The Strategic Value of the 3 C’s

Governance & Control is often viewed as an organizational brake. A necessary evil, full of rules and red tape. However, in my vision it is quite the opposite. Good governance is not a brake; it is the steering wheel required to accelerate safely.

Recently, I started as Advisor Governance & Control at PPF - Partner in Pet Food. An organization with tremendous potential, where my strategic mandate is clear: transform the current dynamic into a predictable, controlled environment.

Why? Because you cannot build sustainably without a solid foundation. To achieve this, I am reverting to a deceptively simple Dutch principle known as the 3 R's (Rust, Reinheid, Regelmaat). I am not applying these as old-fashioned parenting rules, but as the 3 C's of strategic leadership: Calm, Cleanliness, and Cadence.

1. Calm (Rust): The Foundation for Decision Making

In an organization where processes do not align, the issues of the day dictate the agenda. Management decisions become reactive, based on incidents rather than insights. My role is to create strategic Calm. By establishing an End-to-End Risk Control Framework, we eliminate the noise. Operational calm creates the bandwidth in the boardroom to look forward instead of backward.

2. Cleanliness (Reinheid): Transparency as Value

I translate 'Reinheid' into Cleanliness of data and process. If we want to determine a strategic course, the data must be indisputable. 'Polluted' processes lead to steering in the fog. My focus is on cleaning up the lines: establishing clear ownership and pure data streams. Only with a 'single source of truth' can management take responsible risks.

3. Cadence (Regelmaat): The Rhythm of Control

A mature organization has a heartbeat. Not incidental checks, but a predictable Cadence of Plan-Do-Check-Act. By embedding this rhythm into the control cycle, we make results predictable. Predictability is crucial for investors, stakeholders, and long-term strategy. It is what makes an organization scalable.

Valour in Practice

It requires courage to reject quick fixes in a complex environment and choose structural transformation instead. At PPF, we are currently building that foundation.

Governance, therefore, is not the bureaucracy that slows growth, but the discipline that makes growth possible.

Sjarel (model in the making).