranteed to lead to delays. Sometimes, for example, we drown in extensive reports containing so much information that the recipient can no longer see the forest for the trees. Then we try to make it easier by producing a concise overview. That does help, but then – in my opinion - we end up with another version that’s too extensive."

What else do you do besides your work?
“I live in Heerlen, close to the office, with my two sons, who are 8 and 10. That was by chance; I already lived here when I started at APG. It does have some advantages: no commuting and I don’t have to worry about a parking spot. It only takes me five minutes to walk to work. In my spare time, I enjoy working out, I have a wonderful boyfriend and a great social circle. Working out is important to me, even if it’s just to stay fit. I focus on strength and core training at the gym. That helps me keep my body strong, despite my desk job. I also do yoga, which helps me to stay strong mentally, because the movements are calm and it helps me find inner peace. It’s a way for me to get out of my head. I recommend it to everyone, including my co-workers. But so far I haven’t been able to convince very many people to join in. You have to be open to it. But I keep trying...”